Thomas Jefferson
Principles of ’98: Rooted in the American Revolution
In response to the hated Alien and Sedition Acts, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison drafted the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798, sometimes referred to as the “Principles of ‘98.” But the principles behind them were nothing new – they were part of a...
Prelude to Independence: Thomas Jefferson Declares British Acts Null and Void
“A nullity” and “we declare these acts void” This was the bold conclusion about British Acts that Thomas Jefferson came to in his powerful pamphlet A Summary View of the Rights of British America. Written nearly two years before the...
The Forgotten Declaration that Explained the War for Independence
We are “resolved to die freemen rather than live slaves.” These powerful words, penned by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, hold a prominent place in the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, approved unanimously by the Second Continental...
Free and Independent: The Foreign Policy of Washington and Jefferson
Anxious to preserve their hard-won independence, Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson championed a foreign policy centered on avoiding “entangling alliances.” They envisioned America pursuing peace, trade, and “friendship with all...