Thomas Jefferson Religious Beliefs Analysis

Words: 994
Pages: 4

The Life of Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson, the intelligent mind of the 18th century that is known for being the author of the extravagant document of the Declaration of Independence. Started out as an educated Virginia lawyer that self-made himself into one of the most important historic figures in history. An intelligent and logical man that has made many achievements that we still talk about today. Jefferson had the gift of writing bills magnificently displayed his views.His analytical and contrastive views of the 18th century enhanced our level of political thinking on a whole new level. Through his creative thinking of the understanding of America, he has redefined religious freedom, political government, and slavery in the of the 18th century.
…show more content…
The government had to respect other religions and could not tax them for supporting a certain kind of religion. Before this bill, it was conventional for churches to pay for the up keeping of churches and other religious actions. There was some laws that even forced parents to lose their children if they were not baptized. People had many different conceptions of what religion Jefferson was considered as. In “Jefferson’s Religious Beliefs” by Rebecca Bowman, she explains how Jefferson’s views had such an impact on society by saying that “Jefferson's religious views became a major public issue during the bitter party conflict between Federalists and Republicans in the late 1790s when Jefferson was often accused of being an atheist.” Since Jefferson never really revealed his religion, society believed he was atheist. Even though it was one …show more content…
Not only was he the third President of the United States, he also was one of the youngest members of congress at age thirty three. Jefferson’s political philosophy is heavily influenced by the Enlightenment. A perfect source of a perfect government Jefferson wants is stated in the Declaration of Independence, obviously because he wrote it. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson says “...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers into a form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.” This quote from the Declaration of Independence, it expresses that the people gain the power instead of it being a centralized government. A centralized government is like a dictatorship, but not nearly as strict. Jefferson’s only has two concerns: keeping the power out of the government’s hands and giving the people enough power to make their own decisions for their nation. In “Thomas Jefferson: Life in Brief”, Jefferson’s idea of an ideal government is a “wise and frugal…” one which shall restrain men from injuring one another and then shall let them regulate their own matters. The article went on to say