JEFFERSON 



3131 



JEFFERSON 



Services to the State of Virginia. Shortly 

 after the Declaration of Independence was 

 adopted, Jefferson withdrew from Congress, 

 and in October, 1776, again took his seat in 

 the Virginia legislature. He felt that the laws 

 of Virginia needed revision, and particularly 

 that four proposed laws would form a founda- 

 tion "for a government truly republican." 

 These four measures were the repeal of the 

 laws of entail; the abolition of primogeniture 

 (which see) ; freedom of conscience and relief 

 from supporting, by general taxation, an estab- 

 lished church; and a system of general educa- 

 tion. District, grammar and classical schools, 

 a free state library and a state college were a 

 part of Jefferson's plan, but these were genera- 

 tions ahead of the times. Yet to Jefferson 

 must be given great credit, for he was the 

 first American statesman "to make education 

 by the state a fundamental article of Demo- 

 cratic faith." The other three measures were 

 passed, not at once and not through Jeffer- 

 son's influence alone, but he inspired other 

 men to work for the same causes. In 1778 he 

 introduced and secured the passage of an act 

 to prohibit the importation of negro slaves 

 into Virginia, and he labored to secure a re- 

 vision of the penal laws. From 1778 to 1796 

 he and his friends, among them James Madi- 

 son, worked for the restriction of capital pun- 

 ishment, and finally succeeded in eliminating 

 the death penalty for all offenses except mur- 

 der and treason. 



In 1779, when the outlook for the colonies 

 seemed darkest, Jefferson succeeded Patrick 

 Henry as governor of Virginia. His first term, 

 1779-1780, was uneventful, but during his sec- 

 ond term the state was overrun by British 

 troops, and Jefferson himself narrowly escaped 

 capture at their hands. His failure to defend 

 the state against invasion was severely criti- 

 cized by some persons, but he was powerless, 

 for the state had already sent all available 

 men and supplies to the army under Washing- 

 ton, and there was no means of defense. Jef- 

 ferson was perhaps not fitted to be a governor 

 in time of war, but his course had Washing- 

 ton's approval. At the expiration of his term 

 he again became a member of the legislature, 

 which answered his critics by giving him a 

 vote of thanks and confidence for his services 

 as governor. 



Called to Serve the Nation. Less than a 

 year later (in September, 1782), Jefferson's 

 wife died, leaving to his care three daughters, 

 the youngest only four months old. He had 



long since wished to retire from public life, and 

 now determined to do so. He declined to go 

 to France as peace commissioner, but when he 

 was urged a second time, finally accepted, only 

 to learn that the preliminary treaty had 

 already been signed. In 1783 and 1784 he was 

 again in Congress, where he was instrumental 

 in securing the adoption of the decimal sys- 

 tem of currency. In 1781, while Jefferson was 

 governor, Virginia offered to cede to Congress 

 its claims to the western territory, and in 

 Congress in 1784 he made the first draft of 

 the ordinances for the government of this 



MONTICELLO 

 The home of Jefferson. 



region. His plan, which applied to the lands 

 south as well as north of the Ohio River, 

 provided for the abolition of slavery in 1800. 

 It was defeated in Congress, but was the 

 basis of the Ordinance of 1787 which made the 

 Northwest free territory. Jefferson was him- 

 self a slave-owner, but he believed that jus- 

 tice and patriotism demanded the abolition of 

 the system (see ORDINANCE OF 1787). 



American Representative in France. In 

 May, 1784, Jefferson was sent to Europe to 

 assist Benjamin Franklin and John Adams in 

 negotiating commercial treaties, and in the 

 next year was appointed minister to France. 

 Measured by the diplomatic results his stay 

 in France was not important, because Europe 

 in general and France in particular had inter- 

 nal troubles and were not interested in the 

 United States. But his personal charm, his 

 culture, his simplicity, his sympathy with 

 French ideals, impressed all with whom he 

 came into contact and did much to set the 

 United States in a more favorable light among 

 Europeans. He was greatly interested in the 

 French Revolution and the events leading to 

 it, and it is not unfair to say that his political 

 philosophy always showed the influence of the 

 five years he spent in France. His personal 



