Thomas Jefferson’s Gardening Compared to Today
Thomas Jefferson one of our founding fathers was very interested in gardening and learning about the soil and land conditions. It has been written that he has grown over 300 varieties of vegetables and herbs and even over a hundred different kinds of fruits.
“America's third president Thomas Jefferson was a man of many talents. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was a skilled architect, scientist, landscape designer, farmer and life-long gardener. As a young man, Jefferson inherited his family's 2,000 hectare plantation on Monticello Mountain near Charlottesville, Virginia where he designed the neo-classical house and flower gardens and planted grain fields, fruit orchards and vineyards. (Skirble)”
“Jefferson's Monticello garden was a Revolutionary American garden. One wonders if anyone else had ever before assembled such a collection of vegetable novelties, culled from virtually every western culture known at the time, then disseminated by Jefferson with the persistence of a religious reformer, a seedy evangelist. Here grew the earth's melting pot of immigrant vegetables: an Ellis Island of introductions, the whole world of hardy economic plants: 330 varieties of eighty-nine species of vegetables and herbs, 170 varieties of the finest fruit varieties known at the time. The Jefferson legacy supporting small farmers, vegetable cuisine, and sustainable agriculture is poignantly topical today. (Hatch)”
“Aside from its diverse population of mostly introduced crops, the Monticello garden was American in its size and scope, experimental character, and expansive visual sweep. 600,000 cubic feet of Piedmont red clay was moved with a cart and mule to create the "hanging garden," an...
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...led an average of 1,518 miles (about 2,400 kilometers). By contrast, locally sourced food traveled an average of just 44.6 miles (72 kilometers) to Iowa markets. (DeWeerdt)” This is not only bad for the environment with all the food being transported all around the world causing pollution, it also does not support the local growing gardeners. When people buy locally grown produce it helps the community out because of the taxes made from the produce they buy.
So without our founding fathers impact on learning how to grow crops and experimenting with the seeds to see how well they grow in certain areas. We would probably not be here today. With Thomas Jefferson’s notes he had taken on his gardening, I am sure people have learned information. And as time has past we need to be very careful how we treat our own land and soil with respect as our forefathers have done.
In the early years of America, the founding fathers’ passion for gardening and agriculture shaped America’s national identity. At least, that is what Andrea Wulf communicates in her novel, Founding Gardeners. During the revolutionary generation, agricultural success was vital to the nation’s economic well-being. During the struggles of political life, the founding fathers utilized gardening as a therapeutic outlet and their love of nature reflects in some of their political endeavors. Due to this fascination with nature, the founding fathers sought to expand their horizons westward.
... ridiculous to Anatole that we have fruits and vegetables that are grown somewhere else and then driven miles and miles to the supermarket. The clash of the two cultures makes me wonder if the “American” way is better. It is pretty ridiculous that people can’t grow their own food and only rely on the labor of others.
"The country can not be wholly made over and adjusted to a people of foreign habits and tastes. There are large tracts of land in America whose bounty is wasted because the plants which can be grown on them are not acceptable to our people."(Gilmore 1977).
Thomas Jefferson, an educated, well respected career man, served as governor of Virginia, secretary of state, and president of the United States. The Revolutionary era, during the 1770's, proved to be one of America's most victorious times. Despite the casualties the American colonies suffered, they proved to be stronger than their ruling land, Britain, and won the right to be a free land, becoming the United States of America. Living through this difficult turning point in history inspired Jefferson to write "The Declaration of Independence." Once again, nearly two hundred years later, America faced yet another turning point in history.
Thomas Jefferson was an educated, articulate and accomplished man from a well-respected family. He had a great understanding of farming and of the relationship between man and his environment, working diligently to balance the two for the best interest of each. He “considered himself first and always a man of the land” (Jewett, 2005). His vision of the New World was of true, idealistic freedom with limited government involvement; an educated farmer, a moral man who would sustain himself off of the very land his freedom was based.
The Crowning of Flora. 1816. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. Brief Third ed. Vol. One. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 274. Print.
From its revolutionary design to its breathtaking structure itself, the mansion is a monument to the past innovations which fostered America´s beginnings. The free-thinking nature which drove Jefferson himself is also expressed in the mansion and the inventions which lie within. This spirit of originality and independent thought are sorely missed today, and the nation could benefit greatly from a revival of these values. The memorialization of Jefferson himself is also to be valued, as one who gave so much to his community needs recognition and respect, his sheer genius also is inspirational. The preservation of Monticello allows the qualities of genius, innovation, and intelligence to be preserved for the future, in the hope that Monticello may inspire the next Jefferson to send civilization to even greater heights.
The documentary film “The Garden,” by Scott Hamilton Kennedy captivates and captures the South Central Los Angeles farmers struggles and conflicts they faced trying to save the South Central Farm. The 14 acre garden grows fresh vegetables and fruits, such as: corn, beans, papayas, and etc. It was one of the largest community garden and became known as the urban garden. Doris Bloch, the founder of the community garden, said in the documentary that the land could be use to build a garden for the community residents to grow their own food. Bloch said “ very low income family that deserves to grow their own food… land, people, food, it's a pretty simple idea. happy days.” The farmers took an advantage to use that land to grow their own vegetables
Thomas Jefferson the third president of the United States was born in Shadwell Virginia in 1743. He attended the college of William and Mary but received no formal training in architecture. Essentially self-taught, he assembled an impressive library of art and architecture which included several copies of Palladio’s Quattro Libri. Overtime, Jefferson acquired an intense appreciation of Palladio’s architectural theories based on their connection to ancient Rome (Howard, 2003). Recognizing the powerful political connotations inherent in ancient Roman structures, Jefferson designed many of his civic buildings in a Neo Roman style. When he was acting as a minister of France in 1784 to 1789, Jefferson studied architectural heritage of France gaining
George Washington once stated, “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.” Agriculture has always been one of the most, if not the most, depended on industry for humans to survive. For over 12,000 years, farming practices have been used as a reliable food source. Farming has been practiced almost everywhere in the world, and has created a food source from the domestication of plants, such as rice, corn, and soybeans as well as animals, such as cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry ("The Development of Agriculture."). After the American Civil War and post-reconstruction, the 2nd Industrial Revolution created many agricultural developments, and advancements, including the first gas-powered tractor, the redesigned
Former editor of Us News and World Report and recipient of Guggenheim Award,Stephen Budiansky in his article, “Math Lessons For Locavores”,published in August 19,2012 addresses the topic of locally grown food and argues it as a more sustainable choice in terms of freshness and seasons.I agree with Budiansky for growing food locally,however; with three other reasons: we can reduce food waste,(which will benefit the environment), and obesity(which will help an individual mentally and physically), and improve our economy. The purpose is to illustrate why locally grown foods would be a finer option for an American lifestyle. Budiansky adopts an informative,persuasive,and insightful tone for his audience,readers
Thomas Jefferson became his own master builder on this land that he inherited from his father, Peter Jefferson. When his father died he left five thousand acres and more than twenty slaves to Thomas and his younger brother Randolph. The land would include the little 867 foot wooded mountain that would one day be called "Monticello." In 1767 Jefferson did the unheard thing to do in colonial America, he decided to build his dream home on the mountaintop. There were no highways or rivers on the land he built his home and people thought he was crazy and unpractical for doing this.
It was decided, then, that planting a garden would be my summer project. My mother and I planned for it to be located behind our garage, in a sunny area of our otherwise shady backyard. With my mom's help, I planted an assortment of vegetables: tomatoes, onions, potatoes ('A potato is a tuber.' 'It's a what?'), and green beans.
When Pennsylvania was first settled in the 1600’s by William Penn, abundant plants covered about 90% of the state (IConserve 2007). All of these plants are considered to be natives because they existed in the area before human settlement. Unfortunately, due to human interactions with nature, the landscape has changed significantly over time. Many plants that once defined Pennsylvania have been lost; however, this problem can be reversed to some extent. By 2000, five percent of Pennsylvania’s native plant species had been lost and another twenty-five percent were in danger o...
...ds the local lumberyard, and the local nursery. The reduction in petrochemical savings is important, for both financial and environmental reasons. Eating food fresh from a personal garden; grown, cared for, picked and eaten by the same person is an enormously satisfying experience.