Title:
Thomas Jefferson: philosophy, education, and the Scottish Enlightenment
Author:
Phillip D. Piercy
Thesis Advisor:
Evelyn Spratt
Committee Member:
Andrew Moore
Committee Member:
Catherine Sarther
Degree Granting Institution:
Notre Dame of Maryland University--School of Education
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Date Created:
2015
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
This is a historical research project which focuses on the origins of Thomas Jefferson’s general and educational philosophies. For many years Jefferson was seen as John Locke’s direct heir regarding matters of politics and education; however, over the latter half of the twentieth century, Enlightenment, Lockean, and Jeffersonian scholarship began to evolve. Historians started looking at various components of the Enlightenment instead of viewing it as one cohesive movement. In addition, the cosmopolitan nature of Europe and the world and the emerging Republic of Letters was gaining more attention. One of the key influences on Jefferson was a corps of Scottish Enlightenment philosophers. Only recently have historians begun to recognize the importance of the Scottish Enlightenment, particularly as it pertains to his divergence from Locke regarding the primary purpose of a republican education. This study addresses the gap in scholarship regarding how closely Jefferson’s own general and educational philosophies aligned with Scottish Enlightenment thinking. While many primary and secondary sources were utilized for this study, The University of Virginia Library’s Electronic Text Center, The Adams-Jefferson Letters, and the National Archives were especially useful. An analysis and synthesis of these and other sources reveals several key themes: scientific discoveries led to the rise of rationalism and secularism which encouraged people to challenge traditional sources of knowledge; historians have begun to recognize the importance of cosmopolitanism in the evolution of the Enlightenment; scholars now look beyond typical figures of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries such as Locke and the philosophes as they reinterpret the Enlightenment; Scottish thinkers significantly influenced the Enlightenment as well as Jefferson’s general and educational philosophies. This study supports the view that Jefferson was not Locke’s direct heir in matters pertaining to politics and education and it complements recent Enlightenment scholarship. It reveals the significance of the Republic of Letters in the proliferation of new ideas throughout the eighteenth century. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that Scottish Enlightenment thinking had a greater impact on Jefferson’s general and educational philosophies than did the philosophy of Locke.
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Insrtuctional Leadership for Changing Populations
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
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Identifier:
PiercyPD-15
