Thomas Jefferson Critique
Essay title: Thomas Jefferson Critique
Thomas Jefferson was one of the most prominent figures during the formation of The United States. He was well grounded with the people and advocated strongly for the rights of the many over the rights of the few. Even though Thomas Jefferson was grounded in aristocracy, he was a strong advocate for the rights of the common people.
One of Jefferson’s strongest advocacies for the common citizen was his ideas o the rights of smaller government, i.e. that of the towns and states, over the power of the federal government. This dilution of power he believed would be more in the interest of the common citizen, because they would be able to better serve their own interests. Although Jefferson’s idea of small government was effectively disbanded after the constitution was written, he still advocated constantly for the rights of states, although his arguments were often fruitless.
One of the largest contributions Jefferson made to personal rights was the inclusion of a bill of rights into the constitution. Even though Jefferson was not the sole person responsible for the creation of the Bill of Rights, he was a driving force behind the movement. His arguments were so popular that the Federalists were forced to include the Bill of Rights in order to gain enough of the popular support to get the document passed. The Bill of Rights contains many of Jefferson’s core ideas of the principals of inalienable rights, first included by him in the Constitution. The idea that certain things belong to each man reflects upon his philosophies about the common man.
Jefferson was a strong supporter of the idea of power in the majority, the exact counterpoint of his Federalist rivals. He believed that the ability of the common citizen to govern himself was an effective way to dilute the power from any one person, and along that same train of thought, keep that one person from developing an affinity for that power and developing the tendency to abuse that power. He acknowledged the ability of the majority to sometimes make wrong decisions, but argued that a wrong decision made by the people is often better than any made by a king or by a tyrant. Jefferson was so devoted to