David Manchester

E. Randa
History 1700 Sp-030/830
April 16, 2017
Reflection Paper

History is a very subjective, objective and interpretive subject. Historical events are

written about and recorded by people. Therefore accounts can be interpreted in

many ways and can become skewed and hazy for those that come after a historical

event. While doing this signature assignment I was exposed to the fact that there

were two sides to the story and history of Thomas Jefferson and his life as a

visionary and one of the founding of the United States of America. The historical

portrait that has been painted describing Thomas Jefferson may be a little different

than what was taught to the majority of the U.S population throughout our

childhood.

I found it very interesting that Jefferson had beliefs that were deeply rooted in the

Christian religion but at the same time he rejected the fantastical and magical

portions of the story of Christ. Jefferson believed that Jesus was a man of great

moral teaching, but exactly that, a man. For some reason that was very surprising

to me. It seemed that he had designed his own religion or belief system. A designer

religion. That was something that I had never been taught about the man Thomas

Jefferson. Jefferson also created the line all men are created equally in the

declaration of independence. But in the years between the 1780s and early 1790s

Jefferson went all but quite on the subject. He himself owed hundreds of slaves and

he actually went out of his way to shield that fact from the prying public eye. It

seems that he was not the benevolent slave owner that he was made out to be
throughout history. This reminds me of something that was told to me by my 6 th

grade school teacher that I find very revealing on how a certain historical accounts

get adopted and the accepted by the mass population. He always said, History is

written by the victors and the losers get their culture and their beliefs destroyed

and demonized. Thus the winners can bask in their own created greatness.

I really enjoyed doing this assignment. It was a great reminder to always do my own

research and never fully believe what is being fed to me by the mass media.

Especially these days where everyone has an agenda, where greed and selfishness

are running rampant like the black plague. Be your own victor, write your own

history. History is subjective and interpretive. Find your own truth, create your own

history.