Notes on the State of Virginia

Jefferson lived on plantations most of his life and had a lifelong interest in agriculture and horticulture. The state of Virginia was mostly rural and agrarian, and Jefferson preserved a preference for this lifestyle. In fact, he saw it as the key to the distinctive American character and American values. In Query XIX, “Manufactures,” he extols farming as the source of virtue: “Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God” (165). This is chiefly because farmers are self-reliant and self-sustaining, feeding themselves and their families directly through their labor (and notably, in Jefferson’s time, the labor of those they enslaved) and producing only what they need. They do not depend on the “casualties and caprice of customers” (165) as do businessmen, merchants, and other professions. This hardworking and self-reliant character, Jefferson asserts, builds up a healthy society, ultimately helping to preserve the “laws and constitution” (165) of America.

Jefferson emphasizes that a country should agriculturally utilize all its available land. He believes that since America is particularly rich in farmland, most Americans should be farmers rather than “carpenters, masons, smiths” (165), and other artisans. It is acceptable for Virginians to rely on Europe for the import of such goods, instead of having to take time out from farming to manufacture them.