Thomas Jefferson's Respect For Native Term Paper

PAGES
1
WORDS
300
Cite

Thomas Jefferson's Respect For Native American Culture

Thomas Jefferson was a fundamental figure in the formulation of early American history and life. He is sometimes given a bad reputation because of his relationships with saves. However, in his work "Query XI," Jefferson takes an empathetic stance towards one of the most degraded minorities in the United States, Native Americans. Jefferson praises their nations and compares them to other civilized nations; however, the Native Americans lack certain symbolic structures and idols to testify to their glory. In response, Jefferson posits the idea that the burial mound is one of the greatest monuments of Native American culture. Where they lack in opulence, they make up for in practicality and numbers.

"Great societies cannot exist without government," Jefferson explained how the Native Americans have an unconventional legal system, but that there is still one in place. For this, Jefferson resects these native peoples rather than coming to commonly held conclusions of the time. Jefferson expressed his sympathy for the tragic history of Native American peoples after the arrival of the Europeans, showing his empathy towards a minority.

And so to remember the legacy, both the tragic and glorious aspects which come with it, the burial mound should be looked at with more significance than a practical resting place. It represents all which the Native American people have gone through. They are a constant reminder of how great these cultures once were, and how they were so negatively affected by the arrival of European settlers. Rather than looking at these "barrows" as a sign of the Native American's inferiority, Jefferson believed that they should be looked upon with respect as we expect our monuments to be viewed. They are the most common memorial to a culture and way of life that was nearly extinguished.

Cite this Document:

"Thomas Jefferson's Respect For Native" (2008, February 23) Retrieved April 25, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/thomas-jefferson-respect-for-native-32018

"Thomas Jefferson's Respect For Native" 23 February 2008. Web.25 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/thomas-jefferson-respect-for-native-32018>

"Thomas Jefferson's Respect For Native", 23 February 2008, Accessed.25 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/thomas-jefferson-respect-for-native-32018

Related Documents

Jefferson's Principles and their Impact on Education Jefferson's radical beliefs in the inherent moral and developmental capacities of humans, and in their capacities to take part to participatory democracy, in turn reinforced his enduring commitment to an education that would be accessible to all. Jefferson was well aware that democracy could only work properly when the people were both virtuous and enlightened. From these notions that people were naturally virtuous but not

Native Americans A strong connection between the Iroquois and the framers of the U.S. Constitution is now considered to be a historical fact. While many Americans still believe that the U.S. Constitution was based on Christian beliefs and tenets, leading founding figures like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were closely associated with the Iroquois, which makes sense considering how closely the U.S. Constitution is to the Iroquois Constitution -- also called

He saw in those years the muster rolls of the United States bear the names of three millions of men; while the muster-rolls of the Confederate army bore scant 600,000 names." (Lowry and McGardle, 1891) While there were many victories in the battlefields against terrible odds, it is stated that "the end came on the 9th day of April 1865. The surrender of General Lee was followed by that

Lewis Clark, Patrick Gass the problem interpretation (communication) encountered explorers ( Indians) expedition. When Thomas Jefferson wrote Meriwether Louis on June 30, 1803 to instruct upon some of the conditions that the pending expedition imposed, he made several relevant considerations. The president emphasized that it was an important objective of the mission that knowledge should be acquired in regards to the people who inhabited the target regions of the expedition. He

noble savage..." etc. The Noble, Savage Age of Revolution When Europeans first came to America, they discovered that their providentially discovered "New World" was already inhabited by millions of native peoples they casually labeled the "savages." In time, Europeans would decimate this population, killing between 95-99% of the 12 million plus inhabitants of the Northern Continent, and as many in the south. Before this genocide was complete, however, the culture of

Territorial Expansion How did the U.S. acquire the territory in question? On the auspicious date of April 30, 1803, the United States of America bought eight hundred and twenty eight thousand square miles worth of land from the French government of Napoleon Bonaparte. Thomas Jefferson, the President of America, wanted to secure this deal. Wars were rampaging overseas in the continent of Europe and Napoleon had intentions to safeguard what he had acquired