SOURCE: “Liberalism and Classicism in Jefferson's Political Philosophy,” in The Political Philosophy of Thomas Jefferson, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991, pp. 1-18.

In the following essay, Sheldon examines Jefferson's political philosophy within the context of Western political thought and concludes that Jefferson drew from several theoretical traditions in formulating his own philosophy.

Great men are obliged to suffer many indignities, not the least of which is the tendency of lesser men continually to write books about them. Thomas Jefferson has suffered in this regard perhaps more than any other famous American. Volumes have been written on Jefferson as a lawyer, architect, educator, musician, scientist, social scientist, artist, military strategist, party leader, bibliophile, agriculturist, and even as a tourist. In addition to books affirming Jefferson's character as a Renaissance man, several studies have addressed his political thought, either by itself or within the context of early American political theory generally...