These lines bring up the obvious issue of slavery, which was a core part of society in the South for many years. At the time, education was reserved only for white men, and in a state like Virginia, with a large slave population, it was necessary to make a distinction between between the central population, and the central white population. Additionally, the location and centrality of the University was important because of how slow transportation was. A distance that could take a few hours to drive now could have easily lasted multiple days back then, so Jefferson wanted to make sure that it was accessible as possible to all people in Virginia.

During Jefferson’s time, higher education was something reserved for a few, namely the rich and the elite. Thus many thought that any form of higher education was frivolous, and not necessary for a trade such as agriculture, etc. And to be fair, Jefferson’s critics had a good point. Most people during his time would have learned a trade or vocational skill, and only a few people would have really need a higher education. But with the industrial revolution and the shift of America to an information/technology based economy, (from a manufacturing economy), the percentage of people pursuing higher education has increased dramatically. Today, public education is the norm and in many places, it is an expectation that one will attend a university or receive a higher education of some sort.