For someone who I always viewed as a traditionalist, this is a very forward looking statement. Here he actually advocated for not revering the way things are, but to seek to improve them through science and education. The use of capitals in "Ourselves" and "Our fathers" signals to me that he isn't just speaking about the improvement of the condition of the people in the room, but rather mankind as a whole. This is a unusually progressive statement for someone who often operated on tradition and did not advocate for the same thing for all people.

This is looks like a relatively minor donation, but its actually very interesting. I had some trouble finding information about the James River Company, but eventually I found an page about the James River and Kanawha Canal. It was the first commercial canal in the United States. The honorary president, although he did not have much involvement with them, was George Washington. It was founded in 1785 and Washington was elected president in 1789 giving him little time to spend on the company. The company had problems creating the canal. The soil was not right and the work was slow. They hired enslaved Africans from nearby plantations to do the work. Ultimately the business was losing money and went bankrupt, so this would have been a useless transfer had UVA accepted.

I find this to be a very American idea. Whereas in other Western countries freedoms were limited not only by fixed class systems, but also by law. The freedom of expression and freedom of the press were not found everywhere. Kings, lords, and nobles were at the top of the social hierarchy by birth, and no amount of work could ever allow one to arise to their level without their explicit permission. However, America was the land of the free. The "American Dream", the idea that one could raise themselves through hard work and industry was certainly taking hold. Of course not everyone had the same opportunities to elevate themselves (slaves, people of color, etc.), Jefferson's target audience (largely white land-owning males) could potentially identify with the idea that education could help any man raise themselves to a higher level.

The curriculum of the University can be contextualized by the Neoclassical movement at the time. The liberal arts focus derives itself directly from the ancient thought of people such as Plato, Cicero, Aristotle, etc. As much of the University is constructed in a neoclassical style, so too is the curriculum.