Selected Documents

Overview

In this section, we offer examples of the variety of documents we work with and of the value that editorial scholarship adds to the text. Accurate transcriptions and clear annotation help a reader to make sense of a document and to understand it in its historical context. Included here is a diverse selection of documents written by or to Jefferson that can be browsed chronologically or topically. We have also chosen letters highlighting Jefferson’s many roles as statesman, politician, and president, as well as friend, family member, and plantation owner. For common abbreviations and repository symbols used, see the summary of our editorial method. To filter by topic, check a box in the menu listing in the left margin.

Quote from Jefferson's First InaugurialPage from Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address, 4 March 1801
Credit:  Library of Congress, Manuscript Division

The Declaration of Independence, ca. 4 July 1776

Editor Julian P. Boyd noted the "transcendent importance of this charter of national liberties," the most famous document drafted by Jefferson.

To James Madison, 30 January 1787

Jefferson declares that “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing” but stresses the importance of maintaining a unity of interests between the eastern and western parts of the United States.

To Abigail Adams, 22 February 1787

Jefferson in Paris reacts to news of Shays Rebellion in Massachusetts by declaring “I like a little rebellion now and then.”

The Earth Belongs in Usufruct to the Living, 6 September 1789

Writing to James Madison from Paris, Jefferson presents a detailed argument that “the earth belongs always to the living generation.”

To William Short, 3 January 1793

Jefferson assesses the violence of the French Revolution in his celebrated “Adam and Eve” letter to William Short.

Deed of Manumission for Robert Hemings, 24 December 1794

Jefferson frees a slave he inherited from his father-in-law.

Jefferson's Letter to Philip Mazzei, 24 April 1796

Writing as a private citizen, Jefferson expresses his criticism of the Federalist party. The letter's subsequent unauthorized publication, often appearing out of context, haunts him for the rest of his life.

The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, 10 November 1798

Jefferson challenges the constitutionality of the Alien and Sedition Acts and suggests the possibility of a state's authority to nullify federal law.

To William G. Munford, 18 June 1799

Jefferson expresses his opinions on education and the improvability of the human mind in this letter to a young student who asked his advice on a proper course of study.

From Thomas McKean, 10 January 1801

Jefferson learns of the electoral tie between him and fellow Republican candidate Aaron Burr. The selection of the next president will be determined by vote in the House of Representatives.

To William Dunbar, 12 January 1801

Jefferson sends to a plantation owner and naturalist in Mississippi his observations on weather and climate, rainbows, and Indian vocabularies.

Jefferson’s Reports of Balloting in the House of Representatives, 12 February 1801

Jefferson updates his friends in Virginia on the suspenseful electoral impasse after repeated balloting in the House of Representatives. Not until the 36th ballot taken five days later did Jefferson know he had been selected the next president of the United States.

From Elizabeth House Trist, 1 March 1801

A long-time friend freely communicates her sentiments, offers her opinions on John Adams, and congratulates Jefferson on his election as president.

First Inaugural Address, 4 March 1801

Jefferson expresses his political creed in this statement of republican principles with his unifying and conciliatory exhortation, "we are all republicans: we are all federalists."

From Elijah Boardman, 18 June 1801

A Connecticut gentleman cautions Jefferson that both political parties expect to share in the plums of political appointment.

To Elijah Boardman, 3 July 1801

In his reply to Boardman, Jefferson offers no comment on political appointments, but acknowledges receipt of a sermon on religious freedom and articulates the rights of conscience.

Remonstrance of the New Haven Merchants, 18 June 1801

Some Connecticut merchants challenge the removal of a Federalist collector at New Haven and the subsequent appointment of a Republican whom they deem inadequately qualified for the position. They interpret Jefferson's inaugural address as implying presidential appointments would be merit-based without regard to party.

To the New Haven Merchants, 12 July 1801

Jefferson clarifies misunderstandings over his removal policies, acknowledging the burden of presidential appointments and the reality of political parties.

To Levi Lincoln, 26 August 1801

Jefferson comments on the "dreadful operation" he must perform in finding offices for members of his party who feel that they had been denied jobs and influence in previous administrations.

From the Danbury Baptist Association, [after 7 October 1801]

The Danbury Baptists congratulate the new president and express their belief in religious liberty as a matter between God and individuals.

Reply to the Danbury Baptist Association, 1 January 1802

Jefferson's response to the Danbury Baptists is a classic expression on the place of religion in American civil society with its invocation of a "wall of separation between church and state."

Circular to the Heads of Departments, 6 November 1801

Jefferson sends his cabinet members his thoughts on "the mode & degrees of communication" by which the business of government should be conducted, taking as his model the administrative example of George Washington.

To Rufus King, 13 July 1802

Jefferson forwards a request of the Virginia legislature to send rebellious slaves to Sierra Leone.

To Handsome Lake, 3 November 1802

Jefferson addresses a Seneca leader as “brother,” praises his efforts at social and economic improvement, and discusses a sale of land by the Senecas.

Memorandum for Henry Dearborn on Indian Policy, 29 December 1802

Jefferson outlines policies for a consolidation of settlement along the Mississippi River that will require some Indians to live within greatly reduced borders and some to relinquish claims to land east of the river.

To the Senate and the House of Representatives, 18 January 1803

Jefferson solicits congressional support for extending external commerce, especially by funding an exploration of the Missouri River and the territory beyond it. He suggests an appropriation of $2,500 to advance "the geographical knowledge of our own continent" and to find a route to the Pacific Ocean.

To Pierre Samuel Du Pont de Nemours, 1 February 1803

Jefferson relies on his French friend to help maintain peaceful relations between the United States and France, informs him of James Monroe's appointment as a special envoy, and stresses the importance of the Mississippi and the American right of deposit at New Orleans.

From Anne Cary Randolph, [before 24 February 1803]

Jefferson's granddaughter accepts his invitation to become a correspondent, requests he send a French dictionary, and updates him on the schooling of her siblings.

To Anne Cary Randolph, 26 February 1803

Jefferson responds to his granddaughter's request for a French dictionary and his grandson's wish for a book of geography.

To Thomas Munroe, 21 March 1803

Jefferson actively participates in the landscape design of the federal city, offering suggestions on the best placement of trees along Pennsylvania Avenue.

To Joseph Priestley, 9 April 1803

Jefferson intends to draw up an outline comparing the doctrines of Jesus with those of other moral philosophers.

From Thomas Mann Randolph, 30 May 1803

Jefferson’s son-in-law reports that one of the enslaved teenage workers at the Monticello nailery has struck another with a hammer.

To Thomas Mann Randolph, 8 June 1803

Jefferson asks that an enslaved teenage worker responsible for an attack at the nailery at Monticello be sold to a slave buyer from Georgia, thereby making “an example of him in terrorem to others.”

To Meriwether Lewis, 4 July 1803

Jefferson gives Meriwether Lewis a letter of credit authorizing him to draw on the U.S. government for whatever funds or resources may be needed for a westward exploratory expedition.

Petition of Ambrose Vasse and Others, 17 July 1803

A merchant whose store was broken into (but nothing stolen) and 51 other residents of Alexandria petition the president for clemency for Samuel Miller, a journeyman shoemaker who has been sentenced to death for the burglary.

From Wilson Cary Nicholas, 3 September 1803

After conversing with Jefferson and considering Article 4, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, Nicholas argues that no amendment is necessary for the acquisition of Louisiana. He advises the president against issuing a public opinion that an amendment is needed.

To Wilson Cary Nicholas, 7 September 1803

Although Jefferson maintains that a “safe & precise” interpretation would require amending the Constitution before adding new territory to the union, he gives up his insistence on an amendment for Louisiana.

To Mary Jefferson Eppes, 26 December 1803

Jefferson touches on a variety of topics when his younger daughter is expecting her third child.

Notes on a Conversation with Aaron Burr, 26 January 1804

Following a discussion with Aaron Burr about their political relationship, Jefferson makes a detailed record for his files.

To Elbridge Gerry, 3 March 1804

Jefferson informs Gerry that he will seek a second term as president to help consolidate his party's gains and resist the "unbounded calumnies" of diehard Federalists.

From John Freeman, 18 April 1804

Enslaved servant John Freeman worries about the fate of his intended bride after the death of Mary Jefferson Eppes.

From Abigail Adams, 20 May 1804

Abigail Adams, sharing the pain of parental loss of a child, breaks a long silence with Jefferson to offer condolences on the death of his daughter Mary Jefferson Eppes.

To John Wayles Eppes, 4 June 1804

Jefferson writes his son-in-law about his intentions to honor his grandchildren’s land inheritance at Pantops, encloses a letter received from Abigail Adams, and asserts that his only disagreement with John Adams was over the “midnight appointments.”

To Mustafa Baba, Dey of Algiers, 9 June 1804

Jefferson commends the Algerian ruler’s “attachment to the Treaty which binds us together,” promises to send cannons and naval stores, and reports that additional U.S. frigates will be sent to the Mediterranean Sea in a show of strength against Tripoli.

From William C. C. Claiborne, 1 July 1804

The territorial governor reports from New Orleans about desires for statehood and self-government in Louisiana.

Petition of Puckshunubbee and Homastubbee, 23 August 1804

Choctaw leaders state that their nation will give up a tract of land to pay the Panton, Leslie & Co. trading firm.

To Carlos IV, King of Spain, 14 October 1804

Jefferson sends a letter of credence to the monarch of Spain for James Monroe as minister extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States.

Petition of Eliza Peacock, 3 January 1805

The wife of a forger of bills of exchange appeals to the president in hopes of averting her husband's prosecution.

From Mercy Otis Warren, 5 January 1805

The New England writer sends Jefferson the prospectus of her history of the American Revolution.

Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1805

Jefferson affirms the general principles of his presidency and expresses hope that the nation can achieve a complete "union of sentiment."