Jefferson was very widely read in French Enlightenment thought, and like many Americans, he especially admired Voltaire. He kept a bust of Voltaire at Monticello, and had many of his works in his library. Perhaps the aspect of Voltaire's thought that most appealed to Jefferson (who also, it must be said, admired many other French philosophes) was the French thinker's support for religious tolerance. As Merrill Peterson, one of the most influential Jefferson scholars of the twentieth century, once wrote, Jefferson "sounded like a Virginia Voltaire" in his support for the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom, which abolished the established church in Jefferson's home state. Like Jefferson, Voltaire's thinking about religion as well as the need for limited government was strongly influenced by English philosopher John Locke. Voltaire, who belonged to a somewhat older generation than Jefferson (the two never met), was somewhat more conservative than Jefferson, not rejecting, as Jefferson did, monarchy as a valid form of government. Indeed, Voltaire much admired the English government that Jefferson dismissed as hopelessly corrupt. But of the French philosophes, Voltaire was probably the most influential on Jefferson.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thomas Jefferson's election in 1800 is sometimes called the Revolution of 1800. Why could it be described in this way?
Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1800 can be called the “Revolution of 1800” because it was the first time in America’s short history that pow...
-
It is, in large part, thanks to Tobe that the character of Miss Emily earns her symbolic "rose." Tobe's loyalty and dedication...
-
After Juliet learns that her new husband, Romeo, has killed her cousin, Tybalt, her thoughtful response showcases her intelligence. She kno...
-
Roald Dahl uses metaphor to better describe Mary Maloney in his short story "Lamb to the Slaughter." A metaphor makes a compariso...
No comments:
Post a Comment