Thomas Jefferson’s True Masterpiece Was ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’

The primary author of the Declaration of Independence, whose 250th anniversary we celebrate next weekend, wrote one book. Like the Declaration, Notes on the State of Virginia remains a document worth reading. Unlike the Declaration, few read Thomas Jefferson’s masterpiece.

Perhaps the early chapters that extol the abundance of marble on the James River and present a chart that details an average August rainfall of 9.153 inches turn off readers before they reach the exhilarating parts. Alternatively, Thomas Jefferson accumulated about 10,000 books in his lifetime; not even a majority of Americans now report reading a book annually. A third possibility owes to the “milk-was-a-bad-choice,” bearded Ron Burgundy stretch endured as of late by Jefferson. Indeed, the early 2020s weren’t kind to our third president.

About the Author

Daniel J. Flynn

Daniel J. Flynn, the author of The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer, is an American Spectator senior editor, visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, and YouTuber @RightWingWilderness.

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The primary author of the Declaration of Independence, whose 250th anniversary we celebrate next weekend, wrote one book. Like the Declaration, Notes on the State of Virginia remains a document worth reading. Unlike the Declaration, few read Thomas Jefferson’s masterpiece.

Perhaps the early chapters that extol the abundance of marble on the James River and present a chart that details an average August rainfall of 9.153 inches turn off readers before they reach the exhilarating parts. Alternatively, Thomas Jefferson accumulated about 10,000 books in his lifetime; not even a majority of Americans now report reading a book annually. A third possibility owes to the “milk-was-a-bad-choice,” bearded Ron Burgundy stretch endured as of late by Jefferson. Indeed, the early 2020s weren’t kind to our third president.