Read American Yawp Chapter 7, “The Early Republic,” (or the American Promise equ

Read American Yawp Chapter 7, “The Early Republic,” (or the American Promise equivalent), then read “The Dark Side of Jefferson” by Henry Weincek and “American Sphinx: The Contradiction of Thomas Jefferson” by Joseph Ellis. You should also consider the information from our “Duality of Jefferson” lecture.
It has often been debated as to who Jefferson meant when he said “All men are created equal.” Does this apply to ALL people? Did he only mean white property owning males? Jefferson’s own philosophy of the new nation included a nation of self-sustaining farmers, but he himself was an aristocrat who aligned himself with the finer things in life – he had a massive plantation at Monticello and he spent a great deal of time in France as America’s diplomatic representative. AND he was a slave owner.
What are your thoughts? Who was Jefferson? Think about Jefferson’s words and Jefferson’s actions. Can we align his words and his actions? And why or why not?
Do you think Jefferson believed this idealistic vision of a nation where “all men are created equal”, and the fact that not all were “equal” was just a product of circumstances of the time? Should be blame Jefferson in not being able to include “everyone” in his vision of America? Basically, do you believe he wanted to include everyone? Or do you think Jefferson was a shrewd politician in gaining a larger portion of the population behind the Revolutionary cause by purposely being vague? Or perhaps there was some other reason that Jefferson’s words and actions did not always align.
Make sure to create a well thought out argument referencing the assigned evidence with in-text citations where appropriate for both direct quotes and paraphrased ideas. Make sure to reference ALL THREE REQUIRED SOURCES LISTED ABOVE. Your reflection essay should be three to four pages, 12 point font, double spaced with clear references to the readings.