184261Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Between 6 Jan. and 29 July 1821, Jefferson overcame his oft-expressed aversion to writing about himself and produced his longest description of his life. In just over 32,000 words, he covered the period from his birth in 1743 until his arrival in New York in 1790 to take up his duties as secretary of state. Following brief accounts of his parentage, education, and marriage, Jefferson devoted...
184262Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
On 1 Sept. 1821 Jefferson ’s much younger friend, the Harvard University professor George Ticknor , wrote to enlist the former president’s help in recruiting universities and learned societies to petition the United States Congress to abolish tariffs on books. Jefferson quickly agreed and sought support from acquaintances affiliated with the University of North Carolina , South Carolina...
184263Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
The following series of documents resulted from Jefferson ’s effort to prove that the funds spent on Central College and the University of Virginia to date had been properly distributed and their disposition accurately recorded. Jefferson needed this information so that he and the rest of the Board of Visitors could be confident in approaching the Virginia General Assembly for what would...
184264Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
These two documents begin the process by which Jefferson transferred his indebtedness for $20,000 from the Bank of the United States to the College of William and Mary . Jefferson had incurred this debt by cosigning two notes for Wilson Cary Nicholas just before the latter went bankrupt in 1819. In order to initiate the transactions necessary for the transfer to take place, Jefferson enlisted...