Question

Source: Thomas Jefferson was in France during Shays’ Rebellion, but he wrote a letter to a friend about it. Paris, November 13, 1787 The British have so long hired their newspapers to repeat every form lies about our being in anarchy, that the world has at length believed them, and we have believed them ourselves. Yet where does this anarchy exist? Where did it ever exist, except in the single instance of Shays’ rebellion? God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. What country before ever existed without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let the people take arms. The remedy is to present them with the facts, pardon and pacify them. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. Our Constitutional Convention has [made too much of Shays’ rebellion]: and in the spur of the moment [I believe they are over-reacting].
1. Sourcing: Who wrote this document? What else do you know about his views on a strong central government?
2. Contextualization: According to Jefferson, have the colonies been peaceful or chaotic? Support your answer with evidence from the document.
3. Close Reading: What does Jefferson mean when he says “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants?”

Answer 1

Jefferson was a firm believer that small uprisings once and a while were healthy for a republic because they kept the government in check. This is what he meant by “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”