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Origins, Philosophy, and Theology University of Kentucky UKnowledge United States History History 12-24-1997 Jefferson's Declaration of Independence: Origins, Philosophy, and Theology Allen Jayne Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Jayne, Allen, "Jefferson's Declaration of Independence: Origins, Philosophy, and Theology" (1997). United States History. 9. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_united_states_history/9 Jefferson's Declaration of Independence &.0 Jefferson's Declaration of Independence &.o Origins, Philosophy and Theology Allen Jayne THE UNIVJERSITY PRJESS OJF KENTUCKY Publication of this volume was made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Copyright © 1998 by The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of I(entucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, I(entucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern I(entucky University, Transylvania University, University of I(entucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com Frontispiece: Thomas jefferson, a photogravure made from the original painting by Mather Brown. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data jayne, Allen. jefferson's Declaration of independence: origins, philosophy, and theology / Allen jayne. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-8131-2017-9 (cloth: acid-free recycled paper) ISBN 0-8131-9003-7 (pbk. : acid-free recycled paper) 1. United States. Declaration of Independence. 1. Title. KF4506.j39 1998 97-33157 973.3'13-dc21 ISBN-13: 978-0-8131-9003-7 (pbk. : acid-free recycled paper) This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. Manufactured in the United States of America ~......~. ~ Member of the Association of ~~.• American University Presses To Linda, Andrew, and Catherine &.(!) This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface Xl Introduction 1 1. The Theological Context 9 2. Bolingbroke and the Enlightenment 19 3. Locke and the Declaration 41 4. Kames and the Moral Sense 62 5. 0 bstacles to Reason 87 6. Self-Evident Truths 109 7. Religious Freedom 139 Conclusion 168 Appendix: The Declaration of Independence 175 Notes 179 Bibliography 217 Index of Persons 232 Index of Subjects 240 This page intentionally left blank A recollection of our former vassalage in religion and civil government, will unite the zeal of every heart, and the energy of every hand, to preserve that independence in both which, under the favor of Heaven, a disinterested devotion to the public cause first achieved, and a disinterested sacrifice of private interests will now maintain. -Thomas Jefferson, 17 October 1808 This page intentionally left blank Preface This book is based on my work in the history of ideas at Cambridge University. Some of the research, however, was done earlier, when I did not consider its relevance to practical life or intend to pursue gradu­ ate studies. At that time, my love for the study of ideas was particu­ larly keen if they were abstract. Now, I find the material in this book relevant to current life in the United States, and perhaps other places, especially where it concerns the question ofwhether the political power of a government should be used to impose religion on its people. This was a burning issue in jefferson's time, as it is today. Since there are many in the United States who fervently believe we should use gov­ ernmental power in support of religious values, and many who just as fervently believe we should not, the heat from this issue is likely to be felt for some time. If he were here today, jefferson would support the latter group; he was instrumental in the passage of both state and federal laws that kept religion out of politics and politics out of religion. This book explains why he acted as he did and why he believed that all people in the United States, including those who support the use of political power in matters of religion, would benefit from the separation of state and church. I find jefferson's thinking in this respect fundamen­ tally sound. Indeed, I cannot help speculating-given the religious authoritarianism and sectarian bigotry that existed in the colonies in 1776 and have not been altogether eradicated today-that without the efforts of jefferson and others, especially Madison, to establish the First Amendment to the Constitution, we could have become an­ other Bosnia, Northern Ireland, or Middle East. In the eighteenth cen­ tury, as a keen student of history, jefferson saw law as a means to prevent sectarian disputes from erupting into persecution, strife, and war as they had done on a massive scale in sixteenth- and seventeenth­ century France and seventeenth-century Germany, where Catholics and Protestants killed masses of people during their sectarian wars. Xli Preface Since Jefferson did more than any other Founding Father to shape and articulate the ideas and ideals upon which American civilization is based, it seems logical to judge him by the positive or negative im­ pact of those ideas and ideals. Yet there are those who argue that we should judge him by his character as a man and by twentieth-century standards of what is good despite the fact that others have written on the injustice and absurdity of judging historical figures by today's stan­ dards. Indeed, there are those who even suggest that we should ignore his ideas or scorn him because he allegedly was too passive in his efforts to eradicate slavery and, to a great extent, isolated in his racist views. The charge of passiveness is ironic. Criticized for this more than any Founding Father, some of whom were completely passive and not criticized, Jefferson was the most active, making several legis­ lative attempts to outlaw slavery in America. Although his efforts were unsuccessful, they did inspire the Northwest Ordinance, which permanently eliminated slavery from half of the United States. More­ over, Jefferson's racist idea of freeing slaves but having them live in separate territory was not confined to him or a few like him but was favored by many late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century abolition­ ists, including Abraham Lincoln. Yet even if the allegations of these ad hominem and ad tu quoque arguments were true, they have no relation to the truth or goodness ofJefferson's legacy of ideas and ideals. Socrates pointed out this prin­ ciple of logic with a rebuke in Phaedrus: "The men of old ... deemed that if they heard the truth even from 'oak or rock,' it was enough for them; whereas you seem to consider not whether a thing is or is not true, but who the speaker is and from what country the tale comes." I am deeply indebted to three persons in connection with this book. First among these is Bhek Pati Sinha, who has been a close friend of my family for many years. During that time his generosity in sharing his vast knowledge of ideas kindled and sustained my interest in this subject. In fact, it was he who, during a visit to Monticello, when I expressed an interest in the ideas and ideals of the third president of the United States, suggested that I do research on Jefferson. Second among these three is my wife, Linda. She gave me continuous support during this endeavor, which on many occasions meant sacrificing her own pleasure and convenience. The third member of this trinity is Richard Tuck, my Ph.D. supervisor at Cambridge. His suggestions and criticism helped me avoid many errors. I am also indebted to J.R. Preface Xlii Pole of Oxford and Mark Goldie of Cambridge for their helpful com­ ments and criticisms. And to the staff of the rare books reading room of the excellent University Library of Cambridge-where I sometimes found myself reading books by those who influenced Jefferson in the same editions as he owned or recommended-I express my gratitude for their courtesy and efficiency. This page intentionally left blank Introduction Ralph Barton Perry's comment "The history of American democracy is a gradual realization, too slow for some and too rapid for others, of the implications of the Declaration of Independence" illustrates the importance America has ascribed to the Declaration's succinctly ex­ pressed ideals.1 Given that importance, the question arises, What are those ideals, especially as Thomas jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration, intended them to be? Answering this question has proved difficult for scholars, partly because jefferson, by his own ad­ mission, neither originated the ideas and ideals contained in the first American document nor clearly explained where he got them.2 Since knowledge of the source of the ideas jefferson placed in the Declaration is important to understanding its ideals, much has been written on this subject. Yet the images of the Declaration's principles remain confused and blurred, for there have been diverse opinions as to who the thinkers and philosophers were who contributed to the Declaration via jefferson, not to mention different interpretations of particular contributors. So diverse are the opinions of scholars who have written on the political theory of Thomas jefferson and the Dec­ laration of Independence over much of this century that support can be found for virtually every contemporary political ideology within this vast array of literature, as a few samples will show.
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