Though I'm not from Virginia and don't know much about these three locations, I find it very interesting how all three proposals are located within the Shenandoah/Blue Ridge Mountain region. Especially given the time that this report was published, 1818, it would have been fairly difficult to get out to these parts of the state, much more so than the coast, Richmond, or NoVa. Though the writters offer the explanation that these three locations were healthy, fertility, and in close proximity to white populations, I think that there is a lot more to why they chose this region. Even today, with easy access to main highways and major cities, Charlottesville can feel extremely isolated from the rest of the world. The mountains have that effect of making everything seem more inclosed than they actually are. This can be very appealing for the establishment of a university, especially one that has an emphasis on a living-learning community. By founding a university so far removed from the rest of the world, students are able to fully engage within the school's community (something that is harder in more populous/centrally located areas). Katie N

Though today Agricultural theory is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about chemistry, it certainly makes a lot of sense in the context of the times and Jefferson's vision of American society. Thomas Jefferson wanted America to be a nation of farmers, who best exemplify the crowning characteristic of civic virtue. He believed that small farm communities could preserve civic virtue, whereas an industrialized, city society would only lead to corruption within government and society as a whole. By teaching chemistry as a way to improve agriculture, Jefferson is able help preserve and improve his idea of a nation of yeoman farmers for decades to come. Katie N.

I find it interesting how, up until fairly recently, the ancient languages of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew were so fundamental to a quality education. These languages were important to all aspects of learning, including math, science, and literature. In fact, at this time the ancient Romans and Greeks played a huge roll in the founding and development of the American governmental system. You couldn't be considered educated until you had mastered the classics. I can't think of any language that has such broad importance in academia today. For people in other countries, learning English might have a similar importance, as it's on of the main languages used in the global market. Katie N.

This phrase stands out to me as something that Thomas Jefferson found extremely important to have in his University's values. Jeffersonian public philosophy put a huge emphasis on a society based on small communities and civic virtue. Jefferson believed that the only was for this new democracy can survive is for all citizens to be enlightened with civic virtue. By including this in the Rockfish Gap Report, Jefferson was further ensuring that this nation would survive long after he was gone.

Katie N.