The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University by Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University by Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy Michael Lee The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University. By Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy. (Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 2021. Pp. xviii, 318. $34.95, ISBN 978-0-8139-4648-1.) The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University, by Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, is a biography, an intellectual history, and an institutional history of the early years of the University of Virginia. The weaving together of these three genres is fitting. O’Shaughnessy makes it clear that the university, founded in 1819, was the institutional manifestation of ideas that were central to Thomas Jefferson’s mind and heart. [End Page 136] Jefferson sought to create a university that provided an alternative to the likes of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, which dominated the intellectual landscape of early America. Jefferson had a deep animosity toward both Federalists (whom he believed to be elitist and aristocratic) and Calvinists (whom he considered narrowly religious and superstitious). He was concerned that the sons of the South were going to northern colleges and being indoctrinated by their ideologies. As an alternative, Jefferson wanted a secular and state-supported college that would be accessible to a broad swath of the population. An educated electorate, he believed, was essential to his vision of an egalitarian democracy. He did not trust the elite, and thus he wanted education to “teach the people to hold government accountable” (p. 4). He designed a school where knowledge was based on empirical evidence rather than dogma and tradition. Thus, he sought to separate religion from the university. Jefferson infused his Enlightenment ideals into the University of Virginia. Northern colleges like Yale and Princeton were wedded to a traditional curriculum that was rooted in the medieval tradition, in which all knowledge came from and glorified God. Many early American colleges were founded to educate clergy, but they also became the de facto training ground for the cultural elite. The purpose of the education they provided was to impart virtue and godliness. These institutions were not designed to impart practical skills for lucrative careers. Thus, the curriculum was dominated by the study of ancient languages and classical texts. Traditional colleges had a low view of the practical physical sciences, such as engineering and medicine. However, Jefferson was committed to including both modern science and modern languages in the curriculum of his university. At the time, this approach was a radical and innovative move. In keeping with his devotion to the Enlightenment and to the pursuit of knowledge over the preservation of tradition, Jefferson made the unusual decision to recruit most of his faculty from Europe, seeking out the best scholars in the world. In the traditional American college, professors were primarily instructors of a well-established curriculum. Expertise in the subject was not particularly important. Rather, their role was to morally and spiritually form their students. Jefferson wanted modern discoveries, decoupled from theological commitments. One of the most radical and innovative features of the University of Virginia was the disestablishment of religion. In early America, higher education was inseparable from Christianity. Many schools were virtually extensions of churches. At other schools it was customary to require students to attend worship services. While Jefferson was alive, no religious services were held anywhere on campus at the University of Virginia. As a secular institution, the university was able to hire James Joseph Sylvester in 1841. Sylvester, an observant Jew, was an immensely accomplished mathematician. A traditional Christian college could have never hired him. The University of Virginia fell short of Jefferson’s ideals. The students were mostly the entitled children of the southern elite. Shortly after his death, evangelical religion grew on campus. The students did not like the European professors. However, the innovations of the University of Virginia anticipated what later became the norm in the American university. O’Shaughnessy’s [End Page 137] work illuminates our understanding of the history of higher education in the United States. Michael Lee Eastern University Copyright © 2023 The Southern Historical Association