Thomas Jefferson’s

First Inaugural Address (1801)

Friends and Fellow-Citizens,

…During the contest of opinion through which we have passed the animation of discussions and of
exertions has sometimes worn an aspect which might impose on strangers unused to think freely and to
speak and to write what they think; but this being now decided by the voice of the nation, announced
according to the rules of the Constitution, all will, of course, arrange themselves under the will of the law,
and unite in common efforts for the common good. All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that
though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the
minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
Let us, then, fellow-citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that
harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things. And let us reflect
that, having banished from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and
suffered, we have yet gained little if we countenance a political intolerance as despotic, as wicked, and
capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions… We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists. If there be
any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand
undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left
free to combat it. I know, indeed, that some honest men fear that a republican government can not be
strong, that this Government is not strong enough; but would the honest patriot, in the full tide of successful
experiment, abandon a government which has so far kept us free and firm on the theoretic and visionary
fear that this Government, the world's best hope, may by possibility want energy to preserve itself? I trust
not. I believe this, on the contrary, the strongest Government on earth. I believe it the only one where every
man, at the call of the law, would fly to the standard of the law, and would meet invasions of the public
order as his own personal concern. Sometimes it is said that man can not be trusted with the government of
himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of
kings to govern him? Let history answer this question…

About to enter, fellow-citizens, on the exercise of duties which comprehend everything dear and valuable to
you, it is proper you should understand what I deem the essential principles of our Government, and
consequently those which ought to shape its Administration. I will compress them within the narrowest
compass they will bear, stating the general principle, but not all its limitations. Equal and exact justice to
all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship
with all nations, entangling alliances with none; the support of the State governments in all their rights,
as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against
antirepublican tendencies; the preservation of the General Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as
the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad; a jealous care of the right of election by the
people -- a mild and safe corrective of abuses which are lopped by the sword of revolution where peaceable
remedies are unprovided; absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority, the vital principle of
republics, from which is no appeal but to force, the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism; a
well-disciplined militia, our best reliance in peace and for the first moments of war till regulars may relieve
them; the supremacy of the civil over the military authority; economy in the public expense, that labor
may be lightly burthened; the honest payment of our debts and sacred preservation of the public faith;
encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce as its handmaid; the diffusion of information and
arraignment of all abuses at the bar of the public reason; freedom of religion; freedom of the press, and
freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus, and trial by juries impartially selected.
These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an
age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to
their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civic instruction, the touchstone
by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or of
alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and
safety…

Relying, then, on the patronage of your good will, I advance with obedience to the work, ready to retire
from it whenever you become sensible how much better choice it is in your power to make. And may that
Infinite Power which rules the destinies of the universe lead our councils to what is best, and give them a
favorable issue for your peace and prosperity.

Questions
1) Paragraph one: Jefferson refers to the presidential election which has just concluded. What kind
of “mudslinging” occurred during this campaign?

2) Paragraph one: Jefferson speaks of minority and majority opinion. Which party had become the
majority party? What had made the other party unpopular?

3) Paragraph one: What does Jefferson mean when he says, “We are all Republicans, we are all
Federalists”?

4) Paragraph one: According to Jefferson, what weaknesses do critics of democracies/republics point

5) Paragraph one: According to Jefferson, what strengths do democracies/republics have?

6) Paragraph two: What events from 1775-1800 had caused Americans to consider issues of “peace,
commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none”?

7) Paragraph two: In this paragraph, Jefferson explains his philosophy of government in great detail.
Which three principles do you believe are most important in a democracy? Why?

8) Paragraph three: Research Jefferson’s religious/philosophical beliefs. How were they similar to
other “enlightened” Americans and Europeans? How might they have been different from the
“common man’s” religious ideas? And how did that influence his idea of the role of religion in
political life?

9) What do you think was the purpose of Jefferson’s speech? Was it successful?

10) Compare this speech to Washington’s Farewell Address. Was Washington correct in his warnings
about the dangers of political parties and foreign “entanglements”? Why or why not?