About this course: This course provides an overview of Thomas Jefferson's work and perspectives presented by the University of Virginia in partnership with Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Together, UVA and Monticello are recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Created by: University of Virginia
Taught by: Professor Peter S. Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor, Emeritus
Corcoran Department of History
| Commitment | 12 hours of videos and quizzes |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Chinese (Simplified) |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Thomas Jefferson, American Icon
Thomas Jefferson is an American icon. He has also been one of the most polarizing and controversial figures in American history. In this introductory module, we’ll explore how Jefferson’s reputation has changed and evolved over the last two centuries. We’ll discover what Jefferson considered to be his most important contribution to the “Age of Enlightenment” in which he was living. We’ll discuss why some people in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have viewed Jefferson and his ideas with skepticism or worse while others have embraced Jefferson. Overall, learning about how people from many different backgrounds and perspectives have interpreted Jefferson throughout history will help us understand why it’s so important to think critically and honestly about Jefferson’s life and legacy today.
6 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Thomas Jefferson, American Icon Readings
- Video: Tour of Rotunda
- Video: Thomas Jefferson, American Icon Preface
- Video: Jefferson’s Great Contribution
- Video: Doubting Thomas: Negative Responses to Jefferson and his Ideas
- Video: Jefferson’s Reputation from the Civil War to the Cold War
- Video: Interpreting Jefferson Today
Graded: Thomas Jefferson, American Icon
WEEK 2
Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence
No document is more closely associated with Jefferson than the Declaration of Independence. Listing it as the first of three achievements on his tombstone, Jefferson clearly believed the Declaration to be of profound importance. Generations of Americans have agreed, constantly quoting its phrases and invoking its ideas. But do we really understand what Jefferson was trying to do when he wrote the Declaration? In this module, we’ll explore the Revolutionary context in which Jefferson lived and worked. We’ll ask why the Declaration takes the form that it does, and also what Jefferson hoped it would accomplish. Surprisingly, the parts of the Declaration that we celebrate most frequently today may not be the ones Jefferson would have understood to be the most important.
5 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence Readings
- Video: Tour of Special Collections
- Video: Declaration of Independence Preface
- Video: The Declaration and American History
- Video: Reluctant Revolutionaries: The Context for Writing the Declaration
- Video: Creating an American People
Graded: Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence
WEEK 3
Jefferson and Slavery
The man who wrote in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” was a lifelong slaveowner whose affluence rested on the exploitation of hundreds of African Americans. In this module, we travel to Montalto, the mountain overlooking Jefferson’s home and plantation on Monticello, to try to gain some perspective on this great tension in Jefferson’s life and thought. Our goal will be neither simply to exonerate nor to castigate Jefferson, but rather to understand how he viewed slavery and his relationship to it. Only by confronting and considering this complicated, frustrating, and tragic chapter in American history can we come to a more complete and nuanced understanding of Thomas Jefferson and his legacy. As students attending the University Jefferson founded, it is especially important to engage this topic.
5 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Jefferson and Slavery Readings
- Reading: Discover the Resources of Monticello
- Video: Overview of Monticello as a Working Institution
- Video: Slavery Preface
- Video: A Captive Nation: Slavery as War
- Video: “The most blessed of patriarchs”: Slavery in Peace
- Video: The Future of Slavery
Graded: Jefferson and Slavery
WEEK 4
Jefferson and Religion
The role of religion in public life continues to be a topic of debate today in both the United States and around the world. Thomas Jefferson was never happier than when his Bill for Religious Freedom was finally enacted in Virginia in 1786. In this module, we’ll try to understand why Jefferson believed freedom of religion to be so essential to the future of the United States. To do this, we’ll explore the historical context in which Jefferson developed his ideas about the proper relationship between religious denominations and the state. We’ll also investigate Jefferson’s own faith—a subject of much controversy from his own day through the present. Considering Jefferson’s serious engagement with questions of religion will help us understand the kinds of communities and society he hoped would take hold and flourish in the new nation.
6 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Jefferson and Religion Readings
- Video: Religion Preface
- Video: A Chapel at the University of Virginia
- Video: A Chapel at Mr. Jefferson’s University
- Video: The Situation in Old Regime Virginia
- Video: Sustaining the Revolution
- Video: Jefferson’s Faith
Graded: Jefferson and Religion
WEEK 5
Jefferson and Education
Founding the University of Virginia in 1819 was the most obvious example of Jefferson’s interest in education, but it was by no means the first time he considered the subject. Indeed, education was one of Jefferson’s constant preoccupations. In this session, we’ll discuss Jefferson’s ideas about education as they developed over the course of his life, from the ambitious plan for a state-supported system of schools outlined in his “Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge,” to his conclusion in the early nineteenth century that the other institutions of higher learning that existed in the United States just weren’t suited to forming the leaders of a free republic. Throughout the discussion, we’ll try to understand why Jefferson was so focused on education by asking what he believed was at stake if Americans failed in their duty to provide proper instruction for future generations.
5 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Jefferson and Education Readings
- Video: Tour of the Lawn and Pavillions
- Video: Education Preface
- Video: A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge
- Video: A Civic Education Outside the Schoolhouse
- Video: The University of Virginia
Graded: Jefferson and Education
WEEK 6
'The earth belongs to the living'
In 1789, Jefferson wrote a letter to James Madison from Paris in which he asserted that “the earth belongs to the living.” Calculating that a single generation could be said to last nineteen years, he proposed that no debts should be incurred that could not be paid off in nineteen years; that all laws should be re-written every nineteen years; and that Americans should re-write even their constitutions every nineteen years. Madison thought the ideas Jefferson outlined in this letter to be wildly impractical, and most commentators since then have come to the same conclusion. In this module, however, we’ll explore what Jefferson was getting at in claiming that “the earth belongs to the living.” In so doing, we’ll discover how this phrase expresses an idea that lies at the very core of Jefferson’s conception of equality, democracy, and the American nation.
6 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: "The earth belongs to the living" Readings
- Video: Tour of the South Lawn
- Video: Earth belongs to the Living Preface
- Video: Generations
- Video: Debt and Aristocracy
- Video: Love and Democracy
- Video: Jefferson’s American Nation
Graded: "The earth belongs to the living"
WEEK 7
Final Exam
Graded: Final Exam
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A premier institution of higher education, The University of Virginia offers outstanding academics, world-class faculty, and an inspiring, supportive environment. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University is guided by his vision of discovery, innovation, and development of the full potential of students from all walks of life. Through these courses, global learners have an opportunity to study with renowned scholars and thought leaders.
Ratings and Reviews
Mr. Onuf's knowledgeable, impassioned presentation, together with the readings provided me with so much. At age 57, this was my first look at the Declaration of Independence and other important historical events. The material both challenged and encouraged me and I highly recommend this course. It's sad that we are not learning this as part of our primary education, which is where it should begin in earnest. I am looking forward to more courses on Jefferson and other history courses and would love very much to a student of Mr. Onuf's again. I am looking forward to receiving more information on the courses offered at UVA.
This was an awesome class because of the teaching methods, use, discussion and analysis of a variety of primary sources documents to dig deeper int understanding Thomas Jefferson, the man, plantation-slave owner, the politician and his thoughts about education and religion. It was very balanced in historical approach. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in learning more about understanding all elements that Jefferson pulled into the writing of the Declaration of independence.
Nice dive into some of Thomas Jefferson's life and writings. Well put together between the texts to read and the lectures.
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Great lessons in the history of UVA and its architect/founder Thomas Jefferson. The professor was clearly excited about the subject matter and conveyed the history with enthusiasm and vigor.