[CatoRenasci]

I have a reasonably high opinion of Adams, but always come back to Jefferson as absolutely essential to the American Experiment. Jefferson is not so much in fashion as he was 30 years ago, but his warnings against big government and his vision of a natural aristocracy of talent, should be engraved in all of our consciousnesses.

The most recent thing I read was Setting the World Ablaze, which focused on Adams, Jefferson and Washington by John Ferling. Based on having previously read with some care the chief scholarly biographies of Washington (Douglas Southall Freedman) and Jefferson (Dumas Malone) as well as some of more recent scurulous stuff on Jefferson, my sense was that these modern writers (I hesitate to call them historians even though they hold academic chairs in history) have it in for Jefferson. Many conversatives, especially religious conservatives, dislike Jefferson for his Deism and for his egalitarianism (though his was an egalitarianism of opportunity, not the modern one of result), and even for his generally being a man of the Enlightenment. My own view is that the American Experiment is fully bound up in, and inseparable from, the English and Scottish (at least) Enlightentments and our 'conservative' values today are the values that were seen as liberal, even radical, in their day: individual liberty, economic liberty, and religious tolerance.

[centurion316]

My own view is that the American Experiment is fully bound up in, and inseparable from, the English and Scottish (at least) Enlightentments and our 'conservative' values today are the values that were seen as liberal, even radical, in their day: individual liberty, economic liberty, and religious tolerance.

I believe that you are entirely correct in your view, and have underscored a key point. The ideas of Frances Hutcheson, Lord Kames, and their more illustrious adherents formed the intellectual foundation for the organization of American society, laws, and governance. Of course, tied to liberty, was a complementary belief in individual responsiblity (as you say, egalitarinism of opportunity). Jefferson, as the embodiment of these enlightenment principles, is therefore, the principle target of those who would have them devalued, debunked, and cast aside in favor of their own view of an enlighted society bound up in a much different philisophical tradition expoused by the Socialist, Marxists, et. al.

[cajungirl]

Thanks for the post! The Adams Bio was the first bio of a founding father I have read in maybe twenty years. It is so odd to me that this was all so dry when I studied it in college and high school,,sort of what you did to get your grade, etc, and now is so intriguing to me. I am ordering the Malone books,,tell me, will they be as gripping as the Adams book {McCollough} or will they put me to sleep? I am now fascinated with Jefferson. What interested me is that Adams was alarmed by the events that unfolded during the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, etc and Jefferson was sanguine about these. I felt more in tune with Adams on that. And Jefferson seemed like such a paradox especiallly his constant spending and debt,,being from a Puritan background, the debt puzzled me. He seemed like a compulsive shopper and consumer, the constant rehab projects on his homes and even rented places. It was just odd to me. And his leaving his family for such long periods,,Adams did this to but Abigail was usually at home with the children. I also wondered if Jefferson had some sort of "woman problem",,he seemed to get these relationships with married women, sort of admiring, writiing letters etc, but never married again after his wife's death,,I know she made him promise not to but that doesn't resonate as the cause of his never remarrying.