Differences Between Thomas Cooper And Thomas Jefferson

History 201 In the three-letter correspondence between Thomas Cooper and Thomas Jefferson, the two influential men argue whether a British or American government is superior. Thomas Cooper delicately argues for the successes of the British government due to its capability to function as one of the leading nations of the world while Thomas Jefferson argues vehemently for the prosperity of the American society because it maintains safety and happiness for the country and for the individual. Both men’s claims are supported by sufficient evidence throughout the letters. Thomas Cooper’s main argument stems from one of the initial statements in the first letter, “…political improvement even if unobstructed by power, has its limits.” This begins his explanation of how British politics as a whole are relatively unfavorable by his standards, but in the end, they have produced a powerful, successful nation. Britain’s flaws are pointed out as revolving around the priority of the state over the individual. In this, Cooper acknowledges that “the man himself does not matter” , but clearly, he sees this as a nonissue in the grand scheme. The only sign of persuasion Cooper

There are some positive and negative aspects. He does not think that the nation America’s systems has produced is in any way superior to that of Great Britain’s: “They have in that country incalculable means of defence, and of offence too … they are a superior people.” Cooper recognizes the freedom that the American people exist with, although he still refuses to believe that this makes them better. For all the reasons that freedom of oppression would be superior to oppression, Cooper seems to believe the opposite. As he says in his first letter, America has more to defend so that the people would not lose their liberty. Cooper states, however, that the opposite must be