slavery

Map of Virginia

Notes on the State of Virginia: Journey to the Center of an American Document, Queries XVII-XVIII

ByKiki Petrosino

Here’s a confession. When I talk about NOTES ON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, I sometimes refer to Jefferson’s “queries” as “cantos.” Like a poetic canto, which stands or falls on the music of its syllables, Jefferson’s queries must have enough tensile strength to contain his ideas, and space to expand them.

vintage viginia map
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Notes on the State of Virginia: Journey to the Center of an American Document, Queries VII, VIII, and IX

ByKiki Petrosino

In these three queries, Jefferson attempts to distill the complex meteorological, demographic, and military features of Virginia into a series of data points. His prose—supplemented by graphical tables tracking everything from rainfall to carriage wheels—draws a fine grid over the natural and human activities of the Commonwealth.