Status Updates From The Portable Thomas Jefferson

State of Virginia was an absorbing illumination of Jefferson's thoughts on many political, social and cultural subjects. Some of his observations (especially on slavery and the comparison of black to white merits) are tortured and uncertain, betraying his internal anguish, and some are delightfully wry (commentary on local architecture). Ensconced in a fair bit of trivia, it was well worth reading.

Jefferson really struggled with his need to categorize, including people, and his innate belief in human equality. While he briefly acknowledges that the suffocating conditions of slavery would impact the opportunities for a brilliant black person to rise to notice, he soldiers on continuing to cite the immediate examples of mediocrity and pettiness that he observes in the enslaved community around him.

Detailed lament about Virginia's government and legislative process, including an interesting commentary about the keenly-considered proposal to install as governor an appointee with dictatorial powers. It didn't pass, but it was evidently popular and came close.

Jefferson has now repeatedly (in both the 1774 Summary Rights and now his State of Virginia) cited the inherent determination of Americans to eventually eradicate slavery and dunned Great Britain for tossing American laws intended to outlaw the importation of slaves. He also speculates on the origin of American Indians being from Asia across the now-Alaska land bridge.

Jefferson notes that in 1787 the climate of Virginia was noticeably changing (already!), becoming milder overall with less snowfall during winter. These are from observations from "the elderly" who he consulted, who remember colder temperatures and heavier precipitation - just like our current elderly memories!

Rebutting Buffon's pronouncements on the inferiority of American fauna (including the native humans) to European stock. A dignified but strident scientific exchange.

On into Notes on the State of Virginia, demonstrating Jefferson's famous fascination with and attention to details in the physical sciences. It is interesting and wry that this pre-Corps of Discovery essay conjectures that the Blue Ridge mountains may be the highest elevation in North America.

Oh, my! Thomas was certainly gunning for bear in his pamphlet, Summary View! While not calling for separation from Great Britain in so many words, all the other words he used spell it out pretty clearly. It's a fascinating detailed list of all the pent-up accusations of trespass accumulated by the now-titled "states" in America. Them were quite clearly fightin' words in 1774 and in 2 years it arrived.