Jefferson's quarrel with Buffon was personal, because Buffon had published items in the newspaper accusing Jefferson of being a "degenerate."The theory of American degeneracy suggested that all things in America were small and/or weak.Although Jefferson disliked the "theory of American degeneracy" he did not have time to engage in a debate about this issue.Jefferson invested significant personal attention to debating Buffon and others about the "theory of American degeneracy"

Then try StudyFetch, the AI-powered platform that can answer your questions and teach you more about it!