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Cover of Notes on the state of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson

Notes on the state of Virginia

Thomas Jefferson

  • 336 pages · about 6 hours
  • First published 1784
  • 40 editions
  • Free to read
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1 About this book

A request in 1780 by the French legation to the United States to learn more about the newly formed thirteen states of America stimulated in Jefferson, as he later described it, a "mysterious obligation for making me much better acquainted with my own country than I ever was before." Written during his first term as governor of Virginia, Notes on the State of Virginia is at once a scientific discourse, an attempt to define America, and an examination of the idea of freedom.

With the same genius and clear, flexible prose style that informs the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson chronicles Virginia's natural, social, and political history.

Good for readers who want: history, politics, philosophy, and a book they can read free online.

  • History
  • Politics and government
  • Philosophy
  • Natural history
  • Description and travel
  • Slavery
  • Virginia
  • Native Americans

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3 About Thomas Jefferson

1743–1826

Thomas Jefferson (April 13 [O.S. April 2], 1743 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Father and the third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. A prolific writer and philosopher, Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. His political philosophy formed the basis for Jeffersonian democracy, which dominated early American politics alongside federalism.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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