Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Taylor Smith
Snowballs are being thrown, stones lobbed, and a squad of British soldiers is
the Boston Massacre is a familiar visual utilized in secondary classrooms as a lens into
the streets of the Revolution. Students often bring with them the preconceived notion that
American Revolutionaries were fed up with the taxes imposed by King George III;
believing that the Declaration of Independence was simply a break-up letter explaining
the wrongs of ones former true love. With this, while examining the changes in industry
and technology, the Kansas History, Government, and Social Studies standards require
an independent nation.
However, the national narrative presented through the presented ideas, places, and
events simplify the entangled roots of the nation-making process. Beside the
categorization of equality as a notable idea of the time, students are deprived of the
contextualization of the national narrative being formulated to bind the nation together
(Kansas State Department of Education, 2013). That being said, when students are
presented with a linear, yet simplified, narrative, they fail to fully grasp the context of
Thomas Jeffersons famous words: All men are created equal, and that they are entitled
to the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (1776). Thus, Dr. Peter Onufs
Free and Independent People, Jeffersons Letter to Henry Lee, and the Notes of
The decision to declare independence was not one that was free of refutation. We
first see the presented contradiction in Jeffersons Notes as he presents the reluctance of
independence from the Middle Colonies, as he claims that they were warming up to the
idea, but not yet bidding adieu. On the other hand, Jefferson presents the arguments
made that the Declaration was ultimately confirming what was already understoodthat
our relationship to Parliament was that of the federal nature, and dissolved by the present
hostilities. Therefore, the notes are indicative of the construction of the national-identity
with the stamp of the Declaration, serving the purpose of uniting the colonies for under
reflective, of the national narrative developed to bring the nation together for fighting a
successful war. However, what must be understood about this letter is that the
correspondence occurred when the nation was on the brink of President Andrew
Jacksons Indian removal policies, as well as an esteemed journey for expanding the
American empire of liberty. Jefferson, when discussing the debates of the Revolution,
claims that all American Whigs believed that the purpose of the Declaration was to
bring about the expression of the American mind more so than bringing to light new
ideas and arguments (1825). Thus, the tone and spirit of the time was validated by the
actions of the British Parliament, and the Kings inability to safeguard the colonies from
highlights the notion that American revolutionaries were not necessarily interested in
ending their relationship with Britain, rather it proposes that the actions of Parliament
Running Head: Contextualizing the Nation 4
contextualization of Dr. Peter Onufs explanation of Jeffersons view of the captive nation
is essential for students to draw conclusions about complex irony of Jeffersons notion of
viewpoints on slavery upon the backdrop of the Revolutionary War. This understanding
includes Jeffersons conception of the enslaved as a distinct nation that was at odds with
the whites of Virginia, making the ultimate natural state of war between the two nations
inextricable. Reason being, Jefferson feared that, due to the despotic state imposed upon
enslaved peoples, an insurrection led by the British could jeopardize the independence of
the American nation. Therefore, the independence of the slave nation would ultimately
lead to the full independence of the American nation (Onuf, 2000, pp. 130-133).
slavery, in Jeffersons Notes, the debates over slavery clearly demonstrate the
example, Jefferson explains that slaves were property, and there is a lack of consistency
in the meaning of the term slave. This is evident when Jefferson claims that in some
countries the laboring poor were called freemen, in others they were called slaves; but
that the difference as to the state was imaginary only (1776). The secretarial nature of
the Notes suggests that Jefferson was writing in a seemingly objective manner, thus
making it unclear how Jefferson viewed the institution of slavery. Jefferson claims that,
although slaves increase the productivity of the slave holding states, the further burden
Running Head: Contextualizing the Nation 5
northern regions with defense as the slaves live within the nation of the freemen.
Therefore, after a discussion of the purposes for slavery, Jefferson does declare that
do allude to a distinction between the freemen and the slaves, further indicating that
there were two distinct nations. This distinction is necessary for students to understand
unable to move beyond the generalizations of the noble and celebrated events leading up
binding the nation to the backdrop of a war is essential for students to fully grasp the
conditions that perplexed the minds of men like Jefferson, and these conditions include
the discussion of slavery. That being said, Dr. Professor Onufs descriptions of the two
distinct nations, Jeffersons Notes, and his letter to Henry Lee provide students wit the
opportunity to not only understand and draw conclusions about this complex time period,
they provide the essential context for encapsulating the early American mind-set. Thus
teachers must move beyond the narrative presented by the state standards and bring these
Works Cited
Running Head: Contextualizing the Nation 6
Founders Online: From Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee, 8 May 1825. (n.d.). Retrieved
September 20, 2015.
Founders Online: Notes of Proceedings in the Continental Congress, 7 June1 Aug ...
(n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2015.
KSDE (2013). Kansas Standards for History, Government, and Social Studies. Retrieved
from: http://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/CSAS/Content%20Area%20(F-
L)/History,%20Government,%20and%20Social%20Studies/Eighth%20Grade%20
United%20States%20History.pdf