This shows an interesting historical shift in education. I think it's really interesting to note the importance of military in education back then versus today when something like ROTC is not the common path for students. However, it's also interesting how Virginia has maintained the understood value of a liberal arts education, placing emphasis on arts and athletics, knowing that a student should be well-rounded.

This being the first of the "objects" labels it as the most important goal for the university in my opinion. Obviously, business had a different definition centuries ago, but the tradition of preparing its students has carried on. It is evident today that this is the case with the world class education that the university still provides for the students. The students who graduate from this prestigious university are generally all capable of taking on the real world when they graduate, as was Jefferson's wish.

The wording of this significant little sentence is really interesting to me. Jefferson writes "Also" which I inferred to mean "side note...", representing the lack of importance Jefferson places on the wellbeing of slaves. Furthermore, the note on slaves follows directly after the part about the acreage of the University. It is clear that slaves, in this particular document, are given little to no attention or respect, which is typical of Jefferson.

I think the cultural contrast between now and then is fascinating. Jefferson's goal for students in their time at UVA is that they "improve by reading, his morals and faculties." Morality was certainly defined differently when this document was written, as we know that Jefferson held slaves in his own household and on grounds. This stark contrast in today's morality versus an antiquated definition is what stuck out to me most in this excerpt.