Notes On The State of Virginia - Jefferson On Freedom of Speech and Secular Government

Jefferson On Freedom of Speech and Secular Government

“Notes on the State of Virginia” contained Jefferson's firm belief in citizen's rights to express themselves freely without fear of government or church reprisal and that government’s role is only secular and should not have anything to do with religion. This led later to charges of atheism leveled at him by his opponents in Federalist newspapers leading up to the nasty election of 1800. They quoted his European published "Notes on Virginia" as proof that he was Godless.

Jefferson wrote in “Notes on Virginia”:

The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

Biographer Joseph J. Ellis reveals that Jefferson didn't think the work would be known in the US since he did not publish it in North America and kept his authorship anonymous in Europe. He exchanged letters with friends worried what they would think about his authorship of such a religious heresy. They supported him in response. Jefferson did not respond at all to the mud-slinging charges. He won the 1804 presidential election anyway, but those charges of atheism and the charges of an affair with his 15 year old slave Sally Hemmings published in newspapers by Federalists supporters put his belief in a free press and free speech to the test.

While his predecessor John Adams angrily counter-attacked the press and vocal opponents by passing chilling Alien and Sedition Acts, Jefferson, by contrast, worked tirelessly to overturn these tyrannical limits on free speech and free press, despite the great personal damage such open discourse did to his reputation. He later lamented the anguish caused by his political enemies, however, he never denied the charges made by them, including those in “Notes on Virginia”; and he never gave up his fight for “Republican priciples” to shield the common man from state or religious oppression (as opposed to the Aristocratical Federalists’ doctrine that he successfully ousted.)