Thomas Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration of Independence and our third president, has been called the “architect of American democracy” (a moniker popularized by Harold Ickes, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Secretary of the Interior). He wrote the “mission statement” for America when he declared that “all men are created equal.” He is consistently rated as one of America’s greatest presidents. Cities, counties, schools, and universities have been named in his honor.
However, his legacy has been seriously questioned in large part because he participated in the foul institution of American slavery, owning over 600 people during his lifetime. John Ragosta, author and director of historical research at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, examines the question of what a wealthy, white, slave-owning aristocrat has to teach us about the nature of American leadership, especially political leadership.
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