With a government only a few decades old, I would be incredibly interested to know what they expected to teach students in this course. I wonder if they taught about the British government instead of the new American government. If they taught about the American government, I think it would be extremely difficult to have consistent teaching happening, since very little was solidified in our government during this time.

I'm amazed that everyone was just as prepared to create our school in Lexington as they were in Charlottesville. They had such detailed plans, and individuals were fully prepared to give up their land in case Lexington was chosen to become our Grounds. I wonder how far ahead they planned in Lexington before settling on Charlottesville; did they have building plans and exact locations of dormitories prepared?

I find this quote interesting for a few reasons. It seems as if it is just thrown regularly into the middle of a bunch of other facts. This shows how normal slavery is viewed during this time. This is also a fact lots of people try to avoid or forget about in Thomas Jefferson's, UVA, and America's history. All of these things have been heavily impacted and built by slavery. This is an important part of history that should be acknowledged and unforgotten.

I found these two lines very interesting fr a plethora of reasons. To start off, the line before says how the objects would benefit "every citizen". However, the article refers to every citizen as "him" or "himself". This shows the ideology of the people during this time period. It displays how men were only viewed as first class citizens and the only ones considered in the founding of the university. In addition, the last part of the quote mentions how the object would improve his morals. However, allowing slavery was an extremely immoral act. I find this quote interesting because of its display of the thoughts of women and slavery at the time.

Because it was impossible to highlight all the languages without highlighting other areas, I simply highlighted “Latin”, but I will be referring to all the languages listed, including Greek, French, and German. First, not surprisingly, all the languages listed have some sort of European and Western origin, except for Hebrew. However, although Hebrew originated in the Middle East, many Jews moved or fled to Europe during the diaspora, so Hebrew as a language is also tied to Europe. Secondly, I find it interesting that English is still referred to as “Anglo-Saxon” at this time. Lastly, I also find it interesting that both Latin and Greek were taught in the early 1800's, but now only Latin is taught in some schools, even though Latin is the dead language, not Greek.

Although I do not specifically what the learned science means in this context and time, I assume that it has to do with the field of science (including disciplines such as Biology). This is interesting to me, because science is such a big part of our education nowadays. However, obviously during the early 1800's, many people, including educated men, did not believe in science or that science was necessary for students to learn. I assume instead they wanted students to learn more “relevant” fields, such as theology, philosophy, language, and commerce. Thinking about the lack of importance of science in this time, it’s amazing to think about how different people back then viewed the world.

In modern education, students are essentially encouraged to specialize within a particular field the moment they declare their major. This table shows how the Jeffersonian vision of education is incredibly well-rounded and encompasses every field present during the early 19th century. However, the College of Arts and Sciences at UVA still has general education requirements, and students are highly encouraged to explore different fields with a variety of classes in their first and second years. The New College Curriculum takes this initiative to an entirely new level, with classes in different areas that captivate the modern intellectual world, including poverty, extinction, and implications of art. These two curriculums serve as a testament to the original Jeffersonian vision of education, and allows current University of Virginia students to graduate with an education so broad and varied that graduates are far more well equipped for life beyond college.

This description of the general design of the Lawn exhibits Jefferson's idealized concept of how a university should be properly arranged; his firm convictions on the morals of education and his idea of professors and students living and learning together really set the University of Virginia apart from other universities of the time. Even in the present, I for one cannot name a single university that features something similar to the Lawn and rotunda, and the amount of thought regarding educational morals that went into their design. The University of Virginia stands out from its academic peers across the country in the foundations of its creation, and the continuation of the community of trust that seeks to live up to these values that Jefferson envisioned two hundred years ago.

This quote resonates with me, as its something that I have found to still hold true both in high school and in University. Professors at the University today continue to offer office hours for students to talk to them both about school and occasionally about their lives, and conduct research side-by-side with students. I also think that this quote expands to the Housing and Residence life that exists today, since first-year students learn a lot from their Resident Advisors and Senior Residents, who they live and study with every day.

I find it interesting that the constructors of UVA believed that one of the objectives of the school should be to build character and instill correct action in the students. It seems as if this University always valued "the honor code" and heavily enforced it from the moment the school opened. Nowadays, the honor code is still enforced. We still abide by the rule to not cheat, lie, or steal. However, instead of being enforced by administration, the honor code is more so enforced by the student body. As UVA students, we all feel the need to abide by the honor code because it's just morally correct. In this case, I feel like we've definitely come along way from the past, and this objective has now turned into a natural habit.

This is ridiculously pretentious. The authors here put forth a restrictive viewpoint stating that if you are of the class to attend the college, you should do one of a number of particular jobs associated with your class. Note the "the" and the capitalized "V"'s. I would bet my bottom dollar that, not only did he have particular jobs in mind when he said these things, he had well established ones there to boot, so that he is not serving to revitalize existing outputs, just the system that produces them. What's the point?

I like how this portion of section 3.4 poses a question that makes the topic seem more inquisitive. Because it is a founding document of the University I currently attend it is interesting to see what sort of evaluations were made when establishing the logistics behind university level education. I think the founders of the University were faced with a difficult task when having to decide at what point university education was to commence because at the time the objects of primary education and the number of people that received it varied. I think this was in part why they made sure to outline the importance of primary education and the objections set forth for it. Today, education is more standardized and it is expected that a student entering college has met the necessary requirements to do so. Furthermore, rigorous applications and testing have made it easier for universities to evaluate the extent of our education.

Additionally, as a reader I felt like the tone of these lines were more relaxed. It wasn't a definitive statement and the triviality of stating "certainly not with the Alphabet," made it sound less formal.

I think that it is interesting that these were the criteria for the location of the University, especially the portion about the centrality to the white population. My interpretation of a healthy and fertile site is one that is vibrant, close to an area that bolsters work opportunities for students as well as the ability to play an effect role in society, and a site that is secure in terms of neighbor relations (especially at the time the school was founded). I think the importance of the centrality to the white population is representative of the time period but isn't something that remains as an prominent ideology today. Since the United States was so segregated at this time it is clear why a group of white men looking to found a new University would prefer a location central to the population[white] that would support and attend it. Today UVA and the surrounding area of Charlottesville is widely diversified. I was also interested by the monetary argument in this sentence. It seems like even though they didn't establish the pledging of location as an auction that goes to the highest bidder, money had the ability to dictate and/or persuade where the University would be founded.

The word "only" in this statement intrigues me. Three of my uncles graduated from here, and one of them had two other room mates in his first year. After spending two semesters with them, he firmly decided to live on his own for the rest of his years in the University. Little did I know that the original intent was to suffice each dorm room "for the accommodation of two students only".

Through this statement, I can see how the University implemented this principle by the means of the "Honor Code". Thomas Jefferson did not only want to train self-governed students, but also raise citizen-leaders who have enlarged minds, cultivated morals, and have virtue and order instilled within their beings that will impact our community and our nation. Having students to manage the Honor Committee aligns to this vision.

I find this part of the report very interesting because it reflects upon the fact that unlike most prestigious American universities, this university was not initially built around a church (the chapel being the heart of the university). When I realized this, I was told that the university was built around a library (The Rotunda) rather than a church (The Chapel) because Thomas Jefferson believed in knowledge and wanted the University of Virginia to be a secular university routed in knowledge and wisdom as opposed to religious principles. Today, the University still upholds it's secularity and allows for multiple religious clubs/organizations to be displayed on grounds without specifically acknowledging one religion as more correct over the others.

I find this section interesting as Jefferson wants the University to be controlled by the legislature. I think this is partly because Jefferson was an anti-federalist and therefore did not favor a strong central government. He wanted his university to be run similarly to what he wanted to see in the country with "the people" or (most closely) the legislature controlling it. This is more democratic than say an executive member or appointed judiciary.

I find it interesting that when the founders of the University of Virginia were laying out what was to be studied, they wanted to make an emphasis on really accepting all religions. They wanted students to have experience with these three languages because they connect "all sects." However, I do not think these three languages really cover all of the religions and I wish the founders had extended this.

Jefferson's original intention with the "academical village" was to show how important it is for students to use what they learn in the classroom in their everyday lives. This passage is focused on how the Professors and students are to live among each other. It encourages further study. There is more to to learn about a topic than what is presented on the lecture slide. Student’s intrigue to learn more is what encourages a greater sense of community. One of the special attributes of UVA is its exceptional community. The “academical village” encourages a greater sense of community. I think Jefferson would be proud of the place UVA is today. UVA bring students from different races, religions and countries together. This is beneficial to every student at UVA because it encourages a love for learning new and interesting things from fellow students.

This is one of the key parts of the Rockfish Gap report. This states the purpose of primary education. Primary education is something that has been around for hundreds of years. There are many reasons primary education is important, this document says the purpose of primary education is to help citizens prepare for future work endeavors, express his or her ideas, improve reading skills, understand civic duties, know all his rights and overall be able to observe and understand society/relationships with others. These ideals are obviously important because they continue to be a part of our society today and more specifically part of our society here at UVA. Today, students have lots of different motives to study and I believe if each student from UVA were to read these ideals they would agree if not all, most of these are important.

This part of the document confuses me because later on in the report it emphasizes religious freedom, and how texts from all religious sects should be taught. Based on this sentence, it causes me to infer that UVA was initially a religious institution which is not the case. The only way I can see this statement to make sense is if the "church" was just referring the University as a whole. This way the the report would be saying that the University's larger purpose was to contribute to the larger nation's success, which aligns with what the subsequent sentences say.

The capitalization of "Professors" and "Students" is interesting. Typically, capital letters only occur at the beginning of a sentence or in front of a proper noun which "professors" and "students" are not. The capitalization of these words makes it seem like these professors and students would be unlike any professors and students anywhere else in the world. This goes along with the theme of building an elite school that would be uniquely above others which the report carries throughout.

When I first toured UVa, my tour guide emphasized how important it was to Jefferson to have students and professor living amongst one another in the academical village. He wanted it to be this way so that learning was uninterrupted, and so discussions wouldn't end when the students left the classrooms. Even today, we have not only continued Jefferson's vision, but we have expanded it with the creations of residential colleges all over grounds, where students and professors reside. Uniting students and professors outside of the classroom created a large sense of community at UVa that is still prominent today. I know I am not the only one who is proud to be part of the wahoo community, and I think that is what really makes UVa a special place to be.

This line was very unsettling for me to read. I must have missed it the first time I read through this document. Here, the report is saying that the only reason why UVa was decided to be placed in Albemarle County, was because of the greater white population there in comparison to Lexington and Staunton counties. It is not right that our school was centered around the concern of pleasing the white race, instead of educating the population. I think it is important for all of us to realize that like the rest of America, UVa has a racist past. We should use items like this document to facilitate productive conversations about racism and once we all accept it as part of our past, we can work together to prevent it from being part of our present and future.

Zoology is defined as the scientific study of the behavior, structure, physiology, classification, and distribution of animals. I wonder how zoology was taught at the university. In the present day, bachelor’s programs often allow students to choose a particular concentration, which may include marine biology, ecology, genetics, or animal behavior. Students could take biology, anatomy, genetics, animal behavior, ecology, and physiology courses. I wonder if students practiced dissections and how those dissections were sanitary. I wonder what mechanisms and technologies were used to study cellular respiration and other various cellular functions.

William H. Cabell was a well educated man whom served as Governor of the State of Virginia. Cabell worked closely with the Jefferson administration and assisted greatly with Burr’s rebellion. After completing his term as the governor, Cabell became a Judge of the General Court, and then the Court of Appeals of Richmond. Cabell’s name stood out, because many of our classes are held in either Old Cabell or New Cabell Hall. I found William H. Cabell’s career to be rather impressive. Because of his close work with Jefferson’s administration, I imagine that Jefferson too found this man to be credible and worth acknowledgement.

I think the term "morals" is interesting in this sentence considering the time period. One of the morals that most people lacked during this time period was owning slaves.The next sentence also says "understand his duties to his neighbors, and country." However, his duty was only to treat white people right and either discard or treat minorities unfairly. It also say "the functions confided to him by either." The crazy thing is the a lot of the people in the country were not represented or given the function to confide in him.

I think this sentence shows a few things. For one, it shows the obvious fact that white males were the only people in power and considered at this time. White men created institutions in consideration of other white men and this is the same thing that goes on now. Our nation is still run by white men today and was back in the 1800s too. This sentence also shows UVA white-centered or racist past.

I think it is really interesting how the authors of this document emphasized the importance of hands-on experience in the field of medicine. They wanted to be able to give students all the necessary opportunities for success. It's cool how this is still true today, as nursing students work in near by facilities. I think UVA still strives to produce well- rounded, professional students that are prepared to enter the workforce, across all disciplines.

I like how this founding document emphasizes the value of knowledge and education. In doing so, they are establishing something for students to aspire to. I think it is imperative to society that we continue to think along these lines, as it is a part of our moral obligations. Working in ways that advance and improve our society. We are not "fixed" and as a current student at UVA I hope that my four years here will give me the knowledge and desire to go out in the world and do something. I take this line of the document as a call to action. Our founding fathers wanted us to be better than they were, and to use what they have done to progress. We are not defined by out history. Thinking with this mindset can only lead us to greater things.

University’s goals for students are generally the same everywhere, but I like how we are given the specific goals for UVA students. To me, this is one of the most important parts of the document because it is addressing the fact that students have the right to express their ideas. I think in order for a students to reach their full potential they must focus on these goals/objects of this primary education.

When I read this section about the building plans for the university, I found it interesting that they stated which areas were to be designated for the professors and students but did not mention a word about the slaves. In my engagement class “Making the Invisible Visible”, we toured these historical areas and learned that the basements and attics of the pavilions were built to house slaves. This design was also part of Jefferson’s plan to keep the slaves hidden from the students’ sights, which may also explain the lack of the reference to slaves in this section.

With a government that was still relatively young, I wonder what was taught in government classes in the early 1800s.

I find it funny that they only had estimated numbers, rather than exact amounts they were positive of. In today's world everyone wants to know exactly how much something will cost before they agree to anything, especially building new structures or attending college.

It’s interesting how the main purpose behind including chemistry in the curriculum was to teach students “the theory of Agriculture”. The reasoning behind this may be to simply instill applicable knowledge to the students of the school, who were primarily sons of plantation owners. Another possibility is an effort to instill Jefferson’s belief in agrarianism and an agrarian state, which can be seen in Notes on the State of Virginia and during his presidency. For example, in the section “Manufacturers” in Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson writes, “we have an immensity of land courting the industry of the husbandman. Is it best then that all our citizens should be employed in its improvement, or that one half should be called off from that to exercise manufactures and handicraft arts for the other?” (291).

It is interesting to me that this document was titled as a report. The word report usually implies that something was investigated or observed but this document feels more instructional than that, almost like a manual.

To me this line is about cultivating students morals and giving them a deeper understanding of the arts, math, science and the comforts of human life. This caught my attention because I feel that today our education system has been diverging away from this. Now students are more focused on memorizing information for tests and getting ahead of their peers. It is less about the learning because its interesting and learning for the good grade. I think the University of Virginia noticed this and that is why the New College Curriculum was added. The New College Curriculum teaches the students to come together and work collaboratively. In class instead of sitting through a lecture, students sit around tables and have intellectual conversations, sharing their opinions and interpretations of certain topics.

I think the old-fashioned language here, "honorary excitements", is so odd, because it surfaces certain expectations for any supplemental activities to the students' course loads. The creators of this document desired for these activities to be honorable and to be exciting, which infers passions beyond the academic aspect of these students' lives. UVa has always placed large importance on student involvement to help balance passion with academics, especially in their application process where they are known to accept well-rounded, hyper-involved high school students, in hopes of those values continuing in their college lives.

I thought the descriptive language used in this whole passage when talking about the set-up of the lawn truly shows a part of UVa culture that still exists today. The lawn is a very important, almost sacred, part of grounds to all students today, just as it was to Jefferson and the people who wrote this document. The specific symmetry that was laid out in the document shows the neatness and professionalism that Jefferson wanted UVa to be represented by. Even today, the lawn is always kept up well, and highlighted to any prospective students, because it is still a place that we use to represent our school as a whole. Also, the "indefinite extent in one direction" echoes Jefferson's famous belief that education is never-ending. That ideal is still very prominent around grounds in the every day language of students, as we call ourselves first years, not freshmen.

Here is another example that demonstrates the historical significance of the Rockfish Gap Report as a document. Although people may not often refer back to this old document, it stands as an embodiment of the early notion of education and provides insight into how things have changed since then. For example, this highlighted sentence emphasizes the importance of military education, which is not prominent nowadays in UVa but very important back then due to political and social reasons.

It is interesting to see that one of the purposes of the University of Virginia education was to "improve by reading, his morals and faculties." First off, I don't know if reading can make someone more moral. Education by books isn't how one developed stronger morals, but interacting with other people and learning from experience. However, I can appreciate how UVa stresses this idea of educating the whole person and not just a part. We still stress strong morals today through the honor code.

In reference to "The Informed Retraction" of the Honor Committee, it is evident in this proposal that Jefferson envisions the University to "develope the reasoning faculties of our youth, enlarge their minds cultivate their morals, &instill into them the precepts of virtue and order." An IR (Informed retraction) allows a student to form "habits of reflection" and "correct action" as the following lines indicated after this statement. It's interesting how Jefferson and the writers of this report have foreseen the inevitable ways of youth to rebel against the rules for the sake of surviving in college. By this disciplined and well-thought-of purpose for the Honor Committee we have today, it's convincing that the University is still found loyal to these fundamental principles that Jefferson laid out two centuries ago.[]http://honor.virginia.edu/informed-retraction)

The last academic courses emphasized in the report are ones of performing and visual arts. This low placement demonstrates how a career in these fields was not realistic or successful in Jefferson's eyes. He views the subjects as simply entertainment, not ones that should be taken seriously, referring to the teachers of them as "accessories." The only one he thought could be practical was drawing class and that was not about drawing portraits, but rather drawing military plans because that was what higher education was. I found this interesting because today there is a large emphasis on promoting the arts and creativity in schools, but back then it was only about how they were sources of amusement.

Orthography is the system of spelling for a language. Because Jefferson was such a renowned writer and thinker, is this why he emphasized language so much? In the book that we read over the summer, language was emphasized in such a clear and eloquent manner. The language of the Declaration of Independence was crucial in determining its meaning and interpretations, so language is stressed in such a vivid manner. Language is how we communicate, and communication is how we learn.

It is interesting to see that this exhibits the very beginning ideas of the lawn and central grounds. Already, we see Thomas Jefferson and others discussing "pavilions," which make up most of the structure of the lawn today. They note that there is a suitable place nearby for an observatory; this could be Observatory Hill for all we know!

This is interesting because it implies that our forefathers were thinking about their forefathers in the same way that we do. We are currently attempting to improve the university by acknowledging our founder's mistakes and changing our outlook to adopt a more progressive view, which is the same thing the University's founders were attempting with their ideals. We often don't think about the fact that we ourselves are forefather's of generations to come; there is a lot riding on our actions.

I agree that "education generates habits of application, order, and the love of virtue". It's interesting how Thomas Jefferson envisioned an institution that prioritizes a moral organization. However, in our modern time, I've observed how this principle have been watered down. We may have already "rendered ourselves wiser, happier or better than our forefathers were" in regards to knowledge now, but I noticed how we have degraded our value of morality and virtue. In regards to the alcohol prevention/intervention system here at UVA, it seems as if our institution have conformed to democracy rather than submitting to the righteous authority that our founding fathers have set upon the University. Instead of preventing alcohol usage, it's being "supported" with certain safety hazards. This makes me wonder if our morals should be based on the main foundation of our University; or should our morals conform to our modern 'progressive' world today?

Reading broadens one's perspective, opening one's eyes to the unknown yet exciting realms of intellects, arts, ethics, culture, science, and society. Reading improves one's morals and faculties because not only does he/she absorbs the knowledge in reading, he/she also learns to think critically while he/she reads. Reading is a process of absorbing, reflecting, and sometimes disagreeing. I would also like to add something to the sentence--To improve by reading (and reading as much as one can into all fields of knowledge), his morals and faculties. Reading helps facilitate a sense of cosmopolitanism in one's upbringing.

The emphasis in this document on lodging students in dorms is less about giving students housing and more about establishing a living and learning environment. This living/learning environment runs much deeper than a classroom education, but is associated with UVa's insistence on stressing student self governance. However, this idea of self governance cannot be achieved if the students do not live together in a society where the "government" can function. Living together is part of this education the university was so set on establishing; when people live in close quarters, they are able to learn from each other and really begin to establish an environment for themselves. This idea is still prevalent at UVa today where first years must live on grounds and essentially start their journey together.

The idea of legacy is stressed during today's admissions process, so I found it very interesting that Jefferson promoted it here as well. I think Jefferson promoted this strong familial relationship in order for his students to feel supported which would contribute greater to their success as well as creating a chain reaction. His goal was to create an institute for higher education that would lead to students doing things they otherwise would not have. When a child can see that a parent has done this, then they are more likely to do that also.

This suggests that during this period of time, an education at a University could begin at a much younger age. "Tender age" sounds like an age less than adulthood (or even late teen years); perhaps between the ages of twelve and fifteen. This could offer some insight into the early 19th century concept of higher education, being offered to a greater age range (and to fewer people).

While I'm not exactly surprised by the general modern assininity of historic perspectives, it is rather striking to me how parallel this particular phrase is to one in the Constitution, i.e., the necessary and proper clause, or the elastic clause. It makes me wonder whether or not they used this as an excuse to establish whatever they pleased on site. Although eminent domain did not exist in the US officially at the time, and Virginia had a tendency to be ever so slightly anarchistic towards the wealthy, this does pose the question of how the poorer folk in the area got off with the changes, as well as how the university's establishment served as a political tool.

What catches my eye most of all with this is the brevity of time they were given. This is four days' worth of work to design the primary university for the state. That means four days to determine which location(s) to go with, design the curriculum, determine the basic emphases of the university, determine the layout and basic design, figure out priority for construction, hiring, and the like, and, last but far from least, troubleshooting these basic ideas for a university!

I understand that the university was chosen to be placed in Albemarle, because of its central location in regards to the white population; however, I wonder why Charlottesville specifically has been chosen as a dwelling location for the past presidents and such a wonderful university. Charlottesville is a city rich in history, and I find this fact to be evident in today. For example, the Barrack's Road shopping center, which is home to Starbuck's, Ulta, and Chipotle, etc, was termed this because it housed German and British prisoners during the Revolutionary War. This is just one example, and I find that even though I have lived in Charlottesville and was born at Martha Jefferson Hospital, I am still uncovering so much about my home. What would Charlottesville be without UVa? What would UVa be without Charlottesville?

Barracks Road Example: https://www.visitcharlottesville.org/about/history/