Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1993. [Vol. 1.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 21)

STUDIES - András Tarnóc: "Jefferson Still Survives".

In addition to the historic significance of his vast lifework Jefferson was an ardent advocate of healthy living, daily exercise and a fat free diet.

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0 According to one of the foremost experts of the field Merrill D. Peterson, the Jefferson image consists of three elements. He exists as a political symbol: the Father of the Declaration of Independence and the champion of liberty; a cultural hero: the creator of the University of Virginia, and a world citizen whose political views are guiding posts for anyone embarking on the treacherous road toward democracy.

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1 John Catanzariti anoints him with the title of American Leonardo

22 and George F. Will celebrates in his person the victory of homo faber over homo politicus.

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3 Jefferson is applicable to all aspects of human existence as he speaks to all levels of man. The Declaration addresses the political being, his views on religion underline the independence of the human mind and the University of Virginia represents man's neverending struggle for selfimprovement. His inventions: the moldboard plow, and the swivel chair are living monuments of human curiosity. His values: frugality, personal independence, appreciation of work and education can show the way to anyone lost in the complexities of the waning years of the twentieth century. Jefferson, however, was not beyond human frailty and he was susceptible to inconsistencies as in Levy's words his pen often proved mightier than his practice. The complexity of his character invited controversy for he was a slave owner and a revolutionary, a cosmopolitan and a patriot,

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4 a champion of political equality stopping short of universal manhood suffrage.

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5 None of these inconsistencies can diminish the fact that on the 250th anniversary of 2

0 Ibid. 2

1 Merill D. Peterson, "The Image of Jefferson," in Jefferson Anniversary Series (United States Information Service, 1993) 2

2 John Catanzariti, "An American Leonardo," (Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society) 2

3 George F. Will, "Mr. Jefferson Comes to Town," Public Interest {Summer 1993): p. 50. 2

4 Richard Hofstadter, The American Political Tradition (New York: Vintage Books, 1989), p. 32. 2

5 Ibid., p. 41. 126