How Did Jefferson Contribute To The Enlightenment

This distinguished individual was not only a president who was elected to the third presidency of the United States of America but was also a philosopher who contributed significantly to the formation of the new country( Miller Center). Jefferson was a Virginia man, born on April 13, 1743, and over his lifetime, he would prove himself to be skilled in many pursuits and responsibilities. They include individual rights, liberalization, civil liberties, and the right to pursue happiness, which aligned him with the Enlightenment thinkers in the young republic of America. Jefferson is distinguished for his thinking, which was essentially informed by the Age of Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was defined as a historical process that took place in
Among the various metaphysical questions Jefferson tried to find the answer to, the problem of the vacuum was one of the biggest questions he had to face. He opined that such rights could be accrued to man by the grace of God and that governments were formed to safeguard such rights. Jefferson clearly expressed this in the Declaration of Independence, where he mentioned that all men are created equal and that they are created by the Creator with inalienable rights, among them being the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (National Archives). These beliefs in the importance of individual rights were not confined solely to the realm of Jefferson’s political theory. Religious liberty was also a key issue, which Jefferson supported most fundamentally through his writing of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom. He also pursued educational policies, which Frederickson opposed, asserting that an educated population was necessary for democratic politics. Jefferson also believed in these, and he applied them by establishing the University of Virginia to ensure equal access to education. (Miller