It seems as if the commissioners placed a lot of significance on sons being very far away from their families. Did the commissioners believe that this would help students focus more on their work? Personally, I could not imagine being days away from my parents (I fee like 2 hours is a lot). I also wonder if Jefferson believed that schooling in rural areas was not w as worthy as schooling in large districts. Why did he believe this? Is there any personal experience that would lead him to this belief? As someone with a lot of leisure time due to his wealth, I believe Jefferson does have some personal bias to urban, wealthy educations.

While I see the idea of self governance in this statement, it also highlights the contradictory beliefs of Jefferson and the commissioners. A slave owner and a believer of eugenics, TJ view of self-governance was quite limited in reality. In this era, TJ, his commissioners, and much of the U.S. believed only white men deserved rights. Slaves didn't have the right to vote, demand justice, or receive equality from the population. With a lack of diversity within the University, I believe some of these ideas hold true today.

Thomas Jefferson was a visionary when he built this school. He had a predestined blueprint about how he wanted this school to look and perform. One of his main goals was to increase the knowledge of the future generations. He realized that time was short and society was steadily advancing due to new discoveries and acquisitions. Jefferson built this institution to develop inventors and innovators, but he envisioned his future students as academic successors to team up and network together to assemble this prestigious university.

I like how Thomas Jefferson used his power and wealth to help others. He clearly understands the importance of creating your own foundation, and I appreciate him for his contribution to this university. Not only did he want others to improve their education, he encouraged people to practice faith as well. His rhetoric is strong because it is inspirational and passionate. He genuinely wanted others to do better. Another reason that was important to me is because I want to be an entrepreneur in the future. Nothing is given, but it is nice to know that I will be given the tools necessary to succeed and become independent upon attending this university.

In my Fall Engagement "Knowledge You Can Trust", we often discussed the necessity that the public is able to analyze, interpret, and form opinions about data for themselves. It is interesting, if a bit unfortunate, that this remains a heavily emphasized goal of education at UVa. The prevalence of misinformation and disinformation has caused what could be considered an epistemic crisis in which people argue about the validity of information rather than the best approach to the issue it describes. This environment is counterproductive because less time is spent discussing real issues. Though Jefferson's University is taking strides to counteract this trend, the same level of accountability is not present nationwide.

Since arriving at the University, I have found myself wondering what Jefferson would think of the University as it is today. We have preserved the original Academical Village along with other aspects of the University, and the New College Curriculum seems to be a re-kindling of his philosophies. The goal of the Engagements is to challenge us to think across subjects and globally. After such tremendous growth, how has the University's educational philosophy changed, and are the Engagements an attempt to return to Jefferson's original vision?

It seems as that only two mandatory meetings a year is very minimal. It does say that there can be occasional meetings in the event that they need one, but it still is lackluster. I cannot think of any formal organization that I have personally been a part of that has only met twice a year. And these groups surely weren't quite as important. In order for a group to be productive and work cohesively, there needs to be more gatherings. Even if they are in a more casual setting, it would certainly help. This goes for any organization.

It is important and good to see that the importance of a hospital is recognized. It is also understandable that people were at this time, at times rather reluctant to seek medical help. Obviously this has changed as more and more problems have become medicalized. It has also changed with the growth in authority in the medical profession. It also still reflects issues today. People who are poorer may not have access to health care or basic medical needs.

The Commissioners make reference to more egalitarian education, if only in passing. It is unclear whether or not they are mentioning a real or hypothetical act of legislation for the "primary instruction of poor children." This statement shows that these men believed that all (white male) children deserve education, not simply boys with wealthy parents. The ostensibly American values of equality and social mobility are displayed here; the Commissioners' intention was not to simply create a finishing school for upper-class boys. Somewhat progressive for the era, perhaps. -vw4be

The Commissioners acknowledge that the funding for the university must come from somewhere - it mentions, but is not limited to the the elusive "literary fund" which could perhaps be some sort of state-wide or governmental fund. The author seems to be aware that the issue of funding could influence the location and other details about the university, although they insist that any funding they will receive will not impact their choice. I find this a rather optimistic, if not misleading, statement. In the case of private donors, rarely do wealthy individuals (perhaps investors in this case) donate money without some guarantee of returns or benefit to themselves. The Koch brothers' multi-million dollar donations to universities like George Mason in Northern Virginia are a modern day example of this phenomenon. In exchange for their donations, the Koch brothers are given power to control the college curriculum, hiring and firing of faculty and staff, and more. I wonder how original donors or investors (or the origins of the initial endowment more broadly) impacted the university's beginnings, and consequently, its legacy.

-vw4be

This is really surprising for me to read. I didn't know that foreign languages were even regarded by white people in this time. Whenever i think about this time period, I think about racism. From the stories I heard about the white male students who attended this university, many were horrible people and I don't think they could have ever appreciated the Spanish language and culture like many of us can these days.

I find this insane to be true, but not at the same time. In our current time period, it's insane that the founders of UVA wanted it to be central to the white population of the whole state. However, back then this was to be expected. White was the superior race and of course, the founders wanted the rich white kids to come to UVA in order to set its repuration as a prestigious university. In a way, this is still true for UVA. The school is still seen as really prestigious and filled with preppy white students due to its lack of diversity and overwhelming population of white students.

This statement shows the emphasis the early university had on the development of an engaged citizen in society. However, I find the context of this statement quite interesting. The document encourages that all social relations are approached with "intelligence" and "faithfulness." While this is a desirable goal, when given the context of a time of slavery, racism, sexism, and other immoral social norms, the words "intelligence" and "faithfulness" seem to lose their value. This shows how far we have come as a society, in respect to cultural and social values. Hopefully this is also a sign of future social progression we are yet to face in the modern age. As we continue to fight racism and sexism in our modern society, I hope that we can, sometime in the future, look back on our current issues in the same way that I perceive this document with its promises of falsified intelligence and faith.

Stefan Lizarzaburu

This document makes the bold assertion that morality and education are intertwined. The authors seem to think that this is the case. However, one could argue that those with higher education lose their sense of humanity and sympathy, and have an altered perception of their comparative place in the world. However, another could argue that education could teach people the perspectives of others, and provide a newfound sense of sympathy and understanding in the educated. The latter is a more modern argument of the value of education, which is a perfect reflection on the evolution of our modern system of education.

Stefan Lizarzaburu

I thought this part was interesting because it differs heavily from today. One of the things that concerned me most about going to college was the distance from my parents. I am extremely close to my family and moving away from them for the first time was so terrifying. However, many kids nowadays make the decision to go to school out of state because they want independence. Perhaps this shows that children today are growing up faster than back then. Nonetheless, I relate more to the document because I would have loved it if UVA was in my hometown. I still feel the effects of homesickness and can definitely understand why the founders would want the school to be in Charlottesville (this is where most of the white population was and had the "best" resources landwise/moneywise).

Since university education was a relatively new phenomena, it is natural that the makers would question how to begin. Listed in the document are about ten reasons for primary education. What really interested me was that all of those reasons are still applicable to today's society but back then they were only pertinent to men. Although women stopped their education much earlier than men, it has always been a bit unsettling to me as to how society could exclude women from this privilege so blatantly. The expression of "his" and "himself" and "he" make it obvious who the audience is. My class is about Making the Invisible Visible and the language used in this section makes people's "hidden" prejudices quite clear. After reading the article, I felt so appreciative that I am given the chance to go to school; something that everyone should have.

When I first saw James Madison's name at the bottom here, I thought "Oh of course him and Jefferson were very close friends. That's why he's here." Then I began researching further and came to the realization that Madison was heavily involved with the conception of our university and its continuation after Jefferson's death. He was on the Board of Visitors right from the start, and after Jefferson's death, he was chosen as the Rector of the board. Rector is essentially the head executive, and in this position, he maintained the university according to the image Thomas Jefferson had. He was also an active supporter and funder of the Library at the university. His courageous leadership and funding of the university shows that he was just as important to this University as Jefferson and every other man on this list.

http://static.lib.virginia.edu/jamesmadison/protector.htm http://static.lib.virginia.edu/jamesmadison/patron.htm

This section made me especially mad because it states the proliferation of property, and included in this list is a statement about acquiring slaves. Human beings. Being acquired and bought. By other humans. The proceeding sentence then states the proliferation of land from the wealthy estate owners in Lexington, who will be paid back in full for the University's acquisition of land. The fact that there's an additional sentence included to reparate the landowners for their loss of land, but not a sentence commemorating the slaves for their loss of life is absolutely sickening. Here, land is valued more than the lives of human beings.

I thought this was interesting especially in terms of the popular phrase "freshman 15", referring to the 15 pounds students often gain when transitioning from high school to college. Dietary changes and displacement into a new environment especially can cause weight fluctuations for new college students, and dealing with new stresses can also contribute to increased stress eating and such. I liked how this quote included "of their own choice, and at their own expense," helping to introduce students to a menial aspect of adult life in which they dictate their diets, but an aspect of adult life nonetheless.

I saw this sentence and I laughed at how accurate "liberal tuition fees" was. Jefferson held himself and his university to a high standard, so much so that "liberal tuition fees" were made necessary to accommodate students' needs and pay for professors' salaries, room and board, etc. (same as it is today) However, the "liberal tuition fees" neither compensated the slaves who built the university, nor the enslaved workers who served the students and their every need. Today, UVA's tuition is considered one of the best deals for a public education according to US News & World Report, but this "affordability" is only affordable in the eyes of the typical student demographic, whose parents contribute to their family's average annual income of $150,000+.

This deliberation has since been resolved, as UVA has honorary degrees and merit scholarships within each department, school, and in the University as a whole. Although such honors programs weren't established immediately, UVA currently has several programs such as Echols, Rodman, and Miller Arts Scholars through which students can apply for scholarships and certain privileges to apply to their time at the university.

The point being made here seems to emphasize the university's goal in achieving a true liberal arts education to form well rounded individuals in society today. This of course still holds true today more than ever with the university forming a new curriculum to bring more self awareness to students than ever before. It's more interesting look at the original conception of this message at a time when whites only learned the ideas of other whites to become cultured. As time has progressed and a wider array of students have been accepted into the university, the definition of what it means to be well-rounded and cultured here has evolved and is continuously doing so as the university tries to breed intellectuals that will change the world.

Thomas Jefferson was extremely proud of the University of Virginia. In my government class during high school, my teacher once told me that Thomas Jefferson's tombstone writes that "Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia." Notice how he left "Third President of the United States" out. My teacher believes that Thomas Jefferson thought that being the president was more of a civic duty rather than an accomplishment, that is why he left it out. The fact that he valued being the father of the University of Virginia more than being the president of the United States is mind blowing to me and makes me really proud to be a part of the university.

Although these names looks familiar and I can see why people assume that Wilson Hall, Slaughter Recreational Center, and Old/New Cabell Hall are named after these fellows, the truth is that the buildings are named after different individuals with the same last name. Wilson Hall was named after James Southall Wilson, an English professor and founder of the Virginia Quarterly Review, not Thomas Wilson. Slaughter Recreational Center was named after Edward Slaughter, a Charlottesville residence and the director of intramural at the university, not Philip Slaughter. Old/New Cabell Hall is named after Joseph C. Cabell, a member of both the Virginia legislature and the UVA Board of Visitors, and a steadfast ally of Mr. Jefferson as he sought to win state approval and funding for the University.

Considering that this report was written in the year of 1818, I am surprised that Spanish was a largely spoken language since then. I know that we liked to trade with the Spanish, speaking countries, but this time period seems too early to suggest people the importance in learning Spanish.

Though medicine is a very scientific pursuit, I think it is fascinating yet not surprising to see that Jefferson insisted on students pursuing medicine to study philosophy. Hippocrates's Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history and Jefferson cleared wanted students to understand their philosophical place in the world of medicine. Having medical students study philosophy not only made them more well rounded in the arts, but it also made them more ethical physicians. I think forcing medical students to take philosophy classes was a wonderful idea that should continue at the university.

It is very interesting that the men gathered to discuss the establishment of the University of Virginia at a tavern of all places. When I think of a tavern, I just think of a bunch guys sitting around, drinking, and having a good time, not a group of scholars and academics commissioning the establishment of a major university. Why would they not choose a more formal location, such as some type of government building? I know taverns were vital meeting places for people to relay messages and meet during the civil war, so I assume this role carried over into 1818. I also think that it is interesting that the document contains the words "by law." This formality seems to be evident of the culture of the times. My final question is as follows: is there any significance as to why Rockfish gap was chosen as the meeting place?

This quote seems to be extremely Jeffersonian with its emphasis on education and reminds me of one of the goals of UVA which is to develop citizens of our nation. Furthermore, the fact that education has the most vital role in creating happiness in our nation connects to my engagement class, Poverty Counts. Education plays a key role in poverty because people often times do receive enough education in order to get higher paying jobs. As a result, they either work trivial, low-paying jobs or do not work at all. Truly, education plays an important part in the happiness and well-being of an American citizen.

This reminds me of what education reformer Horace Mann said in 1848: “Education, then, beyond all other divides of human origin, is a great equalizer of conditions of men—the balance wheel of the social machinery.” Like Horace Mann said, education can empower people—despite social, ethnic, or gender differences—to ameliorate societal conditions. Although this time period was characterized by racism and sexism, the mentality demonstrated in these lines in the Rockfish Gap Report is a progressive one. In this line, it does not say "white men are the key to the power and happiness of a nation." "Nothing, more than education" it asserts, is key to a nation's prosperity and posterity as well. Jefferson wholeheartedly believed that the values we hold dear, such as democracy and liberty, depend on providing people with a quality education for years to come. In this paragraph of the Rockfish Gap Report, he makes his views on the importance of education abundantly clear to emphasize the necessity of establishing a college that will serve for years to provide high-quality, comprehensive educations that will enable people to partake in bettering society. This article has a little tidbit about Thomas Jefferson's view on education

To contextualize this time period, the document was written during a time when the South was thriving thanks to its production of cash crops tobacco and cotton. While the North's economy was transitioning into an industrial one, the South's economy remained rooted in agriculture. It's interesting to imagine UVA as a school that emphasized the importance of agriculture as opposed to its emphasis today on fields such as business, biology, and English. In the early 19th century, it was important to consider "agriculture, manufactures & commerce" not as three distinct fields as we might today, but instead as interconnected fields. The advent of the cotton gin, along with other strides in agricultural technology, helped to strengthen this relationship between agriculture, manufactures & commerce as the basis of the South’s economy, and it makes sense that this early Board of Commissioners would want to promote the interests of those aforementioned fields. An interesting presentation about the economy of the South

While assessing historical documents like the Rockfish Gap Report, we must keep in mind that not everything should be taken word for word. Like the U.S. Constitution, the Rockfish Gap Report is a living, breathing entity that must evolve over time. Although Thomas Jefferson may have initially intended for there to be a small, fixed number of professors, our University has expanded greatly since the publication of this document. We must always consider the context in which a document was written before we decide on what principles of the document should be applied to the governance of our modern community. Clearly, to accommodate the student body that has grown substantially in the past two centuries, it was crucial that more professors were hired.

I really appreciated the inclusion of this concept. College is often thought to be a time focused on academics; or in other words, learning as much about how to be successful in your prospective career as you possibly can. And while this is true, college is so much more. College is a time when people not only learn about academics; they also learn about themselves and how to be independent, and it's quite the transition. Students in college must make their own decisions, decisions that can easily be impacted by their experience at the University. The Rockfish Gap Report describes UVA as a university that works to not only teach basic values but instill righteousness in its students. UVA does not want students to accept; rather it wants students to reflect on their experiences and share with others for the sake of learning and bettering us all. College is a stage of life where our morals and values develop, and for the first time for many of us, our beliefs are not hand-me-downs; they are custom made to fit the people we have become through our college experience.

This argument, beyond being perhaps the most flagrantly racist excerpt from the entire text, gives further nuance to the authors' understanding of education. While education is important for instilling values and the other reasons mentioned elsewhere in the text, it is primarily valuable insofar as it generates innovations, which impact technology and living standards. The focus on progress is a very Western and especially American cultural ideal. Education becomes more like progress institutionalized and less like studying for the sake of learning from this perspective. The attitude espoused here still exists, to a lesser degree, in modern American discourse (ie. "developed" vs. "developing" nations, etc.). Also: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/territorial-acknowledgements-indigenous-1.4175136 An interesting perspective on calling Native Americans "neighbours."

-vw4be

Considering that Chemistry was listed above to be taught specifically for the purpose of "[comprehending] the theory of agriculture," it is unclear how the document regards the praedial (land-based) labor mentioned. Public access to education didn't exist at this time, and it is progressive of the founders to consider the importance of extending educational opportunities to more young men, but the document also seems to devalue occupations that require physical labor. This is interesting considering that Jefferson is a proponent of agrarian society, which is associated with supporting farmers and laboring people. Ideally, everyone would have access to higher education, and one's education level and occupation would be (1) a choice and (2) respected irregardless. In the absence of these circumstances (then or now), this dismissive attitude reflects an undercurrent of classism which, unfortunately, still exists today to some extent in American society.

vw4be

It is very interesting to see how the founders of this university felt as if the age of 15 was the ideal age for young adults to begin their higher education. Nowadays, students enter high school around 15 years of age. This shows how the role of the child has developed over the years, and how the modern generation is given more time to develop and learn throughout their years before moving onto higher education.

Stefan Lizarzaburu

This statement demonstrates one of the original intentions of the university: to form high-class government officials. Nowadays, students at the university are encouraged to explore any studies they desire. However, at the commencement of the university, it seems as if the expected end goal of the students was to become important societal figures and directly productive citizens of society. This demonstrates the kind of progression the university has made over the years.

Stefan Lizarzaburu

Upon inspection of the available courses I did not see very much concerning the history of eugenics at the university. After conducting my own research I found out eugenics did not become prominent until the 20th century. A leading research facility in the country, the very same grounds in which students study ethics regarding science and medicine, there is a rich history of institutionalized racism.

In the year 1818 African American men were considered citizens as protected by the 15th amendment. Obviously the writers of this document meant to exclude African Americans which made me wonder about the phrasing "every citizen". They may have meant every citizen of the university. This distinction of university citizenship contributes to the elitism of the University of Virginia and the inherently prejudiced and race supremacist values upon which it was founded.

I wonder what the authors of the Rockfish Gap report meant by "all sects of religion?" Did they mean all different kinds of religion, such as Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, or did they merely mean the various sects of Christianity? I do think that the authors meant all different kinds of religions. However, the authors' meaning of "religion" can be called into question just as Thomas Jefferson's meaning of "men" in the Declaration of Independence because of its broad nature as a word. Furthermore, I wonder if there really was equality of "all sects of religion" in practice at the University of Virginia because UVA, similar to the United States, often times did not practice what it claimed to practice in reality. It is worth noting that while the Rockfish Gap Report did not specify the religious practice of the University's founders and only covered the topic of religion briefly, the founding charter of Yale University specifies the faith of its founders as followers of the "Christian Protestant Religion." Did Yale place a greater emphasis on religion or even favor Christian Protestants, while UVA treated all religions equally? -- David Gazewood

It is worth noting that the writers of "The Rockfish Gap Report" recognized the importance of international affairs, particularly when it came to their closest neighboring states. The desire to teach Spanish further reveals the wish that students of the University of Virginia might play an active role in those international affairs by effectively communicating with the populations of those neighboring states. This section of the report reminds me of the Monroe Doctrine when James Monroe declared the independence of the Americas from European colonialism in 1823. Therefore, the desire to teach Spanish reflects the desire to form a powerful allegiance among the states of the Americas, particularly against Europe. I also found it interesting that they mention that the early history of the Americas was written in Spanish. As a result, by teaching Spanish, the students will be able to directly translate and learn of the history of the Americas.

-- David