How Did Thomas Jefferson Want To Be Remembered For

Thomas Jefferson wanted to be remembered for three things: being the author of the Declaration of Independence, the author of the Statute of Virginia for religious toleration, and the Father of the University of Virginia, all because of the word ‘freedom’. I think that it is interesting that Jefferson believes that these are the things that define his life, and should be placed on his tombstone. I say this because there are many other things that Thomas Jefferson has accomplished that can be said or are said to be greater than what he has listed on his tombstone. In this paper, I will discuss why he believed that freedom was the most important thing in his life, and how that influenced his choice of what he wished to be remembered for. First,

After some time, the 126 bills written by the committee were presented to the General Assembly while Jefferson waited anxiously to hear which bills were going to be passed while he resided in France (MONTICELLO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM). This bill was important to Thomas Jefferson because the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was about freedom of conscience and the principle of separation of church and state (VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND CULTURE). Jefferson himself was religious, and believed and argued the fact that “ “Nature’s God,” who is undeniably visible in the workings of the universe, gives man the freedom to choose his religious beliefs.” and that the God that created the world “. does not intervene in the affairs of man.” (VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND CULTURE). This quote from Thomas Jefferson tells me that he believed in the separation of church and state, and that the government has no right to infringe on the religious rights of the

The long fight between the Presbyterians, Quakers, Baptists, and more, was over. Essentially, Thomas Jefferson had created religious freedom for those who did not have it. To some people, it is a mystery why he would choose to list being the creator of the Declaration of Independence, the creator of the Statute of Religious Freedom, and the Father of the University of Virginia on his tombstone and not the fact that he was a president. But what these things have in common, is that these acts and creations are things that Thomas Jefferson has done that people have never done before and will never do again. No other people can hold the positions in these things that Jefferson has. Another thing that ties these three accomplishments together is that they all round out the word ‘freedom’. Being the Father of the University of Virginia created educational freedom, being the creator of the Statute of Religious Freedom essentially established religious freedom for people who had not had it before, and the Declaration of Independence established individual rights, personal liberties, and freedom that people were supposed to