Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/185

* JEFFERSON. 163 JEFFERSON. and in the expectation that Peyton Randolph might be called home he was elected to the Con- tinental Congress. This vacancy did occur soon; but before he left for Philadelpliia he drew up for the Burgesses an answer to the 'conciliatory propositions' which the English Government had made to the Colonies. This reply, the earliest made by any of the Colonies, was anxiously ex- pected in Congress, and when it was brought by the author it was vigorously indorsed. Jefferson was no debater, for, besides having a bad voice, he hated contest ; but his courtesy, his intellectual 1-ceenness, his wide political knowledge, and his power of expression gained him hearty -respect, and he soon became the recognized document writer to the assembly. The answer of Congress to Lord North's 'conciliatory proposition' was in- trusted to Jefferson, wlio based his pajwr on the reply lie had previously written for Virginia. In the winter of 177.5-70 it became so plain that there was no possibility of a reconciliation that Virginia in the following spring instructed her delegates to urge on the final breach. On .June 7th Ricliard Henry Lee presented resolutions to this effect, and before the month was out .Jef- ferson, who was placed first on the drafting committee, presented his report. On .July 2d Lee's resolution was passed, and on the same day Jefferson's draft was taken up. The author took no part in the warm discussion over the document, for which, with the exception of a few verbal changes by Franklin and Adams, he was solely responsible. Late in the day of July 4th the Declaration was adopted. Jefferson did not take his seat at the next ses- sion of Congress, because he thought he could best serve his country b.v preparing the laws of his State for the changed conditions the new gov- ernment would liring with it. In this task he ^'^as not working single-handed, but the initiative was almost entirely his own. In October, 1770, Jefferson took liis seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, where for two years he labored inces- santly at revising the whole Virginia code, re- forming old and proposing new laws. In spite of the opposition of the privileged classes, the old aristocratic framework of Virginia society was in a brief time replaced by a democratic one. In .June, 1779, a time when the Revolution looked most hopeless for the Americans, Jeffer- son was elected Governor of the State where the struggle was to be ended. Virginia had supplied to the Revolution 10,000 men, besides all the h.orses and arms possible, and .Jefferson's first duty was to keep up as well as he could this support. Soon, however, the British pushed the Mar in the Soutli. In April Cornwallis sent Tarleton to capture the Virginia Legislature, then at Charlottesville, but he succeeded only in dispersing it. .Jefferson himself narrowly missed capture at Monticello by a party sent after him. His conduct during this period has been the subject of much thoughtless cen- sure. He was not. indeed, fitted to be a 'war Governor,' nor was he even of a very prac- tical nature, but he seems to have done quite as well as the situation allowed. His course had A'ashington's substantial approval, for the com- mander-in-chief recognized that Virginia was without means of defense and that it was impos- sible for any one to defend it. To the mental suffering caused Jefferson's sensitive nature by the criticisms of his administration there was added at this time the sorrow occasioned by the death of his wife, to whom he had been singularly devoted. He retired to his home, where he re- mained until called by Congress to be one of the ccmmissioners to arrange the treaty of peace. He left home, but found that matters had gone so far that he could be of no practical service, and he did not sail. In 17S3 he took his seat in Congress, and did much to strengthen a body fallen into something like contempt for its in- competence. His most important service here was to devi.se the decimal system of coinage, and to draw up a plan for the government of the terri- tory to the northwest of the Ohio River. In the latter plan there was the provision for the pro- hibition of slavery, which, though rejected at first, finally secured all of the vast domain to freedom. In May, 1784, .Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams were sent to Europe under a general power to make commercial treaties. In 178.5 .Jefferson succeeded Franklin as American representative to France. The diplomatic fruits of this stay are not specially remarkable — because Europe was much concerned with internal troubles and little interested in the affairs of the new nation across • the Atlantic. By his personal charm, however, by his sympathy with French ideas, and by the influence of his Xotes on. Virriinia. now jniblished with his consent, Jefferson did much to set the United States in a favorable light in Europe. Having as his official duty to attend to the ignoble tribute by which the commercial nations of the time warded off the Algerian pirates, he protested vigorously that a war woTild be not only more honorable, but much cheaper. On a brief and unsatisfactory mission to England he got a first-hand confirmation of the insolence with which the Americans were there treated. He traveled in Italy and Germany, and in Paris became intimate with D'Alembert, Condorcet, and other extreme liberals, with whom his intellec- tual affinity was marked. In 1789 he returned to America, and under Washington liecame first Secretary of State. The organization of the Government had defined political parties, and hardly was .Jefferson in office before he was recognized as the leader of the Democratic Repub- licans (afterwards known first as the Repub- licans and then as the Democrats), while Alexan- der Hamilton was the leader of the Federalists. Hamilton favored a strong Federal government and distrusted the people: .Jefferson insisted on State sovereignty, and regarded the people with the most optimistic faith ; Washington held views more moderate than either. Most of Ham- ilton's definite propositions have been adopted by the Government, but .Jefferson's spirit has given them life. The two new parties came into sharp contention over the question of neu- trality when in 1793 France declared war against England. The follcwers of Jeft'erscn held that the Ignited States were bound by gr.atitude and treaty to aid the French Republic; those of Hamilton argued that the treaty was now in force, and that motives of self-preservatioi. were stronger than the obligation owed for help dur- ing the Revolution. Washington finally issued a neutrality proclamation, but at the same time declared that he would receive the Jlinister of the Republic, Genet. 'Citizen Genet,' as he was called, acted with what was considered to be