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Running Head: Commemorating Jefferson 1

Commemorating Jefferson
Taylor Smith
Age of Jefferson
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Amidst the protests over the lack of institutional response regarding racism on the

campus of the University of Missouri, some students began demanding the removal of a

statue of Thomas Jefferson. Reason being, these students believed that they needed to

shed light on the other side of Jeffersonthe slave owner. Juxtaposed with the words

all men are created equal across his forehead, students, one being Bryant Hill, covered

this particular memorial in sticky notes with words like racist, misogynist, and slave

owner. On the other hand, proponents of the statue see Jefferson as a important figure, as

the University of Missouri was the first University established in the Louisiana Purchase

territory (Guthrie, 2015). Furthermore, the Mizzou College Republicans draped the

Jefferson statue in a U.S. flag to garner support for the preservation of the memorial,

while responding with their own sticky notes that commemorated Jefferson as a father of

freedom whom helped laid the foundation of American ideals (McClain & Serve, 2015).

Regardless of the contention surrounding the Jefferson statue, this sheds light on how to

properly commemorate the third President of the United States. However, not to negate

the realities of his participation in the institution of slavery, when considering his vision

of the American empire, it is looked upon with great appropriateness to commemorate

Jefferson for his quest for liberty, his expansion of the republic, and the spirit of 1776

that he embodied which shaped America through the founding years, as well as after the

Revolution of 1800.

Beginning with his vision of the expansion of the American empire of liberty,

Jefferson sought the West as a vast frontier for the sowing of republican institutions.

Unlike many Federalists, Jefferson saw the land that he would eventually purchase from

Napoleon as the key of unification amongst the nation. In Jeffersons Empire, Peter S.
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Onuf presents Jeffersons justification for purchasing western territories as a means to

secure American politics from European influence. Onuf cites a letter to John

Breckinridge that Jefferson wrote in 1803, where he claims that Federalists should

embrace the expansion of Western lands, as the descendants would be American, not

European. Essentially, Jefferson viewed the Louisiana purchase as a means of binding the

nation, and eliminating foreign influence, uniting the East and West through common

principles. It is this theory of union that sheds light on Jeffersons vision of liberty, a

marvel that characterizes the contributions that are necessary for consideration when

commemorating Jefferson (Onuf, 2000).

However, in order to understand Jeffersons quest for Western territory to connect

the American brethren, one must understand his conception of a spiritthe spirit of 1776.

In a letter to Philip Mazzei on April 24th, 1796, Jefferson conveys a fear of the Americans

losing their noble love of liberty. Reason being, as Jefferson claims, a monarchical

and aristocratical partythe Federalists rose to power and subverted the American

system of republican government. Jefferson believed that through the Executive and

Judicial branches, especially with the policies established with the John Adams

administration and the establishment of the national bank were evidence of the

Europeanization of American politics (Jefferson, 1796). With this, a similar

dissatisfaction of the Federalists is present in a letter to John Dickinson on March 6th,

1801, where he proclaims that his sudden victory has saved America from the rough

waters of the previous administrations corruption (Jefferson, 1781). While describing his

victory to the presidency as a naval victory or conquest, Jefferson used the spirit of

1776 to propagate the need for his vision of an American empire, where all citizens
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would enjoy a free republic that would consist of a layer of sovereign governments. In

terms of Jeffersons contribution to the expansion of the American empire,

commemorating his spirit that drove the quest past the Mississippi is worthy of

significant remembrance (Jefferson, 1781).

Lastly, in his First Inaugural Address on March 4th, 1801, Thomas Jefferson called

upon the citizenry to complete the revolution of 1800 to unite under the Constitution and

the American republican principles as a way to promote the common good. As he claims

in this address, the American public will prosper that all, including the minority, will

possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect. Therefore, he claims that any

violation of equal rights and protection of the Constitution is oppression. Contextually, it

is important to understand that Jefferson is seemingly referring to the actions of the

previous administration, one being the Sedition Acts, since some of the protections he

refers to be that of speech and expression. Yet, it is important to note that Jefferson

continues his address by necessitating the responsibility of the American citizenry to rid

the nation of the societal ills commonly associated with European nationsreligious

warfare, despotic rule, and political intolerance. He demands that the American people

carry on the spirit of 1776, by living in harmony and continuing the quest for liberty.

With this address, he further claims that the Western territories provide a space for the

expansion of American principles, thus ridding the contiguous lands of European

influence. Jeffersons marvel of the Western lands, and rhetoric of freedom demonstrate

his desire to expand the ideals that embody the Spirit of 76 a spirit we must

remember him for. In other words, Jeffersons trail-blazing visions of an empire for
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liberty was the tide that sailed America to the shores of todays achievements (Jefferson,

1801).

With the rising tensions on some American college campuses regarding racial ills

that still persist, some college students, one being the University of Missouri, deem that

commemorating Thomas Jefferson is inappropriate, considering his affiliation with the

institution of slavery. However, what must be understood is that Thomas Jefferson was a

leader in the expansion of American liberty from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific

coast. That being said, it is appropriate to commemorate Jefferson for his contributions in

this expansion. In order to understand his purpose for this expansion of the American

empire, and in order to commemorate it, one must fully understand the rhetoric of the

Spirit of 1776, as well as how this sprit would work to shape America in the years after

the Revolution of 1800.


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Works Cited

Guthrie, C. (2015). Students protest Thomas Jefferson statue, call for its removal. The
Columbian Missourian.
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/students-protest-thomas-
jefferson-statue-call-for-its-removal/article_8c1d6bb2-6d57-11e5-9051-
17eb054002a6.html
Jefferson, T. (1801). First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-33-02-0116-0004
Jefferson to Philip Mazzei, April 24, 1796.
http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-29-02-0054-0002.
McClain, M & Serven, R. (2015). MU students petition in support of Jefferson statue
and legacy on campus. The Columbian Missourian.
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/mu-students-
petition-in-support-of-jefferson-statue-and-legacy/article_6275b192-7762-11e5-
89b9-37af30e4f167.html
Onuf, P. (2000). Jefferson's empire the language of American nationhood.
Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.
Jefferson to John Dickinson, March 6, 1801!
http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-33-02-0156

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