I think Jefferson prioritizing exercise (or "gymnastics") is a quite cutting-edge thought for the time period. The importance of physical activity is still being researched today, as our society still discusses the relationship between exercise and health, mood, success, productivity, and overall wellbeing. This being said, Jefferson emphasizes exercise only within the context of military preparedness, which is problematic given its many other benefits. It is also problematic to me that one of the University's collective priorities was to prepare for war. In my opinion, this leads to a culture of fear and anticipated violence.

This comment is crucial in the formation of UVA, as well as the general formation of democracy. First, the idea of a man knowing his own rights was relatively new, as lack of rights was a complaint the colonists had to the British crown. Furthermore, to choose one's own delegates is revolutionary, especially in the context of public education. Jefferson's high priority of individuals' rights as well as self governance are a part of the foundations of UVA and America. Self governance is still highly honored and practiced today at UVA.

The fact that education improves one’s self and rids it of what is “vicious and perverse” puts the hope and also action-provoking challenge into its pursuit. Education is meant not only to prepare you for your career or allow your knowledge to grow, but it also improves you as a human being. It expands your self-knowledge and value to society. It’s hopeful to me that even UVA’s founders saw the importance of the transformative nature of education and not just its practical purposes. Additionally, I think it is particularly powerful that the founders saw education as a medium at which knowledge was accumulated, not only for the purpose of improving the lives of UVA’s students, but also with the broader purpose of that knowledge being passed down to future generations. The idea that education is cumulative and affects future generations extends the challenge of knowledge acquisition beyond being only for the purpose of self-growth, but also growth of society.

I find it interesting that after UVA’s founders completely devalued the knowledge of local indigenous peoples, especially after flouting the value of education and the pursuit of knowledge as a whole. In today’s times I think intellectuals are more interested in sharing in the indigenous knowledge held by certain people groups because now it is widely known that indigenous knowledge holds just as much value as other ways of knowing. This being said, our society’s treatment of Native Americans and their descendants certainly has not improved. It has just occurred to me that through UVA’s current increased honest conversation about our history, limited time has been given to the native people groups whose land we now occupy.