The Sad Truth Behind Thomas Jefferson Essay

The Sad Truth Behind Thomas Jefferson

History is a very important part of our lives. When we learn about the past, we learn

from both the good and bad of the people who lived in former times. While studying history, not often do we question whether the information we are studying is credible or biased. Nonetheless, it is important to realize that there are always two sides to a story. Realizing this is especially crucial when looking back at the life of Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson is most commonly known for his many accomplishments. According to

Ducksters.com Jefferson had many different occupations throughout his lifetime. Jefferson was a lawyer, politician, and even a farmer. His most well known accomplishment was being elected

as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Thomas Jefferson was also the writer of the Declaration of Independence. According to the History Alive book, Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, ¨We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” This Another important deed that Thomas Jefferson accomplished for the United States was purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France. This purchase led to the launch of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Some other of Jefferson's contributions was his avocation for free public education, and being the writer of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Jefferson’s many accomplishments have greatly influenced how he is viewed and depicted in history.
Throughout history, Thomas Jefferson has been depicted as a righteous man who
greatly contributed his life to the United States.

Students are taught in school that Jefferson was one of the founding fathers and was the writer of the Declaration of Independence. In the History Alive textbook, it explains how Thomas Jefferson was a quiet and smart man who wrote that all men are created equal in the Declaration of Independence. This proves that the positive image of Thomas Jefferson is taught to students in school. Across the nation, airports, cities, counties, schools, streets, and even mountains are named after Thomas Jefferson. Monuments, museums, and memorials are built in his honor. However, we should not be blinded by Jefferson’s accomplishments and forget about his many

misdeeds.
Despite being a very accomplished man throughout his life, Thomas Jefferson was not a
good hearted person.

According to the CBS video, Jefferson owned a total of 600 slaves in his lifetime. However he freed only seven slaves. Jefferson even had children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings. This shows that not only was Jefferson evil, he was also a liar. Jefferson was the writer of the Declaration of Independence and wrote that all men are created equal. However he believed that he had the authority to rule 600 slaves. Many people would assume that Jefferson ruled his slaves with respect and kindness. However, in the New York Times article the text describes how Jefferson condemned 200 of his slaves to the auction block. Jefferson was also fine with the idea of destroying slave families. This further supports the fact that Jefferson was an evil slave owner. Although, Jefferson did publicly claim he strongly opposed slavery, Jefferson planned for slaves to leave the United States after being freed. Monticello.com explains how Thomas Jefferson wanted newly freed slaves to be removed from the United States. This shows how Jefferson’s mind was full of prejudice. There is controversy on whether or not Thomas Jefferson should be honored and remembered for his accomplishments despite the fact that he was a cruel slave owner. As mentioned earlier, I firmly believe that we should look at both sides to Jefferson in order to not be biased. This means that we should only honor Jefferson’s accomplishments, not Thomas Jefferson

himself.
In conclusion, Thomas Jefferson’s many accomplishments has significantly shaped the United
States. Jefferson is greatly honored across the nation because of his numerous accomplishments. Nevertheless, besides being a very successful man, Jefferson was also a brutal slave owner. Therefore, when look at the life of Thomas Jefferson, we should learn from both Jefferson’s good and bad deeds. We should only honor Jefferson’s accomplishments and reduce our respect for the real Thomas Jefferson.