Thomas Jefferson’s 1787 letter, written while he served as minister to France, has come back on the market with a guide price of $285,000 through the Raab Collection. The letter, addressed to David Rittenhouse, a friend and fellow member of the American Philosophical Society, carries advice that now reads as a pointed warning to Donald Trump.
What Jefferson Said
Jefferson wrote the letter on the day the Constitutional Convention finished, meaning he did not have updated information about its proceedings. He advised: “Peace should be our plan, and the payment of our debts, improvement of our constitutions and extension of agriculture our principal objects.”
The letter also touched on Jefferson’s love of “the west” and his fear of another conflict with England four years after the end of the Revolutionary War. An accompanying gift from Jefferson to Rittenhouse, “a major European scientific work,” is included with the sale.
The letter was previously displayed at Texas A&M University. It was written in Paris, shortly after the signing of the US Constitution in 1787.
The Sale and Its Context
Nathan Raab, president of the Raab Collection, commented on the parallels between Jefferson’s caution and modern politics. He noted that issues like war, peace, spending, and debt “have remained” since 1787.
The collection has handled Jefferson’s work before. His 1802 letter revealing his precarious financial situation was sold by the Raab Collection in 2024. Last year, a 1783 note Jefferson wrote to Virginia’s then-governor Benjamin Harrison expounding on the rights of citizens to bear arms in revolutionary causes was uncovered by the company.
Trump has frequently cited Jefferson as one of his political heroes. He installed a life-size bronze statue of him in the White House Rose Garden in July to mark the US semiquincentennial.
What the Letter Means Now
The parallels drawn by Raab are specific:
- War and peace — Trump’s war in Iran remains hugely unpopular.
- Spending and debt — the national debt has surpassed $40 trillion for the first time.
- Constitution — Trump’s “blitzkrieg” on the constitution continues.
- Agriculture — Trump is at odds with American farmers over his administration’s treatment of the agricultural sector.
Each of those points matches a line in Jefferson’s letter. Peace was his plan, and paying debts was his principal object. Improvement of constitutions and extension of agriculture were his other goals.
The letter is a primary document. Its meaning is in the words themselves, not in the sale price or the framing. But the framing is doing the work here, and it is doing it well.
The $285,000 guide price is a matter of market forces. The warning is a matter of reading. Both are on display now, and both are worth considering.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the peace plan Jefferson outlined and is against the standoff that would set it aside. The letter is a warning, and the parallels drawn by Raab are exact: war, peace, spending, debt, the constitution, and agriculture all echo the concerns of 1787. Jefferson’s words speak for themselves.
The paper’s position on foreign affairs is one of caution. It favours keeping channels open for trade, diplomacy, and compromise rather than rushing into conflict. Jefferson’s advice to make peace the plan and pay debts the principal object fits that view perfectly.
What the reader should watch for is the framing itself. The sale is a commercial transaction, and the parallels are drawn by the seller. The meaning of the letter is in the words, not in the price tag or the commentary around it. The paper supports the peace plan and opposes the standoff that would set it aside.
Source material: “Thomas Jefferson letter goes on the market – containing a prescient warning for Trump today,” The Guardian.
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