Notes on the State of Virginia

“Notes on the State of Virginia” from the Monticello

The Monticello is a world heritage site sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. This article contains several additional resources that explore Jefferson’s work.

Second Treatise of Government by John Locke (1689)

The Second Treatise of Government is a philosophical text written by Enlightenment thinker and “Father of Liberalism” John Locke. Locke’s Second Treatise is widely viewed as having a place among the most important and influential texts ever written about political theory. It is believed to have been a significant factor in shaping the ideals of both the French and American revolutions.

• Second Treatise of Government on SuperSummary

“The Declaration of Independence” (1776)

“The Declaration of Independence” is one of the founding documents of the United States of America. The text was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson in June of 1776 after the Second Continental Congress appointed him the chair of the Committee of Five (the others were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman), a group designated to draft a statement declaring the American colonies independent from Great Britain. Jefferson based his draft on existing documents such as George Mason’s draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Enlightenment-era texts by authors such as John Locke.

• “The Declaration of Independence” on SuperSummary

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis (1996)

In this nonfiction book, American historian Joseph Ellis details some of the more critical parts of Jefferson’s life, beginning with his arrival in Philadelphia in 1775. Jefferson served two terms as the Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781 and worked extensively to improve the state’s economy, despite the war.

• American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson on SuperSummary

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis (2000)

The Pulitzer Prize-winning book Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation is the work of renowned American history writer, Joseph J. Ellis. Published in 2000, Ellis’s book examines the lives, contributions, and relationships of the men responsible for establishing the new American nation following the defeat of the British in the 1776 War of Independence. 

• Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation on SuperSummary