Would Thomas Jefferson be happy with the contemporary distribution of geographical power in the US?

Answer 1

I think Thomas Jefferson would be more puzzled than happy or unhappy. Imagine the culture shock for Jefferson if he saw the USA in 2014: 50 states (including Alaska and Hawaii), rather than 13 former colonies; women are allowed to vote, as are black people; there is no slavery; some presidents have been born in the south, and others in the north (and the current president in Hawaii); and the entire country is connected by radio, TV, and the internet.

Jefferson lived in a world where only white Christian men could hold political power, and where influence was mainly restricted to those who were wealthy. There was no easy or quick way to send a message from one coast to the other; and the idea that women, "negroes" (as black people were then called) or other minorities would one day be in congress was unheard of. That said, Jefferson probably accepted the idea that every state should have two senators and that the number of representatives would be based on each state's population. It is doubtful that he envisioned a state of Hawaii, or a state of Oregon or even Texas-- there were so many unexplored territories at that time. But the fact that some states have more influence than others would undoubtedly not be seen as unusual, since even in his day, certain states were bigger and more prosperous than others; but times changed, populations migrated, and even then, power could always shift.