This clause is representative of the deep seated belief in and importance of education in a democratic society. Nearly all the Founding Fathers believed that education was the only way that a democracy would not become a demagoguery. With this clause, Jefferson creates an intimate connection between education and active citizenship, a relationship that is still emphasized at the University today. Without this clause, the spirit of our University and of our Nation would be drastically different.

As noted by many of my classmates, it is a very cruel irony that basing the location of the University on the grounds of its "centrality to the white population" was not only considered "impartial," but also "mature." What is especially disturbing is the fact that it was considered mature. The notion that Jefferson and the other members of the board considered this racist criteria to be mature reveals that they have no legitimate or profound disagreement with racism and white supremacy. They genuinely believed that this was only a rational thing to consider when locating a University. What is even more disturbing about this notion is that it forces us to question the truthfulness of our Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson. If the same man that argued that every man has certain inalienable rights can blatantly contradict his own beliefs when founding his University, then what can be said about the values and people that founded this nation?