Look What's Happened Since You were President! by Sara

Look What's Happened Since You were President! by Sara - October 2017 Scholarship Essay

Can American democracy last forever? This would be my first question over dinner with Thomas Jefferson. He’d be my choice as a Presidential dining companion, not only because he was our third President, but because he was also a founding father of our country, and the author of the Declaration of Independence. He was a believer in democracy and individual rights, and his ideas and writings motivated the American colonists to break from England and form their own nation. His ideas laid the foundation for our country.

If I could dine with President Jefferson, I would like to discuss slavery with him. I’d fill him in on the history of slavery since his death, and I’d like to hear what he thought about that history. Could he have seen it coming? Would he be surprised to learn about the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, Dr. Martin Luther King, Colin Kaepernick, and Barack Obama? Would he believe that an African American became President? Would he be glad that our constitution was able to evolve in such a way that all men and women would one day be viewed as equal, since this document was written with the hope that it would evolve with changing societal values. While our nation has certainly evolved, what would President Jefferson have to say about the lingering impact of racism and bigotry?

I also would like to discuss the Electoral College with him. Twice since the turn of the century the winner of the presidency has lost the popular vote. What would he think of that? Would he think that it’s unfair that some small states can swing the results of a Presidential election? Could he have imagined a divided United States where residents along the coastal states tend to lean to the left, while those in the middle of the country tend to lean to the right? I wonder if he’d have any thoughts about how to bring our country together now, at a time when political divisiveness seems to separate both parties from reaching an agreement on matters of great importance.

Dinner with President Jefferson would be amazing, educational, and insightful, as so much has happened since the birth of our nation, and most of our history could not have been predicted by our founding fathers. I’d like to ask him if he believes that our founding documents are as elastic, “living,” and capable of change as he had hoped they’d be. I’d also like to know what he thinks of the state of our country today. Of course, I’d also love to tell him about electricity, space travel, and the internet, and to see his surprise and hear his thoughts about all of our technological advances.