HOW GREAT a Man Was Thomas Jefferson...?

Reaganite Republican ^ | July 11 , 2012 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

At the age of 5, Jefferson began studying 

under his cousin's tutor...

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.

At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.

At 23, started his own law practice.

At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America" and retired from his law practice.

At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

At 33, took three years to revise Virginia's legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of the Democratic-Republican Party.

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello.

At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.

At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government.

He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man... FAR more than what most understand today.

Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future!

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement:

"This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

Quoth Jefferson:

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"To compel a man to subsidise with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

Thomas Jefferson (1802):

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations

that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

I beg you to pay attention to this man of towering greatness, America (now would be a good time).

 _____________________________________

Via email, h/t Speedunque

[DeFault User]

he taught himself Spanish so he could read Maciavelli in its native language-

Actually, he learned Spanish to read Cervantes' Quixote in the original. Machiavelli wrote in Italian.

[KC Burke]

A good summary of some of the problematic issues of an otherwise great man. I remember reading a comment that David McCullough made after his biography of Adams was published. He said that he had started out to do a joint biography of Adams and Jefferson but after a few months he realized that Adams was the “essential” man and that Jefferson was integral but mush more peripheral.

I liked Conor Cruise O’Brien’s study of Jefferson’s problematic side “The Long Affair” as well as the other biographies I read on him.

In reading O’Brien, people must understand that he is an earlier version of Chris Hitchens — his bio of Bruke was his turning point like Hitchens had with Clinton.

He was born the same year as my father and passed away at 91 the same year as my dad — he lived a long enough life to be two or threee different people.

[Pharmboy]

Indeed. Adams was an incredible man...it was he who argued for Washington to be CiC at the convention in Philadelphia. He was a rare statesman who could see the other person’s point of view; a rare specimen. And surprisingly, a worse president than expected (Alien and Sedition Acts a bitter disappointment).

[LS]

Good catch. See, you can’t believe every thing you hear.

[RJS1950]

Another very good book that puts Jefferson, Adams and the first ten presidents into context is “The First Ten” by Alfred Steinberg. It has some very interesting anecdotes about the people and the times that are hard to find in other works on the presidents and their time in history. I have reread it several times over the last 30 years.

The book is now out of print but I just ordered a copy through Amazon for about $8 total. I could no longer find it at the local libraries.

[DesertRhino]

At least Thomas J,, that amazing man, didn’t have any Nazi fantasies!

[Billthedrill]

Truly brilliant man, one of my intellectual heroes. But no one with that long a public career could possibly be unblemished. Edmund Randolph called him (and Patrick Henry) out for stoutly insisting that a Bill of Attainder was a threat to liberty when they'd used one themselves in the Josiah Phillips case. I don't believe either man ever apologized for it, either; Henry certainly didn't.

As some have already mentioned, Jefferson was not the sole author of the Declaration but did produce the first draft. The rest of the Committee of Five consisted of John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert Livingston. If that was a poker hand, you'd stand pat.

[rbmillerjr]

I have to laugh at people stating Jefferson was not a great man.

The standard is not perfection.

His greatness was in his ideas and what he contributed to the New Republic.

Great, by any measure.

[PzLdr]

?

[Verginius Rufus]

Jefferson did free a few of his slaves--the children of Sally Hemmings. I think he may have allowed a few to run away without trying to get them back. Earlier there was a cook who had learned French cooking while with Jefferson in France, whom he eventually freed.

While serving in Congress he proposed ideas for the western territories which were adopted with modifications in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. One of them was to prohibit slavery after a certain date. In the Northwest Ordinance that was applied only to the region north of the Ohio River--but the territories south of the Ohio were still claimed by Virginia, North Carolina, or Georgia at that time. (I don't remember if South Carolina had already surrendered its claim to a narrow strip of land extending to the Mississippi.)

[Sam Gamgee]

Funny how Ron Paul voters always hearken to Jefferson but forget he DID go abroad to foreign shores to uphold America's interests (the Barbary pirates).

[Sam Gamgee]

I am glad you brought this up because despite the fact his personal life and finances were in shambles, he handled the finances of the nation very well.

Just like many of our heroes, he was not perfect.

I think then we as conservatives must always be careful to avoid the character assassinations of our enemies. While it is tempting to point out that Karl Marx was a moocher and lived off the work of others, we should stick to discussing his IDEAS, else our heroes be taken down by those same standards.

Where I fault Jefferson on the ideas front would be his love affair for the French. He failed to foresee that their revolution would fail in a tyranny of bloodletting. In the end though, his love for France and revulsion of the British was a good counter to the love in for the English we had in that tyrant, Alexander Hamilton.

[Reaganite Republican]

My pleasure, sir

[Reaganite Republican]

‘Just like many of our heroes, he was not perfect.’

Few great men are, Ole Blood-n-Guts comes to mind

[zeugma]

bfl

[x]

He was a great man who had his flaws.

In his talents and intellect he was far above today's politicians, but in some things he was very human, even small.

[BroJoeK]

Quoth Jefferson:

The Internet is chock full of outright fake Jefferson quotes, and even more real quotes taken out of context to distort their original meanings.
That includes several of those you listed here:

Fake: "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

This is a fake quote from 1986.
It does vaguely resemble an actual Jefferson quote:

"To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, - the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, & the fruits acquired by it."

Fake: "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

Actual quote in context:

"The good effects of our late fiscal arrangements will certainly tend to unite them in opinion, and in confidence as to the views of their public functionaries, legislative and executive.
The path we have to pursue is so quiet that we have nothing scarcely to propose to our Legislature.
A noiseless course, meddling with the affairs of others, unattractive of notice, is a mark that society is going on in happiness.

If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.

Their finances are now under such a course of application as nothing could derange but war or federalism.
The gripe of the latter has shown itself as deadly as the jaws of the former."

Fake quote: "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government"

Incomplete quote: "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

The real quote: "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms within his own lands.

Fake quote: "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

A variation on that fake quote is also fake: "When governments fear the people, there is liberty.
When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."

Misquote: "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

The correct quote is:

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "

[LambSlave]

Ron Paul is a rare speciman of a modern statesman who traces his lineage to Jeffersonian Republicanism (e.g. Madison, Franklin, Henry, Tyler and their ilk). Other Republicans and Democrats are both descended from Hamiltonian Federalism (Adams, Lincoln, FDR), with the only distinctions being distinctions of emphasis on which of Hamilton’s ideals dominate their policy. Jefferson’s intervention against the Barbary pirates, and likewise Madison’s intervention against British interruption of American shipping (war of 1812) both occured for the same reason; Jeffersonian Republican’s believe in free trade, with no subsidies of production or services, no tariffs, and no interference from foreign powers, so a military response was a no brainer. Ron Paul, incidentally would also support a miliary response in similar situations in which our freedom to trade was threatned by miliary action (e.g. Iranian blockade of the Persian gulf, for example). Rand Paul is also of the same ilk, but can’t think of any other Republicans, alhough some libertarians are also basically of this ilk. Walter E. Williams is a self-declared Jeffersonian Republican as well.

[BroJoeK]

LambSlave: "Madison, Franklin, Henry, Tyler and their ilk"
"Rand Paul is also of the same ilk"
"some libertarians are also basically of this ilk"

In normal American English usage, the word "ilk" is always negative, as in: "you can't trust people of that ilk."
Yes, in the original Scottish, "ilk" referred to landed gentry, but we don't cotton much to those types here, FRiend. ;-)

LambSlave: "Other Republicans and Democrats are both descended from Hamiltonian Federalism (Adams, Lincoln, FDR)...
...Jeffersonian Republican’s believe in free trade, with no subsidies of production or services, no tariffs, and no interference from foreign powers, so a military response was a no brainer."

Under President Washington average tariffs began at 15% (1792), were reduced to 8% (1795).
Under President Jefferson tariffs rose to 10%.
Under President Madison (1815) tariffs fell to 7%.
Under President Monroe (1820) tariffs rose to 20%, and
under John Quincy Adams to 22% before peaking
under President Jackson (1830) at 30%.

This triggered a near revolt, which brought tariffs back down to 14% by the end of Jackson's term, and to 13% under President van Buren (1840).
Until 1840, all presidents belonged to Jefferson's Democrat-Republican or Jackson's Democrat party.

From 1840 through 1860, tariffs went up (to 22% in 1845 under Democrat Polk) and down (to 15% in 1860 when Lincoln was elected).

Under President Franklin Roosevelt, tariffs began near the 19% of 1930, fell to 15% in 1935 and to 13% by 1940.

Since WWII, tariffs have been steadily reduced and today stand just over 1%, the lowest in history.

LambSlave: "Jefferson’s intervention against the Barbary pirates, and likewise Madison’s intervention against British interruption of American shipping (war of 1812) both occured for the same reason..."

This site lists every US military operation from 1775 through present.
Please note that every President, without exception, was involved in some foreign and/or domestic military operations.
Doubtless, all of them seemed necessary at the time.

[BroJoeK]

BJK: "Until 1840, all presidents belonged to Jefferson's Democrat-Republican or Jackson's Democrat party."

Ooooops. Shoud read: from Jefferson in 1800 until...