Thomas Jefferson - "man of the People"

Thomas Jefferson - "Man of the People"

"Liberty is to the collective body, what health is to every individual body. Without health no pleasure can be tasted by man; without liberty, no happiness can be enjoyed by society". This powerful advocate of liberty was born on April 13th, 1743 in Shadwell what is now known as Albemarle County, Virginia. It was a significant location for an aristocratic youth in the sense that it lay within the sparsely populated Piedmont Region, between the gentrified Tidewater coastline and the Blue Ridge Mountains of the frontier. In keeping with his borderland origins, Jefferson would throughout his long life occupy a political and psychological space that balanced the responsibilities of establishment privilege with the lures of open, unexplored territory. His father, Peter Jefferson, a self-educated jack of all trades, moved from the Tidewater to the sparsely populated Piedmont in his youth, where he made a name for himself as a cartographer and surveyor. His prominence in affairs of state later led to his appointments as sheriff, colonel, and ultimately, representative to the House of Burgesses. His mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson came from a leading Tidewater family, and had a noble bloodline ranging back to various locations in England and Scotland. Peter Jefferson died when Jefferson was only 14 years old. Hoping for a successful future, Mr. Jefferson had adamantly insisted in his son's education. When Jefferson's father died, he left very valuable land and over 200 slaves behind him to be given to his son later. When Thomas was older, he decided to be a lawyer. He studied at the college of William and Mary (1760-62) at Williamsburg, which at that time was the capital of Virginia. He then studied law at George Wythe. On Jan. 1, 1772 he married Martha Wayles Skelton. They had six children but only two of them Martha and Mary survived into adulthood. Thomas Jefferson is remembered in history not only for the offices he held, but also for his belief in the natural rights of man as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and his faith in the people's ability to govern themselves. He left an impact on his times equaled by few others in American history.

Thomas Jefferson was among the socialized leaders who were leaders not for any personal agenda. They desired power to accomplish goals and needs of the others. Being the oldest son in the family and inheriting father's land and money he did not become lawyer in the quest for money or power, but in the quest to attain something in life. Power can be gained in many ways by the leaders. For example Adolph Hitler gained power by convincing Germans about Jews taking them over. He convinced the entire nation that Jews were the cause of their every problem. There are two different and distinct ways to attain power. It can be attained through social exchanges and strategic contingences. Jefferson definitely achieved his power from his strategic contingences. His power was based on his expertise and position and not entirely as an individual. For example his pamphlet entitled "A Summary View of the Rights of British America," written in 1774, articulated the colonial position for independence and foreshadowed many of the ideas in the Declaration of Independence, the work for which he is most famous. His supporters made a good use of his association with the document to establish his pedigree as a true republican and revolutionary hero. By 1774, Jefferson was actively involved in organizing opposition to British rule, and in 1776, he was appointed to the Second Continental Congress and in 1779 he was appointed the governor of Virginia. As a powerful prose stylist and an influential Virginia representative, Jefferson was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence. This document is a brilliant assertion of fundamental human rights and also serves as America's most succinct statement of its philosophy of government. He would not have been chosen to write the Declaration of Independence if it was not for his expertise and political standings.

In addition to social contingences, leaders have many other forms of power over their followers, sub-ordinates, countrymen, etc. Jefferson had many such powers based on his position and as a person. Jefferson had many legitimate powers due to several holdings he held in his career. He held positions such as governor of Virginia during wartime, minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President, and the President. Each position came with new sets of power. He also believed in using least possible power while governing people. Jefferson believed in a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another but which otherwise left them free to regulate their own affairs. He once said "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as they are injurious to others." His views were more of the Conservatives who like the government to interfere the least. Even though he had the highest level of legitimate power being the president of the United States he never misused it. In an effort to minimize the influence of the central government, he reduced the number of government employees, slashed army enlistments, and cut the national debt. Similar to his predecessor, John Adams, Jefferson had to deal with the political war waged between his Republican Party and the Federalists. The battles were focused on the nation's judiciary branch. The landmark ruling in Marbury v. Madison, which established the independent power of the Supreme Court, was handed down during Jefferson's presidency. With the help of the legitimate power he had many legislative accomplishments. As a legislator in Virginia (1776-79), Jefferson sought to reform society along enlightened and republican lines. After successfully proposing the disestablishment of the Anglican Church, he was responsible for legislation abolishing entail (inheritance of land through a particular line of descent) and primogeniture (inheritance only by the eldest son), thus eliminating two major governmental restrictions on the use of private property. The reform of the Virginia criminal code in which Jefferson was a leading participant did not achieve the humanitarian results to which he was dedicated but did eliminate the most barbarous and repressive practices, such as public whippings, dunking, and bills of attainder (which condemned accused persons without trial). The legislature refused outright to adopt Jefferson's bill for a public school system and library, but many years later, he succeeded in establishing the University of Virginia (which opened in 1825), one of the three accomplishments that he memorialized in the epitaph on his tombstone. The religious freedom statute, originally introduced in 1779 but not actually passed

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