Notes on the State of Virginia

Jefferson’s chronicle of the natural, social, and political history of Virginia is at once a scientific discourse, an attempt to define America, and a brilliant examination of the idea of freedom.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.INTRODUCTION
A NOTE ON THE TEXT
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING

NOTES ON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA

Appendices
No. I: Charles Thomson's Observations
No. II: Draught of the Constitution
No. III: Act for Establishing Religious Freedom
No. IV: Relative to the Murder of Logan's Family

Letters and Documents

EXPLANATORY AND TEXTUAL NOTES

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was the third president of the United States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most beloved and revered Founding Fathers of the United States of America.

Frank Shuffelton was an eminent scholar and critic of American literature. He taught at the University of Rochester for almost 40 years and served as a professor and chair of the Department of English. He published two books on Thomas Jefferson, including Thomas Jefferson: A Comprehensive, Annotated Bibliography, and edited Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, Letters of John and Abigail Adams, and The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Jefferson. He died in 2010.