Thomas Jefferson
Today in History: Kentucky Resolutions Passed on Nov. 10, 1798
Would the proposed Constitution create the limited federal government promised? That was the central question facing the ratifying conventions as America considered adopting the new Constitution. Those in favor of ratification swore it would. But many remained...
The Popular Basis of Political Authority: Thomas Jefferson Writes to James Madison
6 Sept. 1789 Papers 15:392–97 I sit down to write to you without knowing by what occasion I shall send my letter. I do it because a subject comes into my head which I would wish to develope a little more than is practicable in the hurry of the moment of making...
Thomas Jefferson’s Legacy
Recently, many Americans observed April 13th as the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. However, the fact that some chose this day to remember the man is actually quite ironic. This is because Jefferson did what he could to conceal this date from the public, celebrating...
Thomas Jefferson on the Misuse of the Commerce and General Welfare Clauses
Barely 8 months before he died, Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Virginia politician William Giles about the threat posed by the usurpation of states rights by a growing federal power. He identified federal powers claimed under the commerce and general welfare clauses as...