Thomas Jefferson Peaceful Resistance Essay

By pointing out the relation between rebellion and government, Thomas Jefferson made a very interesting statement. He believed that recurring changes in revolution had to exist to obtain a healthy democracy and government. By believing this he also believed in rebellion. Taking from Jefferson’s statement a rebellion corrects the faults of a government and more importantly is necessary to guarantee the strength of a society and supports the public freedom.

“ The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Thomas Jefferson was a big contribution to The Declaration of Independence and Shays’ Rebellion. He wrote many letters to his friends about the topic with many of his quotes used today. Not only that but, people believed that Thomas Jefferson would likely support modern day protest and that the idea of a weaker government and Shays’ Rebellion was a marvelous approach for the United states.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “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.” (“Brainy Quotes”). These words written by Thomas Jefferson inspired all the Americans that fought for independence. The Declaration of Independence contained these words that separated the colonies from Britain, creating a new country. Thomas Jefferson contributed to the start of a great country in which freedom is entitled to every citizen (“Thomas Jefferson”, O’Brien).

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." -Thomas Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson Quotes) Prior to Thomas Jefferson holding leadership positions in the United States government, there was a lack of great leadership skills, and a need for independence in the 13 American colonies. He helped write the Declaration of Independence and was also the third president of the United States, as well as the founder of the University of Virginia, a farmer, scientist, architect, inventor, historian, philosopher, plantation owner and patron of education and the arts.   Thomas Jefferson was born April of 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson 's expression, "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal," reflected the ideas of the American citizens but it was not accurately applied in the lives of Native Americans, woman, and African-Americans. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, communicated the idea of liberty in that everyone is equal; however, he and his people held the Native Americans captive. In the declaration, Jefferson referred to them as ‘merciless savages ' (Jefferson 254) indicating that he does not care enough about them to even show some respect. Jefferson criticized King George III for rejecting their freedom while downgrading the Native American 's status and enslaving them. By claiming that everyone deserves equal

Peaceful resistance with civil disobedience has played a huge role in shaping a free society throughout our history, and not just our history as Americans either. There has been many successful peaceful resistance throughout world history. Many forms of this such as, marches,parades,sit-ins,protests,boycotting and even speeches, have positively impacted or changed a free society. I can't talk about civil disobedience or peaceful resistance without talking about one of the most famous civil disobedience leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., from 1954-1968 the civil rights movement was in effect in the United States. Martin Luther King was a major person during this time.

Thomas Jefferson as a man of contradictions Thomas Jefferson was a person who shared many interests and had a huge knowledge in many spheres of life. He was a writer, a musician, a lover, a pathfinder in archeology, a reluctant politician, an architect who designed his own house, and many more. No wonder that he was widely admired in the past and still is now, in the present times. He is the one who could find appropriate words and write America’s most important and known document “The Declaration of Independence”.

The Age of Reason is a name used to describe the age that influenced the American Statesmen of the Revolution. Taxes forced upon the colonists by Britain after the French and Indian War enraged the colonists, leading to the Revolution that would change the world forever. Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence and Thomas Paine’s The Crisis Number 1 were two very important works of literature during the Revolutionary period. Both works used persuasion effectively.

Thomas Jefferson had his own ideas concerning how he wanted the government to function. Thomas Jefferson mainly focuses on farmers, he wanted the farmer to stay self-sufficient, personally independent, and not attach to anyone when it came to their independence. Jefferson’s Democrat was talked about in the newspapers, which was well recognized throughout the globe. I believe that Jefferson meant well and look out for the poor man, but he went about it the wrong way.

Indiscriminate peaceful resistance to laws is harmful to a society. Peaceful resistance to unjust laws, however, is not only good for a society, but fundamental to a free one. If the people put up no resistance to unjust laws, they are merely slaves of the state, without freedom. An unjust law is a law which either violates the natural rights of the people or forces them to act against their conscience. Although a few situations call for armed resistance, as the Declaration of Independence notes, most situations do not and peaceful resistance will almost always further the common good.

The election of 1800, being the first election where both parties ran candidates and actually campaigned, featured Thomas Jefferson, the Republican, against John Adams, the Federalist. With Jefferson coming out victorious, his election into presidency showed that Americans wanted more democratic politics where common people were free to express their opinion. However, Jefferson’s campaign of liberty was a bit questionable because of its limitations. While Jefferson campaigned for liberty, only a fraction of the men were able to vote and absolutely no liberty was offered to the slaves. Though he wanted to foster freedom, Jefferson owned slaves of his own and took land from the Indians.

Peaceful resistance to laws has a positive impact on a free society. This allows the people of the community to have a say so in which the society is ran. Some people say peaceful resistance is to keep the government in check. Civil disobedience can change the society and raise awareness to disparities. Peaceful resistance is very productive to uphold a free society.

Hamilton and Jefferson Views Thomas Jefferson and Alexander are two of many great leaders, that helped shape the United States. Although these men were both great figures, they had opposing views to each other concerning the central and state governments. Alexander Hamilton, as a Federalist believes that the U.S. government should have a strong central government and a broad interpretation of the Constitution. “Constitutions should consist only of general provisions, the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent, and cannot calculate for the possible change of things”, a quote from Alexander Hamilton allows us to draw a conclusion that he believes the constitution should be written vaguely, so it is adaptive to fit the future. Although

Throughout history individuals who engaged in peaceful resistance are often considered or are called mischief, trouble makers, rough e.t.c. But if they have not engaged in the action we wouldn't have evolved into the society we are today. When it comes it comes to civil disobedience some may say it is a big part of peaceful resistance and others may oppose to it but they truth is wouldn't this be affecting our first amendment “the freedom of speech”. Can we truly have a freedom of speech when we can not express ourselves.

The question of whether or not peaceful resistance toward the law impacts society in a positive way is really a question of circumstance. If I were to refer back to the historical aspects of the subject, then my immediate answer would be yes, it does; peaceful resistance has often prevailed in situations that required immediate attention, yet were simply overlooked by the general public, despite their importance. One extremely important example of this would be the many boycotts during the civil rights movements of the 60's. Civil disobedience was a way to communicate the true inequality represented by the phrase, ''separate but equal'' by peacefully marching for their beliefs. For example, many white officials used various schemes to prevent