When it comes to education, one's socioeconomic status plays a big influence in their educational journey. Education is an area where the government cannot control equal opportunities because people will always be looking for the "best ways" for their children to learn. Even with public schools, living in richer areas will raise a students chances of going to college based on the facilities being offered.

§.124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§.124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§.124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§§.121 and 124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§.124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§.124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§.124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§§.121 and 124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

§§.121 and 124 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

This line in the report highlights the supreme value UVA’s founders placed on reading and books. This value is reflected in many elements of the report, and even in the design of the University. UVA was the first university to be designed around the focal point of a library (the Rotunda), rather than a church. Throughout its conception and execution, the University of Virginia was designed for and around books and the pursuit of knowledge. The founders wanted UVA to be purely a place of learning, curiosity, and exploration, uncorrupted by the motivations of the church. Reading was central to the development of the University, and Jefferson and the other founders believed it was essential for developing a well rounded man.

From what is being said, the writers of this document wanted the students to have some level of moral responsibility. They also wanted them to find happiness within themselves. This could mean that they wanted them to do something that brings them happiness, not for others, but for themselves. It can also be assumed from this statement, that they wanted the students to have some form of a moral compass. "Correct action", means that they were expected to do what is right. The University wanted to set a standard of happiness and good moral actions.

Higher education during this time period was primarily aimed towards educating the male American population, with little regard for women's right to education, which is important context to remember. It's easy in our day and age to forget how far we've come in regards to women's rights, so this three letter phrase popped out to me and reminded me of the difference in context. Its also interesting to note that "practices of manhood" were included in a document aimed at creating an effective educational institution, meaning that a part of education was thought to include teaching men how to conform to what was culturally expected of a man.

While I believe the University of Virginia has lived up to a majority of it’s ideals, I feel the ideal that University should harmonize and promote the interests of agriculture has been abandoned. As the free market economy and division of labor took off in 20th century America, the agrarian economy suffered immensely from the advancement of technology. Today, major institutions such as the University of Virginia have shifted their focus away from agricultural education and towards modern day electronic technology and engineering. I am not aware of anyone who has graduated from UVA in the last few decades and pursued a career in agriculture or working on a farm.

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?

This quote here provides the central controversy that has become quite prevalent throughout the school's history. Today we question the legitimacy of Jefferson's famous statue as a founder of the University. Do we praise these men for their founding the school, or do we put them down for their hypocrisy in their actions and slave-owning? It's a challenging topic to discuss but I am interested to see how it fuels students across Grounds to act as a united body against racism and prejudice.

It is interesting to see that the guidelines declared for the foundation of this university was not focusing on religion considering the time and place of when this document was written. This parallels the Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom where Jefferson advocated the separation of religion and state. I also think that this is the reason why the UVA chapel is not build on the hearts of UVA grounds. Furthermore, I think that the chapel which doesn't hold particular sermons for any particular religion reflects the ideas of this document. It is astonishing to see the lack of religious pursuit in this document considering the concept of God was prevalent in the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson who is also a signer of this document.

As a pre-med student who volunteers at the UVA hospital, I cannot imagine studying medicine without having a hospital.This makes me believe that it could be possible that the medicine track was easier to study as only one professor was teaching it and there is only so much one professor can teach. Furthermore, i believe that having only one professor teaching this tedious course would not create a thorough education. Nonetheless, medicine in UVA has progressed so much with a leading hospital and competitive medicine program in the present day.

Whats quite fascinating about this short but significant phrase is its location. Its not apart of the section that talks about people that will be staying on grounds, working there or of the likes, rather they are placed in the section that talks about land, property, and other material things.

Today, UVA can be known as a pretty liberal, diverse university, so it is unfortunately ironic that it was founded on a principle of “centrality to the white population” of Virginia. While it is obviously known that during this time in history racial prejudice was quite evident, everyone would like to hope that the place we know and love today has always been a place of equality and acceptance. That is not the case, however, as shown in this passage that is aiming for a location that is most convenient for white people, not taking into account any of the other “races” that make up the melting-pot of America. I put the word races in quotations because in my engagement “Evolution and How it Shapes Society,” we learned that race is actually somewhat of a social construct. Humans are around 99.5% genetically similar, and our difference in skin color, among other differences in appearance, have occurred in response to the migration of humans to different environments, where, for example, UV rays may not be as strong. This is interesting to think about in response to this passage because it is absurd to think that certain people’s exposure to UV rays made them more favorable to receive a quality education.

This passage refers to the underlying principles that the University was founded on, and what exactly the founders were expecting the atmosphere to be like– professional and peaceful. They had high standards, expecting a lot from the students who eventually would be admitted. Today, the standards remain, but luckily, to whom they apply has broadened. The passage clearly shows that in the beginning, the University was intended for males. Over time, however, women’s role in both the University and the world has expanded as the cultural/social structure regarding gender has greatly evolved. The following link is a great display of the way in which the University eventually became a completely coeducational facility. http://voicesandvisibilityuva.org/about-these-portraits/women-at-uva-history/

This displays the great deal of emphasis that the University places on the English language and the significance of structured beliefs that are supported by valid evidence. UVA encourages students to build a comprehensive foundation of knowledge through reading and to form their own opinions based off of this education.

This added phrase speaks to the backwards thinking of our university's founders. Although we honor important people from the past, they are not without their faults. It is important to not only evaluate their actions, but also their words. Just because we are considering the gravity of this document, dos not mean we should blindly endorse all its contents.

I think this particular phrasing is really interesting and telling of the importance of men, especially strong men that can fit into a certain gender role, in the culture of the U.S. in 1818. After explaining about teaching men military tactics during extracurriculars, there is an explanation that at a time in a young man's life when he is attempting to learn about manhood ("emulation of the practices of manhood"), they will have the best chance of creating men that are prepared for the military. While this was obviously written without women in mind as UVa was founded as an all men's university it's striking that one of these founding documents of the University not only supports stereotypical gender roles of its time through its rhetoric, but actually emphasizes the teaching of manhood itself and taking time out of the day to instruct manhood through "manual exercise, military manuevres, and tactics".

Jefferson states this as one of the goals of the University - essentially, he wants students to achieve happiness as a result of high moral standards. Why does he write the phrase "within themselves"? Although he sought to promote a reflective, positive attitude, he ostensibly restrained an open mind to a limited point of view that greatly diminished the value of the education. The social mindset of many white slaveowners and professors demanded a single response from students, thus eliminating any possibility of sincere, genuine happiness in their minds.

When thinking about the function of education, especially a public education funded by the government, its surprising that something the writers of this document thought was important to state as an aspect of the school's purpose is to cultivate morality. Using phrases such as "correct action" and "virtue," without explicitly stating where these guidelines are found or how they will be implemented seems vague and almost idealistic, lacking the ability to follow through. Are these personal cultivations part of the government's responsibility to educate its citizens?

I think this line speaks to the goals of education in general that have stayed constant from when this was written all the way to now. Education has always been about gaining perspective through "habits of reflection." I think that because this was an attempt to build the first public university though, this line is pointing out the importance of the students of this university in particular being examples for all students of the future. Knowledge about the world around us gives us a better understanding of ourselves. With greater understanding of the world we can move towards questioning the parts of our society we wish to change, and we can make progress. Especially in this time of so much change and uncertainty in America I think that it seems important for a school to put a great emphasis on students engagement in introspection. When students can explain and discuss their own values, they can move towards thinking about how to implement those values into society to make it better.

I find it interesting to look into the three locations proposed for The University of Virginia. Lexington, Staunton, and Charlottesville were the three locations proposed with the criteria in consideration being "healthiness of the site", "fertility of the neighboring county", and "centrality to the white population of the whole state." It is the last criteria that sticks out to me. I find it shocking that the accessibility to whites was such a strong factor in picking the location of the University. It is incredibly unsettling that the grounds I walk everyday were picked specifically for the white race. On another note I find it interesting that Lexington Virginia is now home to its own university.

"Handing the mass down for constant accumulation" highlights a central part of UVA's goal: a focus on a comprehensive understanding of the world, not limited to a single subject. Each generation's discoveries and knowledge is passed down to the next, and we build off of one another in an effort to ultimately advance our "well-being". Our understanding of various subjects is constantly improving, and will continue to do so.

I find it interesting how "himself" and "he" were used. Even though large steps are being made to ensure some level of education amongst the primary schools, it is very evident that women were not considered in this. The granting of knowledge is leaning towards male students of the time. It could be an over reach to say that women were not considered for these kinds of schooling, but it is heavily implied. Other than that, I am impressed by the actions that they are taking to allow for each student to be independent. They want the students to rely on themselves by using the knowledge that they have received.

The commitment to accepting those of all religions within the proposed UVa community displays resounding support for the document, "A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom", which was written in 1779. This bill states that: "our civil rights have no dependance on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry; that therefore the proscribing any citizen as unworthy...unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right;". In that particular quote, constitutional rights and choice of religion are not tied together and have "no dependance" on one another. The Rockfish Gap report continues and demands religious freedom by having no professor of divinity and instead focusing on ethics. "The Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom" can serve as a precedent for the Rockfish Gap report as it's purpose is to provide all citizens with their natural rights, which is an important example for the founding of a community at UVa.

It is an interesting notion that a university's place both the world and the lives of young people should be more than academic; in this sentence, the writers of the Rockfish Gap Report postulate that a university also bears the responsibility of providing a social education to its students. In today's world, college is indeed viewed as an environment in which social interaction plays a huge role, but few would think to entrust the University itself with the task of providing this type of education. The inclusion of this notion in the report shows how dedicated the University's founders were to providing a well balanced, enjoyable life. The idea that a university should include social education in it's curriculum is beneficial to students in not only their college careers, but their social and working lives ahead.

It seems that during this time that medical students did not have nearly as much opportunity as students at UVA do today. It's incredible how the school went from not having a hospital or even enough qualified professors to teach medicine to one of the better schools for medicine in the nation. The school now has many more opportunities offered to students studying medicine and offers a prestigious medical school that offers everything UVA wanted at the time of this report.

The interesting part about this line is that it applies to two relevant issues for me. In regards to my engagement (Extinction in Art & Literature), it asks for education to "improve what was vicious and perverse": we have discussed virtually every day of class about how we can improve the UVA community in approaching awareness for extinction and climate change as well as actions towards combating them. In regards to the recent consequences of the August 11 and 12 events, there is a call to action as well for a "new man on the native stock": both in and out of the classroom, we should try to improve upon our differences.

Today we think of most medical studies as purely scientific, only focusing on the biology, chemistry, and physics related to functioning of the human body. This portion shows that at the time of the founding of UVA, there was a different approach to medical studies. At that time, there was more regard for the history and founders behind it. We think of past medical treatments, from decades ago, as barbaric (like the practice of bleeding or lobotomies). When we neglect the history, we forget how fragile our current knowledge of the matter is. We may find ourselves to be wrong about certain 'facts' through further experimentation and gathering of research, so we must be open to the possibility of new methods and contrary ideas. Medical advice we receive today may be debunked in the future, found to be untrue. In addition, we don't devote much time to the philosophies of medical treatment. Because we focus in on the science of the matter, we neglect to ask moral questions and push ourselves to be fully detached. This passage suggests that historically, we recognized that medical studies would not be black and white.

I found it particularly interesting how the document consistently references the legislature. By doing this in 1818, it appears the founders wished to keep the university public and out of the hands of a few private citizens. While UVA remains a public university today, only 5.2% of it's revenues come from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, in exchange for decreased state aid, the legislature granted UVA more autonomy than is seen at other state universities. My question is would Thomas Jefferson and the other founders be happy with the university's increased reliance on the private sector when they so direly wished to keep the university public and open to all?

This sentence was extremely fascinating to me. This statement implies that the decision to have the location of the University where it is now is primarily because of how close it was to a large population of white people. This maybe the reason why UVA continues to serve predominately white student population.

This section of the report speaks loudly about the standardized racism that existed during the time. The location of the college was chosen largely based off of the degree of centrality to the white population. This makes me realize that the reason our school is still predominantly white today and not as diverse as it could be is directly due to this.