Well, I neither dismiss Jefferson nor bash the South. I was born in Virginia and raised as a military brat, so I wasn’t immersed in liberalism.
I think a great deal of southerners, especially since so many of our accomplished military men came from the South. Granted, I did learn that the Civil War wasn’t completely over when I joined the military, but that didn’t mean that I had to take up arms against them because I was living in the north...:)
Just to be clear, I don’t dismiss Jefferson. He was one of our Founders. But I don’t have to like certain aspects of the way he did things, and the way he treated Washington behind his back later in his administration (in his efforts to undermine Hamilton) was uncalled for, disrespectful, and disloyal.
Even with that said, I don’t dismiss Jefferson. He was a brilliant man and contributed to the birth of this great country.
Note that I did not join the ranks of those calling him “overrated” here. FDR, Wilson and every Democrat president of the 20th century is overrated, but Jefferson deserves his place.
Now, I visited Madison’s place last year, and I must admit, the more I learned about him, the odder he sounded to me. But I don’t deny that he had talent and did much to steer the debates on the Constitution.
handshake then