Posted on 07/04/2022 10:49:26 AM PDT by Perseverando
Both served in the Continental Congress. Both signed the Declaration of Independence. Both served as U.S. Ministers in France. Both were U.S. Presidents, one elected the 2nd President and the other the 3rd.
Once political enemies, they became close friends in later life. An awe swept America when they both died on the same day, JULY 4, 1826, exactly 50 years since they approved the Declaration of Independence.
Their names were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson's handwritten Declaration of Independence used the wording "inalienable rights" as seen in the copies at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, the New York Public Library, and the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston.
John Adams hand copied Jefferson's original draft and changed the spelling to "unalienable rights" when he oversaw the printing of the Declaration on the Dunlap broadside. The Broadway musical 1776 even has a scene portraying their disagreement over the spelling.
According to The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style (Houghton Mifflin Co.), "unalienable" and "inalienable" both mean: "that which cannot be given away or taken away."
John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was the 6th President at the time and told Congress, December 5, 1826: "Since your last meeting at this place, the 50th anniversary of the day when our independence was declared ... two of the principal actors in that solemn scene -- the HAND that penned the ever-memorable Declaration and the VOICE that sustained it in debate -- were by one summons, at the distance of 700 miles from each other, called before the Judge of All to account for their deeds done upon earth."
(Excerpt) Read more at americanminute.com ...
Time for another great American (and world) history lesson from American Minute.
John Adams’ last words: “Thomas Jefferson still survives.”
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-were-john-adams-last-words-103946
President James Monroe (5th President) died on July 4, 1831.
Now when did Madison die? It looks like it won’t be too hard to remember the death dates of the first five presidents.
Declaration and Protest of Virginia on the
Principles of the Constitution of the United States of America,
and on the Violations of them
We, the General Assembly of Virginia, on behalf, and in the name of the people thereof, do declare as follows:
The States in North America which confederated to establish their independence of the government of Great Britain, of which Virginia was one, became, on that acquisition, free and independent States, and as such, authorized to constitute governments, each for itself, in such form as it thought best.
They entered into a compact, (which is called the Constitution of the United States of America,) by which they agreed to unite in a single government as to their relations with each other, and with foreign nations, and as to certain other articles particularly specified. They retained at the same time, each to itself, the other rights of independent government, comprehending mainly their domestic interests.
For the administration of their federal branch, they agreed to appoint, in conjunction, a distinct set of functionaries, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the manner settled in that compact: while to each, severally, and of course, remained its original right of appointing, each for itself, a separate set of functionaries, legislative, executive, and judiciary, also, for administering the domestic branch of their respective governments.
These two sets of officers, each independent of the other, constitute thus a whole of government, for each State separately; the powers ascribed to the one, as specifically made federal, exercised over the whole, the residuary powers, retained to the other, exercisable exclusively over its particular State, foreign herein, each to the others, as they were before the original compact.
To this construction of government and distribution of its powers, the Commonwealth of Virginia does religiously and affectionately adhere, opposing, with equal fidelity and firmness, the usurpation of either set of functionaries on the rightful powers of the other.
But the federal branch has assumed in some cases, and claimed in others, a right of enlarging its own powers by constructions, inferences, and indefinite deductions from those directly given, which this assembly does declare to be usurpations of the powers retained to the independent branches, mere interpolations into the compact, and direct infractions of it.
They claim, for example, and have commenced the exercise of a right to construct roads, open canals, and effect other internal improvements within the territories and jurisdictions exclusively belonging to the several States, which this assembly does declare has not been given to that branch by the constitutional compact, but remains to each State among its domestic and unalienated powers, exercisable within itself and by its domestic authorities alone.
This assembly does further disavow and declare to be most false and unfounded, the doctrine that the compact, in authorizing its federal branch to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States, has given them thereby a power to do whatever they may think, or pretend, would promote the general welfare, which construction would make that, of itself, a complete government, without limitation of powers; but that the plain sense and obvious meaning were, that they might levy the taxes necessary to provide for the general welfare, by the various acts of power therein specified and delegated to them, and by no others.
Nor is it admitted, as has been said, that the people of these States, by not investing their federal branch with all the means of bettering their condition, have denied to themselves any which may effect that purpose; since, in the distribution of these means they have given to that branch those which belong to its department, and to the States have reserved separately the residue which belong to them separately. And thus by the organization of the two branches taken together, have completely secured the first object of human association, the full improvement of their condition, and reserved to themselves all the faculties of multiplying their own blessings.
Whilst the General Assembly thus declares the rights retained by the States, rights which they have never yielded, and which this State will never voluntarily yield, they do not mean to raise the banner of disaffection, or of separation from their sister States, co-parties with themselves to this compact. They know and value too highly the blessings of their Union as to foreign nations and questions arising among themselves, to consider every infraction as to be met by actual resistance. They respect too affectionately the opinions of those possessing the same rights under the same instrument, to make every difference of construction a ground of immediate rupture. They would, indeed, consider such a rupture as among the greatest calamities which could befall them; but not the greatest. There is yet one greater, submission to a government of unlimited powers. It is only when the hope of avoiding this shall become absolutely desperate, that further forebearance could not be indulged. Should a majority of the co-parties, therefore, contrary to the expectation and hope of this assembly, prefer, at this time, acquiescence in these assumptions of power by the federal member of the government, we will be patient and suffer much, under the confidence that time, ere it be too late, will prove to them also the bitter consequences in which that usurpation will involve us all. In the meanwhile, we will breast with them, rather than separate from them, every misfortune, save that only of living under a government of unlimited powers. We owe every other sacrifice to ourselves, to our federal brethren, and to the world at large, to pursue with temper and perseverance the great experiment which shall prove that man is capable of living in society, governing itself by laws self-imposed, and securing to its members the enjoyment of life, liberty, property, and peace; and further to show, that even when the government of its choice shall manifest a tendency to degeneracy, we are not at once to despair but that the will and the watchfulness of its sounder parts will reform its aberrations, recall it to original and legitimate principles, and restrain it within the rightful limits of self-government. And these are the objects of this Declaration and Protest.
Supposing then, that it might be for the good of the whole, as some of its co-States seem to think, that the power of making roads and canals should be added to those directly given to the federal branch, as more likely to be systematically and beneficially directed, than by the independent action of the several States, this commonwealth, from respect to these opinions, and a desire of conciliation with its co-States, will consent, in concurrence with them, to make this addition, provided it be done regularly by an amendment of the compact, in the way established by that instrument, and provided also, it be sufficiently guarded against abuses, compromises, and corrupt practices, not only of possible, but of probable occurrence.
And as a further pledge of the sincere and cordial attachment of this commonwealth to the union of the whole, so far as has been consented to by the compact called "The Constitution of the United States of America," (constructed according to the plain and ordinary meaning of its language, to the common intendment of the time, and of those who framed it;) to give also to all parties and authorities, time for reflection and for consideration, whether, under a temperate view of the possible consequences, and especially of the constant obstructions which an equivocal majority must ever expect to meet, they will still prefer the assumption of this power rather than its acceptance from the free will of their constituents; and to preserve peace in the meanwhile, we proceed to make it the duty of our citizens, until the legislature shall otherwise and ultimately decide, to acquiesce under those acts of the federal branch of our government which we have declared to be usurpations, and against which, in point of right, we do protest as null and void, and never to be quoted as precedents of right.
We therefore do enact, and be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, that all citizens of this commonwealth, and persons and authorities within the same, shall pay full obedience at all times to the acts which may be passed by the Congress of the United States, the object of which shall be the construction of post roads, making canals of navigation, and maintaining the same in any part of the United States, in like manner as if said acts were, totidem verbis, passed by the legislature of this commonwealth.
Thomas Jefferson is my favorite Founding Father. No other FF stood for states rights and limited federal power more than Jefferson. He was very influential with Madison to ensure state and individual rights were protected in the Constitution. Adams and Hamilton were Federalists who wanted a much stronger federal government, but Jefferson’s arguments to the contrary were eloquent and very persuasive. Certainly Madison (Father of the Constitution) was impressed.
BTW, the charge that Jefferson fathered Sally Heming’s children is left wing baloney. A lot of evidence points to Jefferson’s brother who ran the plantation and liked hanging out at the slave quarters after his wife died.
Why Hamilton’s face is on ten dollar bills, instead of Jefferson, is beyond me.
Ancesters of the Clintons were around then?
but Jefferson is on the twenty
“but Jefferson is on the twenty”
No.....Andrew Jackson is on the twenty. Jefferson isn’t on any bill. Given his contribution to this country, that’s hard to believe.
Jefferson is on the U.S. two-dollar bill.
Yeah. Feeling mad dumb at this point!
Two dollar bill, not twenty.
Jefferson saw what happened in France in the wake of our revolution and failed either to detect or to care about the God-killing brutality of it all.
The world in Jefferson’s mind was more important to him than the world around him.
I plead temporary insanity.
Pure Hog Wash !!!!
He's on the $2.
You’re right........I forgot we have a two dollar bill. I can’t remember when I last saw a two dollar bill.
Consider the possibility that you are idolizing Thomas Jefferson.
He was an notorious ideologue who only ended up being a decent POTUS because he wisely allowed compelling national and global events to influence his approach to governing at that level.
We are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Jefferson had a capacious mind and was brilliant but had a horrible deficit in terms of piety. We are still suffering from that throwaway line he included in a letter to a pen pal about there being a “wall” between Church and state.
Jefferson was a hugely bigoted anti-Catholic who, in the late 1780s and early 1790s failed to allow distinct signs of budding brutal persecution and murder of Catholic priests and laity, for example in the Vendee (albeit the worst of that came in the mid 1790s), to influence his overall “take” on the supposed high-minded and lofty goals of the partisan instigators and perpetuators of the so-called “French Revolution”, which, at its heart, was an early but massive round of a century-plus war waged by the Masonic cult against all things monarchical. (The monarchical papacy of the Catholic Church being the top prize in that war, nearly in their grasp.)
If you are of a mind, this video goes into depth on how our founding fathers, brilliant men all, nevertheless, in the final analysis, deluded themselves.
Liberty of Perdition: The Founding of the USA (Part 1 - King George III & Founding Fathers)
320
Likes
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Jul 1
2022
There is a good section early in the video that takes Tom J. to task in the same vein as I have, but to greater depth and with on-point quotes from the $2 bill Prexy himself.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C29sy-uWu8c
Please indulge me if I totally disagree with your distorted rendition of history.
“...distorted...”
How so?
(That is, if you are willing to indulge me.)
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