Thomas Jefferson And American Education

Originally Aired: April 13, 1938 Cavalcade of America #130, "Thomas Jefferson And American Education," young Thomas Jefferson enters William and Mary College in 1760 and quickly makes an impression on the colony's elite with his radical ideas. When Chancellor George Wyth and Governor Francis Fauquier invite him to their intellectual gatherings, the passionate student shocks them by declaring that every person, not just the wealthy planters, deserves an education. Jefferson insists that farmers and craftsmen have as much right to learning as aristocrats, and boldly proclaims that men are born free and equal with equal rights to grow in mind as well as body. The drama follows Jefferson's development from idealistic student to accomplished lawyer and member of the House of Burgesses. With his mentor Chancellor Wyth, he pursues ambitious plans to codify Virginia's obscure and conflicting laws and make them public property. Jefferson seeks only one reward for this monumental task: the addition of a single law establishing religious freedom in Virginia. However, his dreams face a dramatic interruption when a messenger arrives with urgent news from his plantation at Shadwell.