Topic: Ideas & Ideologies
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Jefferson to William Stephens Smith
In this letter to Smith, who would go on to fight in South America, Jefferson thanks him for sending a copy of the Constitution, and notes the importance of term...
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Jefferson to William Stephens Smith
In this letter, Thomas Jefferson, the American minister to France, offers an American politician his opinion on the U.S. Constitution. He is concerned about the absence of a bill of...
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Jefferson to William Wirt
In this document, Thomas Jefferson recalls the life and political career of his fellow Virginian, Patrick Henry. Although he acknowledges Henry’s eloquence and commitment to the revolutionary cause, he is...
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Jefferson Today
This political cartoon gives a humorous take on how Jefferson might have drafted the Declaration of Independence today. It also illustrates how both technology and language have changed since Jefferson’s...
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John Adams to Jefferson
In this letter to Thomas Jefferson written in 1815, John Adams reflects on the history of the American Revolution. Adams states that the revolution would not have occurred without important...
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John Adams to the Comte de Sarsfield
In this letter, John Adams, the American minister to France, writes to a French nobleman about his vision for America’s future. Despite the difficulties the U.S. was experiencing immediately after...
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John Adams to Timothy Pickering
In this letter, John Adams recalls the process of drafting the Declaration of Independence. He praises Thomas Jefferson for his eloquence and lofty prose. He also approves of a passage...
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John Hancock’s Boston Massacre Oration
In 1774, John Hancock, a wealthy Boston merchant, was chosen to deliver the third annual oration to commemorate the Boston Massacre. Hancock warned his fellow colonists about British attacks on...
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John Jay to Dr. Benjamin Rush
John Jay of New York wrote this letter to the Pennsylvanian Benjamin Rush in 1786. Both were revolutionary leaders, committed Christians, and vocal critics of slavery. Jay also shared Rush’s...
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