Biography Essay on Thomas Jefferson's Beliefs about Government

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Biography Essay on Thomas Jefferson’s Beliefs about Government

Jefferson had a great many opinions on how governments should be run and how citizens should be treated. Although he lived in a different time than Thomas More did when he wrote Utopia, a lot of the fundamental issues that Utopia was trying to solve were still present. There was still great inequity in the time of Jefferson, and tyrannical rulers were still ruling with almost complete power over their governments. Jefferson appears to share the moral ideals that are present in Utopia. Both do not look kindly to native people and are for freedom of religion to some degree. Their opinions on warfare appear to vary with some clear disagreements like the use of mercenaries. Jefferson was clearly in favor of private ownership of land, which meant he would not support the essence of Utopia and view it as an unjust government, although he would still agree with some of the other fundamental ideals of the government.

In Utopia, there is freedom of religion for all people except for those who do not believe in God. Utopians believe that the afterlife is what serves as a motivation for people to behave appropriately and have morals. In regards to people who do not believe in an afterlife, they say, Anyone who thinks otherwise they do not even include in the category of human beings since he has degraded the lofty nature of his soul to the base level of a beasts wretched body. (More, 119) Jefferson in the declaration implies that all human rights are given to humans by God. He clearly is of the belief that God is necessary for creating a government and for rationalizing peoples rights. Jefferson would likely agree with Utopias assertions about Atheists, and would likely believe that atheists would not respect peoples rights. Overall the religious laws and beliefs of Utopians would be seen favorably by Jefferson and something he would want in his country.

Another area where ideas of Jefferson appear to intertwine with those of the Utopians is the treatment and overall opinion of native people. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson refers to the Native Americans as merciless Indian Savages showing that he clearly views them as less than human. (Jefferson) The Utopians also appear to look at natives as less than human. They mention that when their population grows too big they simply take land from the natives of the area, showing they do not respect their rights as human beings.

Jefferson may be conflicted about the slaves of Utopia. In a paragraph that was taken out of the Declaration Jefferson declares, He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them to slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportations thither. (Jefferson, rough draft) Jefferson states here that slavery is against human nature itself, showing that he clearly is against the practice of slavery. The Utopians on the other hand have slaves. Slaves in Utopia are not like the slaves Jefferson refers to. Jefferson talks about how slaves in America were kidnapped and transported to a foreign land to become slaves. In Utopia slaves are people who committed a serious crime in Utopia or foreigners who have been condemned to death. (Utopia, 95) The slaves in Utopia receive much better treatment than the slaves in America did. Utopian slaves could be more effective compared to prisoners in the United States. Jefferson would likely approve of these improved conditions for slaves compared to how they were treated in America. He would still likely feel that the practice of slavery was a crime against humanity as it strips humans of their individual rights to freedom.

One area Jefferson would have grievances over is the warfare practices of the Utopians. The Utopians used mercenaries to fight their wars for them, they also used propaganda to try and start civil uprisings or assassinations so that they would not need to send soldiers to war. Jefferson has two quotes where he accuses the King of England of doing these things. The first is, He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. (Jefferson) This quote shows that Jefferson appears to be against the use of mercenaries. He compares the action to barbarous ages implying that using mercenaries is something he looks down on. The other quote is, He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages. (Jefferson) Here Jefferson complains about the king starting insurrections inside the colonies. This is very similar to how the Utopians tried to spread propaganda inside of their rival countries to start civil unrest. Jefferson appears to look down on these tactics and may well find it cowardly and barbaric that the Utopians engage in these practices.

The Utopian government officials are voted for in a somewhat democratic fashion. Groups of 30 vote for representatives who then vote for the higher tier of government officials. Jefferson would view this form of government favorably. Jefferson would approve of having elected officials instead of royal bloodlines in charge. He clearly wants more representation as when he talks about his complaints about the king he lists the ways he has limited freedoms. One complaint of his is that the king has, dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly. A clear sign of his efforts to limit freedom and Jefferson’s clear opposition to such practices. Jefferson wants representative houses to be the ones making policy decisions, not Kings, something the Utopian government does well.

The area that Jefferson would most strongly disagree with is the Utopian approach to property. Utopians have no private property and as a result, own nothing. Jefferson talks about people’s God-given rights when he says, 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 the pursuit of Happiness. (Jefferson) When talking about the pursuit of happiness he also talks about the pursuit of land, something he feels all people have a right to own. Jefferson would likely view the fact that people cannot own land as a form of tyranny. Jefferson was clearly in favor of individuals having power over government, he would likely see this as the government taking power and rights from individuals, something that would make him view the entire Utopian system as unjust as a result.

Utopian offers insight into a truly interesting form of government and a society that is much different than that of the United States. Utopia has a large focus on upholding what they feel is morally right. They place emphasis on people believing in God so that they will have a better moral compass, yet also have almost no regard for native people. These ideas appear to align with Jefferson morally. They also engage in practices involving slavery, something Jefferson, while not necessarily vocal about, was opposed to. The area most intriguing for Jefferson however would be the government and laws of Utopia. Utopia, a representative Republic of sorts, had a form of government Jefferson would approve of greatly, but he would not be able to get over the government’s laws regarding private property. Utopias lack of private property would be a form of tyranny in Jefferons eyes, and as a result, he would find the government unjust as a result of this one major policy.

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