A 3,182word final essay which was part of an American History course at Fordham University; Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies. In fact, the course was instructed by Professor Brandon Gauthier of Fordham University. The paper explains the political theory of Jeffersonian Republicansim and how it was essential to early American agricultural development--mainly, because of the following issues: increased population and hunger. The paper also uses Chicago Style citation as proper format.

1. The Relationship between the Political Theory of Jeffersonian Republicanism and American
Agricultural Development within the United States during the nineteenth- and twentieth-
centuries
Matthew S. Shepler
History 1100 American History
09 May 2015

2. Shepler 1
The Relationship between the Political Theory of Jeffersonian Republicanism and American
Agricultural Development within the United States during the nineteenth- and twentieth-
centuries
Introduction
Even though Thomas Jefferson didn’t believe that the Declaration of Rights included
lower social classes and minority groups, Jeffersonian Democracy was still attainable because of
the Western expansion and early American agricultural development. For that reason, this
research paper examines the political theory of Thomas Jefferson, and the history of agricultural
development within the United States with the purpose of respecting the issues of increased
population and hunger. In fact, this paper seeks to answer two questions: first, what did Thomas
Jefferson desire to accomplish with the Declaration of Independence; and second, what inspired
the political theory of Thomas Jefferson?
Thomas Jefferson was a main influence in the Declaration of Independence. In fact,
Jefferson composed drafts of the Declaration of Independence, but was not able to include the
Virginia Constitution as part of the draft. Unlike George Mason, Thomas Jefferson believed that
American equality was for people who were considered superior to lower social classes and
minority groups.
The main influence of Jeffersonian Republicanism was the agrarian antebellum economy
of the past. Jefferson thought to limit the development within the urbanized areas of America
while placing more focus toward the direction of agricultural development—mainly, because of
an increased population that American independence supported. Because of a great demand of
agricultural staples, grangers were the heart of the American region.
Even after the first census, grangers were still considered to be a major part of the
American population. Even though slavery decreased from an import, and then toward the
direction of the internal slave trade, the main advantage of slavery within the field of agriculture
was for a lower opportunity cost which resulted in economic development. To explain, the slaves
were a way to supply a great demand of labor to the field of agriculture. By the mid-nineteenth
century, “85 percent of the [American] population” were grangers, as “37 percent of the
Southern population was slave.”1

3. Shepler 2
Rural land was typically low in value which supported the production of agricultural
commodities within America. The Far West exploration opened a vast amount of opportunities
for the American people. To explain, the Far West exploration provided new resources for
people who invested in land, as well as grangers who produced agricultural commodities.
Political debates were derived under democratic policy within the American region.
There, under democracy, real fortunes were available. In fact, Jeffersonian Democracy consisted
of four major elements: the capacity for self-governance, decentralized government, public
deliberation, and the Western expansion. Progressive politics began at the bottom and progressed
upward, and were directed toward important issues that regard everyday people. Even though the
government placed too much support toward economic policies, a belief in the government was a
step toward progressivism. Progressive politics were a way to combine the national government
with public opinion. In other words, progressives were more concerned with the public rather
than private government officials. The real challenge was using words to place political focus
toward a direction that would decrease public issues—a look into the problems of minority
groups provided the most effective knowledge.
Argumentative
As explained, the Declaration of Independence didn’t provide democracy and equality for
minority groups and lower social classes such as African Americans and women. Even though
federalism provided support toward the direction of a more conservative state, Thomas Jefferson
opposed policies that were established by the Federalists. In the early twentieth century,
American farmland wasn’t an essential part of the national economy. About 50 percent of the
total land mass of the United States was classified as farm land—half of which was “classed by
the census as ‘improved land’; that is, land (…) so devoted to crop production. This vast area of
land in farms is divided into 6,448,343 separate farms having on the average 148 acres each.
These figures show (…) each farm is a separate business unit managed by a single
1.
Hughes, Johnathan. American Economic History. 3rd
ed. (Harper Collins Publishers, 1990), 182.

4. Shepler 3
entrepreneur.”2
Land that was located within high-populated areas had higher value when
compared to plots that were located within rural areas. The average valuation of farm land within
the developed economy of the United States during 1920 was $12,000 (USD).3
Land was used in exchange for a rent. It may have been more common for landlords to
rent acreage to tenants within the Midwestern region of the United States when compared to the
western region of the United States—mainly, because of the fact that land-plots were more
diminished within the Midwest region. Farm size was determined not by the number of acres, but
rather by the value of the farm which may have been determined by the location, soil quality, and
physical capital of the farming operation. Likewise, different land qualities may vary. Another
important factor may be the distance between a land-plot and a market. 4 More important, the
average size of land-plots decreased because of small farms that were rented to tenants. The
philosophy of Zwerwirtschaft may have also decreased the average size of American land-plots.
Assuming that the granger wasn’t the owner of a plot, then he or she would need to
account for a proportion of the harvested crop as rent. Necessities such as agricultural staples
were generally inelastic in demand. The demand for a commodity would have become more
elastic assuming that an innovative substitute was more sufficient.
The Political thought of Jeffersonian Republicanism
Jeffersonian Republicanism was the general idea for American politics. Mainly, because
of the fact that Jeffersonian Republicanism supported the fact that “agriculture was (…)
necessary if the United States were to remain a democracy on a firm agrarian tradition.”5
Most
liberals who inhabited the American region began to acknowledge the American political theory
that developed. Even though the national economy of America was founded around the
2.
Richard T. Ely, Thomas S. Adams, Max O. Lorenz, and Allyn A. Young. Outlines of Economics. 4th
ed. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1926), 579.
3.
Ely, Economics, 580.
4.
Ibid, 404.
5.
John Logan Allen, Imagining the West: A View from Monticello (MissouriHistorical Society Press, 1997), 19

5. Shepler 4
economic principles of scarcity and competition, “economic virtues”6
still provided
individualism within the American region.
Religion always had an important value in American politics. Even within a capitalist
economy, America provided people who inhabited the region with a form of equality. When
drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson believed that lower social classes and
minority groups weren’t entitled to the same equality that was available to most white males who
inhabited the region. Thomas Jefferson believed that the Declaration of Independence
represented the beliefs of all Americans. In fact, nineteenth-century politics weren’t focused
toward the direction of human equality and public issues, but rather toward the liberalism of a
national economy that Jeffersonian Republicanism supported. Even though this may be true,
many people have believed that it was not for the well-being of anyone to support socialism.
Thomas Jefferson wasn’t able to incorporate the Virginia Constitution into the
Declaration of Independence. An important part of the political system that was established
within the American region included the Bill of Rights—which therefore, allowed for a political
vice. Even though this may be true, presidential elections were determined by the Electoral
College rather than the popular vote.7
Thomas Jefferson intended to limit the political power of
the elite which would support future equality and democracy within the American region.
Thomas Jefferson intended to limit the political power of the elite which would support
future equality and democracy within the American region. The early nineteenth-century was a
time of competitive politics, as well as the establishment of a new system of politics within the
American region. Jefferson often referred back to political history for qualitative direction. After
being elected by the Electoral College as the President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson
planned to confine American federalism. Natural rights were an important part of the political
6.
James P. Young, “American political thought from Thomas Jefferson republicanism to progressivism,”
Cambridge
History Online (2011): 375, doi: 10.1017/CHOL9780521430562
7.
Young, Political Thought, 380.

6. Shepler 5
principals that Jefferson thought to establish, as he despised the federalist policies that were
previously established within the American government.8
The Far West Exploration, Land Speculation, American Land Policy, and the Preservation
of Natural Resources
In similarity to the water drainage system that lead into the Mississippi and Louisiana
area, a proposal granted the research for further drainage systems that may have lead into the
Pacific Ocean. The conclusion of that research is as follows: “mountains west of the Mississippi
should bear the same relationship to the Mississippi valley and the Pacific coast as the eastern
mountains do to the Mississippi valley and the Atlantic coast.”9
Some areas that were located
west of the Mississippi had high-quality soil. For that reason, an area that Jefferson was most
interested in was the region that was located between Missouri and Oregon.
Like many other great things, Thomas Jefferson was also known for land policy.10
Preservation was a major part of Jefferson’s policies during the nineteenth century. The Western
region of America was a great place to establish land policy with the aid of a potential
movement—mainly, because of the fact that land was essential to development. In fact, some
land was granted to the states for the development of education and transportation. Even though
British policy allowed states to use their own land to produce mining commodities, land that was
used for the production of mining reimbursed the state with a percentage of the profits.
Each state was responsible for governing the production of natural resources within the
territory of land. People from many different professions—some of which were politicians—
pursued investment opportunities in Western land. An Indiana entrepreneur, Henry W.
Ellsworth, was known for his land investments and was well-established within the Lafayette
area of Indiana.11
Because of the fact that land was purchased in a large number of acres, then
8.
Ibid, 384.
9.
John Logan Allen, Imagining the West: A View from Monticello (MissouriHistorical Society Press, 1997), 09.
10.
Hele M. Ingram and Mary G. Wallace, “An ‘Empire of Liberty’,”in Thomas Jefferson and the Changing West, ed.
James P. Ronda (MissouriHistorical Society Press, 1997), 93.
11.
Paul W Gates, The Jefferson Dream Studies in the History of American Land Policy and Development (University of
New Mexico Press, 1996), 10.

7. Shepler 6
sold off into smaller portions, land scarcity became a problem for some people who inhabited the
region. Eventually, these issues led to the establishment of the “Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976.”12
The Field of Agriculture within America, and the Issues of Increased Population and
Hunger
During the twentieth-century, American politics derived around agriculture and
urbanization. Even though there was a great demand for agricultural staples, large-scale
agricultural production wasn’t common within the developed economy of the United States. In
fact, large-scale agriculture was more common within the Western part of the country when
compared to other areas. Also, some land-plots have been known to decrease in terms of acres.
The fact that man would rather suffer from hunger and starvation rather than lose his
dwelling13
tended to support subsistent agriculture. There, in a primitive society, cycles were not
regulated. For example, after a harvest, a subsistent granger would eventually suffer from hunger
that derived from a lack of agricultural surplus. In other words, harvests from agriculture that
was considered subsistent didn’t supply an annual demand.
During 1775, American agriculture was produced without scientific study because of
high-quality soil. An example of early development within the field of agriculture was enclosing
plots of land. Eventually, equality was acknowledged within the Southern area of the developed
economy of the United States—during 1900-20, there was a greater increase of land-plots that
were operated by African Americans when compared to plots that were operated by Whites. The
same was correct in regards to acreage and land value.
From 1790-1800, 88percent of the labor-force was employed within the field of
agriculture. One-hundred years later, only 37.5 percent of the labor-force was employed within
the field of agriculture—declining sharply from 1840-90. Thirty years later, “in 1920 [only] 26.3
12.
Ibid, 157.
13.
Richard T. Ely, Thomas S. Adams, Max O. Lorenz, and Allyn A. Young, Outlines of Economics. 4th
ed. (New York:
The Macmillan Company, 1926), 04

8. Shepler 7
per cent were [employed] in [the field of] agriculture.”14
Even though there was a low-wage scale within the field of agriculture, “agriculture is
still the most important industry of the [developed economy of the] United States.”15
A higher
wage within the field of agriculture would only occur because of decreased labor and production
cost. By 1850, innovations within the field of agriculture provided aid toward the direction of
increasing U.S. agricultural production to supply a great demand, as well as a surplus. From a
social research perspective, people who were employed within the field of agriculture usually left
for better opportunities that were available within the greater metropolitan areas of the United
States.
American independence during the time of Jeffersonian Republicanism supported an
increased population within the region. The Mercantile System provided support toward the field
of agriculture because of the anticipation of an increased population. Population increased more
rapidly than land-plots within America—continuing in the mind, acreage per plot as a rule
decreased. For that reason, people who inhabited the American region began to experience the
issue of land scarcity. Other issues such as increased population, hunger, and starvation, have
been best described by “the Malthusian theory of population—the doctrine that population tends
to increase faster than the food supply, and is only held back by the actual pressure of famine and
disease (arising from an insufficient food supply), or by the prudential motives which restrain
men from undertaking the responsibility of marrying and raising families upon incomes
insufficient to provide the necessities of life.”16
For that reason, subsistence agriculture may have
been a form of “self-help.”
14.
Ely, Economics, 79.
15.
Ibid, 579.
16.
Ibid, 429-430.

9. Shepler 8
Conclusions
The Bill of Rights extended the rights of the Declaration of Independence and were
essential to American democracy, but some people argued that these rights weren’t intended for
the lower social classes and minority groups of America. Thereafter, American equality became
more attainable, as individual rewards became common within the Western region of America:
the average agricultural land-plot within the State of Iowa was $40,000 (USD). 17
The main idea of Jeffersonian Republicanism may have been to eliminate the need of
subsistence agriculture by increasing large-scale agricultural production. Though, because of the
fact that antebellum was no longer a major part of the national economy, peasants may have
relied on subsistence agriculture as a way to battle other issues such as hunger and starvation.
Within America, land became a major investment, but was sold to individuals in smaller plots
which resulted in land scarcity.
As mentioned, agriculture was more important within the Western region of America
when compared to other U.S. regions. When compared to other industries, the field of agriculture
provided low-waged opportunities. Because of modern innovations, employment within the field
of agriculture declined. Likewise, people typically left the field of agriculture behind for better
opportunities. Despite the racial inequalities that were present within the Southern region of
America—during the early nineteenth century—plots that were operated by African Americans
began to increase.
In similarity to small-scale agriculture, land rent was more common within the Midwest
And Eastern regions of the United States. Also, land that was located within metropolitan
Markets had a higher value when compared to rural land that was located miles away. Soil
quality and irrigational resources may have also been essential to the value of rural land.
17.
Richard T. Ely, Thomas S. Adams, Max O. Lorenz, and Allyn A. Young. Outlines of Economics. 4th
ed. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1926), 580.

10. Shepler 9
Republicans were aware of the issues, as well as the limited amount of resources
available to the minority groups and lower social classes. Even though progressives were
confined toward the vice of deficiency, educated grassroots were an essential part of an
“organized environmental community.”18
Politics needed to include the public—mainly, because
of the fact that a political system that was for the American people placed qualitative focus
toward a forward direction. That was American democracy! Even though this may be true,
progressives lacked the leadership that was needed to attain power within the Electoral College,
but provided essential support toward the direction of social equality.
Agricultural commodities had a lower value when compared to other commodities. For
this reason, higher economic opportunities were present within the industrialization sector when
compared to the field of agriculture. Manufactured products were used as an international
balance of trade, so lobbyist were known to support economic policy rather than environmental
policy—this was big government! For that reason, two conclusions became clear to the mind:
first, even though Thomas Jefferson’s political theory obviously supported agricultural
development, social equality and progressivism within America became apparent with the Bill of
Rights which was established into the Declaration of Independence by George Mason; and
second, because of the mercantilism of big business, as well as the lobbyist support of economic
policy in big government, issues such as increased population and hunger may be never ending.
18.
Senator Paul Wellstone, The Conscience of a Liberal (London: University of MinnesotaPress, 2002), 211.

11. Shepler 10
Bibliography
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Changing West, edited by James P. Ronda. 93-110. Missouri Historical Society Press,
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Doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521430562.