Hirsch Argument Atlas
Evidence-source registry, machine-normalized 2026-08-24. Identity and independence flag are unreviewed; occurrence→claim links were machine-relinked. ← Back to the registry
S0134 · jefferson_carrington_letter_1787 · registry identity

Letter to Colonel Edward Carrington

Jefferson · 1787
testimony independent3 occurrences across 2 books · load 6
Bears on

Canonical propositions this source was matched as evidence for.

P21 — Shared background knowledge is a public good on which democratic self-government, mutual comprehension and social trust depend; its erosi…
How Hirsch uses it

Every occurrence, grouped by book and chapter, with the claim it was linked to support and (where the extraction regenerated one) the underlying warrant.

1987 · Cultural Literacy
Thomas Jefferson's political philosophy regarding the necessity of newspapers and a literate citizenry for democracy.
direct The American educational system is founded on the principle that citizens in a democracy can decide important matters because they can communicate and deliberate.
ch 1 · historical_example · cl:ch1_E21
Warrant (implicit): A political system's functional integrity is determined by the alignment between its founding philosophical ideals and the specific intellectual capacities of its modern citizens.
could fail ifThe founders' specific 18th-century requirements for 'deliberation' may not be the only viable model for a functional modern democracy, which might rely more on institutional checks than individual literacy.
A letter from Thomas Jefferson expressing a preference for newspapers without a government over a government without newspapers, emphasizing the necessity of citizens being capable of reading them.
direct All citizens should be capable of reading newspapers of substance.
ch 1 · expert_testimony · cl:ch1_E23
Warrant (explicit): The health of a democratic government is directly proportional to the ability of the populace to independently consume and verify information through high-level journalism.
could fail ifMass literacy in newspapers does not guarantee democratic health if the media landscape itself is captured by narrow interests or produces propaganda.
1996 · The Schools We Need
Jefferson's assertion that a functioning democracy (symbolized by newspapers) requires literate and knowledgeable citizens.
direct Common learnings are a necessary prerequisite for a functioning democracy.
ch 7 · expert_testimony · swn:ch7_E41
Warrant (explicit): The foundational requirements for a functional democracy identified by historical political theorists remain applicable to the modern state regardless of changes in technology or media.
could fail ifThe ability to read newspapers may no longer be the primary cognitive requirement for democratic participation in an era dominated by visual media and algorithmic information filtering.
Endnote numbers seen

Raw book:chapter:endnote references collected during endnote backfill.

cl:1:13swn:7:24
Raw source_reference strings seen

As they appeared before normalization/consolidation into this source identity.

  • Jefferson, The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, 126
  • Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Colonel Edward Carrington, January 16, 1787
  • Letter to Colonel Edward Carrington, January 16, 1787