In the first part of the essay Edward Hitchcock discusses the concept of genius and argues that natural ability has less to do with genius than hard work and applying oneself. He claims that there are not more examples of genius in the world because mankind is lazy and does not want to work hard enough. Later, Hitchcock writes about what he sees as an approaching downfall of the country, discussing Europe and the French Revolution, and encourages his fellow countrymen to arise from their lethargy and take action to defend the United States from the government as it is under Thomas Jefferson.
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It is unclear if this is one continuous or two separate essays, as there appears to be a significant shift in subject matter from the fourth to fifth pages.
See Hitchcock's Commonplace Book #3 pages 209-224 in box 18 folder 6 for another version of this essay.
Notes (date):
The item is undated. The start date provided is drawn from the date applied to the item's series and the end date provided is drawn from the year Thomas Jefferson died.
This date is inferred.
