Thomas Jefferson: The Man behind the Politics and His Personal Relationships with Women

Abstract

This capstone will examine the personal relationships Thomas Jefferson had with various free women throughout his life. Through analyzing Jefferson’s courtship with Rebecca Burwell, marriage with Martha Jefferson, and relationship with Maria Cosway in Paris, this essay will illustrate how Jefferson interacted with the women of his personal life and how he was emotionally weak in regards to those women. By analyzing these three relationships, evidence will be shown that he had extreme trouble with loss, in respect to failed relationships and at the death of a spouse.