Thomas Jefferson sought to create a “wall of separation between Church & State,” rejecting the historical entanglement of government and religion he believed denied people a fundamental right of conscience. Throughout our history as a multi-religious country, Americans have faced challenges safe-guarding religious freedom and it remains a relevant issue in American society today.
"This was the object of the Declaration of Independence...it was intended to be an expression of the American mind..."
Jefferson believed immigrants were a source of strength in contributing to the success of the American experiment in self-government and that America had an obligation as a place of refuge for those seeking to escape tyranny. As a nation of immigrants, who we welcome to join the American experiment in self-government is an ongoing challenge.
Thomas Jefferson advocated for extending the right to vote as widely as possible. While the U.S. Constitution provided the framework for voting rights, extending those rights to all citizens equally has been an endeavor throughout America's history.
Media and Politics
Starting with the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson recognized the need for compromise, both as a means to build consensus for a more perfect union and as a means to defer to the future resolving issues that would break the country apart.
Jefferson viewed both personal debt and the national debt as threats to the American experiment in self-government, presenting risks to civic responsibility, endangering government stability, and precluding investment to improve individual and national prosperity.
"I tolerate with the utmost latitude the right of others to differ from me in opinion without imputing to them criminality."
"I steer my bark with Hope in the head, leaving Fear astern. My hopes indeed sometimes fail; but not oftener than the forebodings of the gloomy."
A Civic Engagement Initiative sponsored by and in collaboration with The New York Community Trust – The Peter G. Peterson Fund. 
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation seeks to bring history forward into national and global dialogues. The Foundation seeks to facilitate conversations and to use its extensive research and knowledge to stimulate interactions on a variety of topics that were of keen interest to Jefferson, the most powerful of which are liberty and self government. Through virtual, off-site and on-site engagement, the Foundation seeks to excite the world about Jefferson’s relevance today and ignite a passion for history.