English grade 10
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read the speech.

excerpt from thomas jefferson’s first inaugural address

thomas jefferson delivered this speech on march 4, 1801. at that time, the two major political parties in the united states were the federalists and the republicans.

but every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. we have called by different names brethren of the same principle. we are all republicans, we are all federalists. if there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it. i know, indeed, that some honest men fear that a republican government can not be strong, that this government is not strong enough; but would the honest patriot, in the full tide of successful experiment, abandon a government which has so far kept us free and firm on the theoretic and visionary fear that this government, the world’s best hope, may by possibility want energy to preserve itself? i trust not. i believe this, on the contrary, the strongest government on earth. i believe it the only one where every man, at the call of the law, would fly to the standard of the law, and would meet invasions of the public order as his own personal

let us, then, with courage and confidence pursue our own federal and republican principles, our attachment to union and representative still one thing more, fellow-citizens—a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. this is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.

part a

what does jefferson believe a good government does for its people?
a. it is protective of its people because the people give the government financial support and obedience.
b. it allows the citizens to figure everything out for themselves without interference.
c. it protects them from physical harm, but allows them economic freedom.
d. it encourages citizens to explore new fields in industry, farming, and education.

part b

how does jefferson use the language of the speech to enhance and support the viewpoint expressed in part a?
a. he incorporates allusions to the constitution and the declaration of independence, which describe what a good government owes to its people and what the people owe to the government.
b. he uses figurative language—“take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned”—to argue that the government should limit its financial demands on people.
c. he uses alliteration—“courage and confidence” to emphasize how confident he is that the american people can do anything, as long as the government doesn’t interfere.
d. he uses direct address, speaking to the “honest patriots” who are listening to him.