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Wikipedia's Notes on the State of Virginia article for ENGL2131.01

Sandbox for Mikell Gibbs

Analysis of Article

As I read this article I notice quite a few things that need corrections or need more work on. One of these things is the fact that it needs more citations and more sources than what it has. It lacks a lot of points from the actual book that Jefferson wrote. In fact it lacks most of the chapters and only covers a few of his topics. The introduction can be expanded and the following categories could all be added:

Manufactures
More references

Reading List

A numbered list of all your readings go here. Use the following format:Author’s name. (Date). Short title.

Baym, Nina; Levine, Robert S. (2012). The Norton Anthology: American Literature. 676-677^[1]
Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, Aug. 23, 1785, in 8 Jefferson Papers 426-28^[2]
Holowchak, Mark. "Philosophical Vignettes In Jefferson's Notes On Virginia." Philosophy And Literature 1 (2013): 136. Project MUSE. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. ^[3]
Baym, Nina; Levine, Robert S. (2012). The Norton Anthology: American Literature. 673^[4]
Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, Dec. 20, 1787^[5]

Revised paragraph from article

Original

In "Laws" (Query XIV-14), Jefferson redirected questions about slavery by focusing the discussion to Africans, referring to what he called "the real distinctions which nature has made" between people of European descent and people of African descent. He later expressed his opposition to slavery in "Manners" (Query XVIII-18). In "Laws," Jefferson expressed contemporary beliefs among many Americans that Africans were inferior to Whites in terms of potential citizenship; as a result, he supported deporting them for colonization in Africa. Jefferson claimed his solution was related to the common good for both Whites and Blacks. He proposed a three-fold process of education, emancipation (after the age of 45, to repay the slaveholder's investment), and colonization of free blacks to locations in Africa. He endorsed this plan all his life but never took political action to make it happen.

Revised

In "Laws" (Query XIV-14), Jefferson redirected questions about slavery by focusing the discussion to Africans, referring to what he called "the real distinctions which nature has made" between people of European descent and people of African descent. He later expressed his opposition to slavery in "Manners" (Query XVIII-18). In "Laws," Jefferson expressed contemporary beliefs among many Americans that Africans were inferior to Whites in terms of potential citizenship. Jefferson also expresses how the Romans allowed their slaves to mix with the population as long as the slave didn't stain the blood of his master, but in America, they must remove them entirely because the slave owners cannot tolerate their slaves in society.^[4] As a result, he supported deporting them for colonization in Africa. Jefferson claimed his solution was related to the common good for both Whites and Blacks. He proposed a three-fold process of education, emancipation (after the age of 45, to repay the slaveholder's investment), and colonization of free blacks to locations in Africa. He endorsed this plan all his life but never took political action to make it happen.

Original Contribution

Jefferson and Manufactures

In "Manufactures" (Query XIX-19), Jefferson writes of how the American people have manufactured some things themselves, such as wool, flax, and hemp, but these things are unsightly and coarse. Jefferson points out their love of agriculture and believes that they will soon return to this love and let the Europeans continue to do all of the manufacturing. Jefferson goes on to say that Europe's "Lands are either cultivated, or locked up against the cultivator. Manufacture must therefore be resorted to out of necessity not of choice, to support the surplus of their people. But we have an immensity of land courting the industry of husbandman."^[1] Jefferson believes that it isn't sensible for the people of America to be in factories working when the land is so plentiful for farming and the people are so few. In a letter to John Jay, Jefferson says, "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to it's liberty and interests by the most lasting bands."^[2] In another letter to James Madison, Jefferson says, "I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural; and this will be as long as there shall be vacant lands in any part of America. When they get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, they will become corrupt as in Europe."^[5] Jefferson has a clear and hard stance on his view on farming and on manufacturing in America. He does not like large cities and believes that they end up hurting the government rather than helping in anything and Jefferson also believes that the Husbandman is the way to preserve manners and spirit.^[3]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Jefferson, Thomas (2012). Norton Anthology: American Literature Beginnings to 1820. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 676-677. ISBN 978-0-393-93476-2.
^ ^a ^b Jefferson, Thomas (August 23, 1785). "Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Jay". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ ^a ^b "Project MUSE - Philosophy and Literature - Philosophical Vignettes in Jefferson's Notes on Virginia". muse.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
^ ^a ^b Jefferson, Thomas (2012). Norton Anthology: American Literature Beginning to 1820. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 673. ISBN 978-0-393-93476-2.
^ ^a ^b "To James Madison Paris, Dec.20, 1787 < The Letters of Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 < Thomas Jefferson < Presidents < American History From Revolution To Reconstruction and beyond". www.let.rug.nl. Retrieved 2015-11-19.

This code lists and numbers all your references at the bottom of your sandbox page.

[:0-1] Jefferson, Thomas (2012). Norton Anthology: American Literature Beginnings to 1820. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 676-677. ISBN 978-0-393-93476-2.

[:1-2] Jefferson, Thomas (August 23, 1785). "Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Jay". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[:2-3] "Project MUSE - Philosophy and Literature - Philosophical Vignettes in Jefferson's Notes on Virginia". muse.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-23.

[:3-4] Jefferson, Thomas (2012). Norton Anthology: American Literature Beginning to 1820. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 673. ISBN 978-0-393-93476-2.

[:4-5] "To James Madison Paris, Dec.20, 1787 < The Letters of Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 < Thomas Jefferson < Presidents < American History From Revolution To Reconstruction and beyond". www.let.rug.nl. Retrieved 2015-11-19.

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