Apostle Of Republican Liberty Analysis

Thomas Jefferson The article, “Apostle of Republican Liberty” by Eugene R. Sheridan presents a biography of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Also known as the “Father of the Declaration of Independence”; founder of the University of Virginia, and author of the “Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom”. The author of this article, Eugene R. Sheridan is a member of the Princeton University Department of History, which has written couple of other books and articles about the early American history. Thomas Jefferson was a great man, which, he played an important role in changing the destiny of the American republic, by being a man of many talents. For instance, with his intellectual writing he wrote the declaration of independence, Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, and Notes on the State of Virginia. Also, as an architect, he designed the University of Virginia and his home Monticello, which attracts thousands of visitors now. As well, he was an abolitionist, but yet he was a slave owner. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, which is one of his best well known work. It leads to the position of the American people and their

However, he was a slave owner at the same time. Throughout his life time, he owned hundreds of African American slaves. Even after the death of his wife, Jefferson had a long-term relationship with one of his slave’s, Sally Hemings. On the other hand, as a young politician, he argued for the prohibition of slavery in new American territories, but yet he never freed his own slaves. How could a man responsible for writing the sacred words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" have been a slave owner? He never resolved his internal conflict on this issue. Although, according to the book he wrote, “Notes on the State of Virginia”, it seems that Jefferson was ambivalent about slavery throughout his career