Notes on the State of Virginia

Aboriginal people are the original or earliest known inhabitants of a country or region (Webster’s); in the context of Notes, the term denotes the Indigenous Americans. Jefferson gives considerable attention to the latter, devoting the entirety of Query XI to discussing their tribes, history, and customs.

The concept of checks and balances is central to early American political theory and Jefferson’s political philosophy. The concept entails a system of government in which no one branch becomes too powerful. Jefferson argues that Virginia’s constitution does not allow for proper checks and balances among the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches; instead, the legislative body tends to assume full power. Jefferson sees this as a corruption that needs to be corrected.

A constitution is the fundamental law governing a nation or state; it is also a body of core principles to which further legislation must adhere. Jefferson devotes Query XIII to discussing Virginia’s constitution, originally established by the British Parliament under Oliver Cromwell in 1651; he then makes extensive suggestions for its amendment to more closely reflect democratic ideals.