LETTER: Jefferson’s warning still holds true
Thomas Jefferson demonstrated remarkable foresight regarding the challenges of urban development. He warned: “When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become corrupt as in Europe and go to eating one another as they do there.”
In a letter to John Adams (October 28, 1813), Jefferson identified what he saw as the missing element: ownership and care of land, which he believed was essential to “law and order.” He argued that when citizens own land, they come to understand its true value.
Jefferson was particularly critical of urban populations without property stakes, famously stating: “The mobs of great cities add just so much to the support of pure government, as sores do to the strength of the human body.”
Today’s urban policies seem to validate Jefferson’s concerns. Despite good intentions, we have implemented systems that may undermine the very ownership and responsibility Jefferson deemed crucial: public housing programs that provide no ownership rights; welfare policies that incentivize single-parent households; and criminal justice reforms, including reduced law enforcement, cashless bail systems, and police defunding initiatives.
These well-intentioned policies may inadvertently serve as catalysts for the urban decay Jefferson predicted.
The challenge remains: how do we build cities that foster both compassion and responsibility, avoiding the pitfalls Jefferson foresaw while addressing contemporary needs?
