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JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY
>Hello. I'm writing a report on Jeffersonian Democracy but I need to >gather a >little information. Can you help me answer these questions: Your questions go far beyond quotations from the writings of Jefferson, and would require a considerable amount of research to find answers. Needless to say, I cannot do that research for you, but I assume you merely want some pointers on where to look, and I will try to help out on that. >1) TO what extent was universal white manhood suffrage achieved? You probably could find the answer to that in a good Encyclopedia, such as Brittanica or Americana. Try looking under "suffrage" or "voting rights." >2) How did the Charles River Bridge v. WArren bridge affect the >access to >corporate charters prevalent in Jefferson's time? There are several books that discuss the landmark Supreme Court cases, and you would probably find the answer in there. A book on constitutional history might help. >3) how did he hope to remove obstacles to upward social mobility? Through the principle of equal rights. See: http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff0100.htm "In America, no other distinction between man and man had ever been known but that of persons in office exercising powers by authority of the laws, and private individuals. Among these last, the poorest laborer stood on equal ground with the wealthiest millionaire, and generally on a more favored one whenever their rights seem to jar." --Thomas Jefferson: Answers to de Meusnier Questions, 1786. ME 17:88 >4) To what extent was the separation of church and state accomplished >in this >period? This is an historical question, and is probably answered in a good history text. Remember, in Jefferson's time, the 1st Amendment applied to the federal government, not to the states. Each state dealt with the establishment of religion within that state. Virginia passed Jefferson's Bill to Establish Religious Freedom in 1785, before the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights was enacted. See http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7842/rfindex.htm As best as I recall, the state of Connecticut still had an established church up into the early 1800's. >5)How did he view education? Check out these webpages: http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1350.htm http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1370.htm >6) what were his views on equality for women and Native Amercians >and >slaves? He thought that slaves, women and children were in a dependent relationship (as they apparently were, in his time), and as such, had no will of their own, as expressed in this quote: "Were our State a pure democracy, in which all its inhabitants should meet together to transact all their business, there would yet be excluded from their deliberations, 1. Infants, until arrived at years of discretion. 2. Women, who, to prevent depravation of morals and ambiguity of issue, could not mix promiscuously in the public meetings of men. 3. Slaves, from whom the unfortunate state of things with us takes away the rights of will and of property. Those then who have no will could be permitted to exercise none in the popular assembly; and of course, could delegate none to an agent in a representative assembly. The business, in the first case, would be done by qualified citizens only." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1816. ME 15:71 Check out these webpages: http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1300.htm http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1290.htm Good luck!