My most recently completed presidential biography is Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by John Meacham. My conclusion: the only things he and I have in common is being proud Virginians and sinners. (And I wasn’t born in Virginia, so I guess even that one does not fully count.)

A casual observer can look at the life of Jefferson and see that he occupied a completely different level from the average person. In addition to serving as president, just some of the accomplishments he is remembered for include: 

• author of the Declaration of Independence
• the first Secretary of State
• the second Vice President
• the individual responsible for the Louisiana Purchase (which constitutes nearly one-third of the continental United States), and 
• the founder of the University of Virginia. 

Jefferson’s IQ has been ranked as the second highest among U.S. presidents, behind only John Quincy Adams, and visitors to the White House or his estate at Monticello asserted that his private conversations revealed him to be an expert on virtually every topic discussed. But perhaps Jefferson’s greatest contribution to the world was his unflinching desire to help secure a republican form of government for this country. 

A cursory glance at the life of this American patriot would lead you to think that he virtually “walked on water.” However, as with every public or private individual, the reality is more complex. No matter how great a personality appears to the public or how extraordinary a legacy he leaves, no one is perfect and every man, from Bible heroes to American national icons, has feet of clay,

 Meacham grasps this reality, and presents Jefferson in a realistic fashion while still retaining his larger-than-life nature and impact. Here are some lessons we can learn from the life of Jefferson and how his story and philosophy intersect the Christian worldview. 

• Jefferson was a lifelong lover and defender of liberty, who believed that every individual has the right to live in freedom and feared the lingering potential for monarchy and autocratic rule in America. The first line of the Declaration of Independence he authored states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” These liberties would extend from protection against an out-of-control, tyrannical government to freedom from being compelled toward a religious affiliation and beyond. In regard to the press, Jefferson is quoted as saying, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” 

His opposition to centralizing power in the federal government was so vehement that it put him at odds with not only John Adams and Alexander Hamilton but no less than George Washington – leading him and the first president to cut ties altogether and Martha Washington to despise Jefferson.  

After listening to the audio version of Meacham’s book, I have walked away as even more of a lover of liberty and more thankful than ever for this country that Jefferson helped found!

• Yet Jefferson was inconsistent (an understatement!) in living out the love of liberty that he so often expressed. This inconsistency can be seen most clearly in his relationship to slavery, an institution he grew up with as a Virginia farmer and landowner. Jefferson personally believed that slavery was an evil institution and wanted to eradicate it, yet realized the Union could not stand if he pushed the issue while he held political power, so he chose to drop the issue. He felt slavery would eventually end on its own, though he did not think whites and free blacks could live together in this country. 

That inconsistency blossoms to outright hypocrisy in the fact that despite his documented declarations on slavery’s evils, to the day Jefferson died he did not emancipate his own slaves, of whom he “owned” 600 – yes, 600! – over his lifetime.

An even worse reflection on Jefferson the man relates to his relationship with a slave by the name of Sally Hemmings. As Jefferson’s beloved wife was dying, he vowed to her he would never remarry, a promise he kept although he was only in his late 30s at the time. That may sound noble – except for his longtime, illicit relationship with his slave Sally Hemmings, who bore him four children. Whether Jefferson and Hemmings were in love, or it was a relationship based solely on unequal power, no one really knows. Even more bizarre: these children, whom Jefferson knew were his, remained slaves! As outrageous as this sounds to us, it was the way of the South in that era for many slaveowners. Still, there is no excuse for that level of personal tyranny.  Like the huge image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, this giant of American history indeed proved to have feet of clay.

An aside here: although we can agree that Jefferson’s behavior was an outrage, questions of race continue to divide America, and I do not pretend to know all the answers. But one thing I do know: the true answer when it comes to racial division and every other social ill is to be found in Jesus Christ. It is in Him that all are made one and we find forgiveness of the worst of sins. 

Acknowledging our nation’s imperfections and our own, may we pray for this unity and in patience and grace listen to other people whose experiences may not be our own. 

I will continue my discussion on Thomas Jefferson in next week's blog, so stay tuned!

Soli Deo Gloria