Influences on Early American Literature
It is strange to consider Thomas Jefferson's writings when speaking on traits of the American. Jefferson never wrote directly on the topic of the general character of the American. It was he, who was more responsible for setting the parameters of a society which would fulfill the ideals of what would become a part of the American character. He knew that liberty and equality could not exist in a hierarchical society. He also was aware that a society which was primarily production oriented, bound together by interdependence on those who controlled the the financial resources would put to much power in the hands of a few. A society of farmers, he believed, could support a society based on individualism and not conformity. This view, read by early Americans, led to the view of the American being an individualist and not a conformist.In order to be considered a nation the people have to be united through a series of common qualities and values. The most important of these is the quality of individualism. To be an individualist ties in all the other essential qualities of being an American such as the right to create your own destiny. The opposite of this value is conformity, an essential trait of those under a hierarchical system s
There are forces at work today that are far stronger then those at work in early America which forces and rewards conformity. While the American public likes to think of themselves as rugged individualists we are actually a nation of "Baa Baas" sheep following the ram of government. The idea that we are actually a nation of conformists is actually very repugnant to most individuals. As a society grows more complex it grows proportionally more interdependent. Unless we have a cataclysmic event such as a meteor, nuclear war, or invasion of aliens we will continue on this road to conformity no matter what our original founders intended. None of these ideas should be considered to be a slam against Jefferson, a man I have respected since youth. They are just the unintended creation of opposing triggers in his writing. Being read by such a huge segment of the population in early America led to these triggers being inserted into the formation process of America and thus having a strong effect on the way our present culture evolved. who would be of the conformist ilk. His idea here of a creation of like minded wards would "enable the state to act in mass," thus creating even further conformity across this land. uch as a monarchy. Conformity is not only seen as a trait of the subservient but also a destroyer of true democracy. Majority rule, which Jefferson espoused, was one of the great destroyers of this individualism. It is an example of American culture being shaped by the forces of democracy. Even though you might think rule by the majority is conducive to individualism it is not. Rule by the majority fosters dependence on others because of the tremendous pre
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Approximate Word count = 1128
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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