Notes on the State of Virginia

by Thomas Jefferson, Frank Shuffelton (Introduction), Frank Shuffelton (Noted by)

Overview

Thomas Jefferson's one book, Notes on the State of Virginia has been the touchstone for understanding his ideas about republican government, the environment, education, race and slavery, and Native-white relations. This edition is the first to present these issues as fundamentally inseparable matters. A collection of lively documents accompanies the core text of the Notes, and charts the evolution of the book in the revolutionary crucible and during the early days of the new nation. An introduction by David Waldstreicher places the work in the contexts of the Revolution and the social and cultural history of Jefferson's Virginia, with particular attention to developing ideas about race and nature. A chronology of the life and career of Thomas Jefferson and selected bibliography also add to the pedagogical benefits of this volume.

Author Biography: David Waldstreicher is Associate Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140436679
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/01/1998
Series:	Penguin Classics Series
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.13(w) x 7.68(h) x 0.81(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd president of the United States. William Peden is professor emeritus of English at the University of Missouri.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
A NOTE ON THE TEXT
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING

NOTES ON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA

Appendices
No. I: Charles Thomson's Observations
No. II: Draught of the Constitution
No. III: Act for Establishing Religious Freedom
No. IV: Relative to the Murder of Logan's Family

Letters and Documents

EXPLANATORY AND TEXTUAL NOTES

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“[Peden] has made available the authoritative edition of one of the most important books to emerge in eighteenth-century America. He has set forth the history of its reception and criticism in such a way as to establish his point that in the 'Notes on Virginia' Jefferson 'produced one of America’s first permanent literary and intellectual landmarks.'” — Virginia Quarterly Review

Editorial Reviews

Jefferson's was written after his tenure as governor of the state and spelled out many of his thoughts regarding the republican theory of government, the institutions and infrastructure needed for Virginia to prosper, and the proper laws for the governing of a society of self-sufficient farmers. It is in this book that Jefferson first raised a number of his arguments against slavery. Editor Waldstreicher (history, U. of Notre Dame) places the work in historical context in an introductory essay. Also included are 12 letters and other documents, mostly penned by Jefferson, related to the ideas in the . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

[William Peden] has made available the authoritative edition of one of the most important books to emerge in eighteenth-century America. He has set forth the history of its reception and criticism in such a way as to establish his point that in the 'Notes on Virginia' Jefferson 'produced one of America’s first permanent literary and intellectual landmarks.'” — Virginia Quarterly Review

From the Publisher