Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s third president, can be considered a real enthusiast for implementing Indian education policy. Enlightening Indians and blacks was a mission, the ideological basis of the American thinker’s racial theory. Not being a strong orator; however, Jefferson put his thoughts on paper, and in letters, his ideology and politics could be traced. The first material presented for reading describes the politician’s general thoughts regarding the abilities of Indians and blacks compared to white people. While the second and third focus on the more practical aspects of their future and the possibility of colonization. Despite their different themes, they all share the same motif and theme. Equating Indians with whites is feasible but requires radical action, a long time, and constant education.
To understand Tecumseh’s place in American culture during the Jacksonian period, one must consider the demise of the Indian issue. At the center of the problem was a conflict between two opposing cultures, understood naively by Americans as a protracted battle between savagery and civilization, where the latter would ultimately win. The Indians, hiding on the edge of civilization and long resisting development with all their might, were lower-cultural societies based solely on the existence of an economy and shared ownership of the land (Jefferson 213). Their value system seemed incompatible with that nation devoted to capitalism, democracy, and individualism. The federal government, concerned about the divisions and open hostility arising from these differences, undertook a phased policy to transform the savagery of the Indians into civilization.
The scientific justification for this plan came from Enlightenment theory, which stands on the assumption that the individual characteristics of human beings are more the result of environmental factors than innate biological differences. It is where Thomas Jefferson began, believing that Indians and whites are part of the natural human condition (Jefferson 213). Since all varieties of humanity are naturally equal, he concludes that Indians could adopt civilized ways of development, including private land tenure and farming. Thus, assimilation should have been assured with the due approval of chosen missionaries. At the same time, he categorizes Negroes as a form of life below that which is human. The author insists that Negroes cannot think like white men because they are “much inferior in reasoning” (Jefferson 259). The primary conclusion of the letter is that only Indians can unite with white people because they are not deprived of the ability to think and analyze. The only issue is insufficient education, and gradual teaching should be the solution.
Despite some contradictions, the politician supported reifying Indians with white society. According to T. Jefferson’s theory, Indians were at the stage of barbarism, and one step separated them from civilization (Peterson 1118). The transition to the next stage of development was considered a natural process though slow. Task number one was seen as changing the way of life of the Indians, moving them toward farming (Peterson 1118). The American policy of educating Indian tribes (late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries) consisted of instructing the natives in transitioning to a civilized way of life.
At the same time, the mood of the third letter is entirely radical and describes the beginning of the colonization of the dark-skinned. Jefferson was convinced they would require a separate habitat and pose a direct threat. Thus, the plan was to relocate them to other territories more suitable to the conditions. Jefferson stated, “Although our present interests may restrain us within our limits, it is impossible not to look forward to distant times” (Jefferson 1097). Thus, the plan was to settle the blacks in a particular place so they would not conflict with the interests of the states.
In general, T. Jefferson’s strategy in educating the Indian tribes seems interesting. As a true philosopher of his era, he believed that the natives did not understand the benefits of civilized life. Therefore, the problem could be solved by explaining to Indians how to live appropriately. It is this idea that unites all the letters addressed to different individuals. The third president urged the Indians to abandon their former way of life and lead the tribe down a new path. Such outreach was only the initial phase of the policy of educating the Indian tribes. Subsequently, according to T. Jefferson’s vision, all this was to lead to the fact that “settlements would gradually surround and approach the Indians, and in time they would either join us as citizens of the United States or go beyond the Mississippi” (Peterson 1118). This statement is somewhat ambiguous, for the letter began more optimistically, with clear support for the people. Nevertheless, in the end, it is clear that unification must occur; otherwise, the future of the tribe is doomed.
Thus, it can be concluded that all of Jefferson’s letters were about a plan to unite Indians with whites. However, despite the optimistic sentiments, in the beginning, the last of them shifted toward isolation in the event of a failed integration. Education was a decisive factor in bringing Indians closer to white people, and it was on the success of this process that their future depended.
Works Cited
Jefferson, Thomas. “Notes on the state of Virginia: With an appendix.” Thomas Jefferson on Indians and Blacks, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden, ML & WA Davis, 1801, pp. 212-259.
Jefferson, Thomas. “Notes on the state of Virginia: With an appendix.” Thomas Jefferson on Black Colonization, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden, ML & WA Davis, 1801, pp. 1096-1098.
Merrill D. Peterson. Thomas Jefferson: Writings. Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1984.