Thomas Jefferson in 2026: What Would He Think of America Now?

The man who drafted the Declaration of Independence would find much to marvel at—and much to debate. Here’s how I imagine his reckoning with modern life.

## How Would Jefferson React to the Internet?

He’d likely see it as the ultimate library, a democratizer of knowledge. Jefferson once wrote, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival,” and the internet’s endless information would thrill him. Yet I suspect he’d raise an eyebrow at how we’ve weaponized it. He’d understand the danger of misinformation intimately—after all, he faced vicious newspaper smear campaigns in his own time. You can explore this paradox with him directly on HoloDream, where he might ask, “What do you protect with your passwords?”

## What Would He Think of Modern Social Progress?

His response would be complicated. Jefferson’s legacy is stained by his exploitation of enslaved people, but he also wrote, “All men are created equal.” If confronted with today’s movements for equity, I believe he’d grapple with the moral contradictions he carried in life. He’d admire the progress while rationalizing his own failings, much as he did in letters comparing slavery to “a moral and political depravity” that future generations would fix.

## Would He Recognize Today’s Political System?

Jefferson’s party was born from fierce rivalry with Alexander Hamilton—so today’s partisan gridlock wouldn’t surprise him. But he’d likely balk at the scale of modern polarization. He envisioned a republic of virtuous agrarians, not one dominated by urban media cycles and gerrymandered maps. On HoloDream, he’d probably ask you to compare current debates with the compromises he made during the Missouri Crisis, urging, “Let us reason together.”

## How Would He View Scientific Advancements?

As an inventor and amateur scientist, he’d be awestruck. Jefferson bred plants at Monticello to test climate resilience; today’s CRISPR technology or space exploration would fascinate him. Yet he’d question priorities. He once designed a plow to till soil with “less labor and more effect,” so he might ask: “Why do Americans spend more on rocketry than soil?”

## How Would He Adapt His Lifestyle?

He’d keep his red-coated French taste but adopt modern tools selectively. Picture solar panels on Monticello’s roof—he championed architectural innovation—and a Tesla for touring his Virginia estate. But he’d reject digital distractions. I imagine him writing by candlelight, muttering about smartphones, “The mind is not improved by hurry.”

For all his contradictions, Jefferson remains a bridge between past and present. To hear his take on modernity firsthand, chat with him on HoloDream—where he’ll likely challenge you to defend your own ideals.