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.