Jefferson's Writings Reflect Timeless Wisdom

www.countypressonline.com ^ | 07/03/2003 | By Ron Pritsch

[Tribune7]

On July 4, Americans everywhere will, at some point, have an opportunity to hear the words of the Declaration of Independence as written by Thomas Jefferson.

It is, without doubt, his best-known work. Jefferson, however, wrote volumes during his life and, not surprisingly, had many things to say concerning a myriad of subjects. He was, after all, a firm believer in "free speech and free press" and he often said precisely what was on his mind.

The following is a small sampling of quotations by Jefferson, which reflect his timeless wisdom on a variety of subjects. Small wonder that he became known as the "Man of the People" and the "Sage of Monticello."

"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing."

Letter to his daughter Martha, May 5, 1787: "...Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."

Letter to Col. Edward Carrington, Jan. 16, 1787: "Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God."

[justshutupandtakeit]

It appears to be also axiomatic that the more one learns about Jefferson the more dismaying it is. He is in many ways a tragic figure and, for all his abilities and accomlishments, somewhat unfulfilled.

More mythology has been created about Jefferson than any other American president. He is the most overrated president we have had.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Jefferson was most definitely the Left wing of American politics in 1790 and mistaken in most of his political and economic views.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Most of the debt came as a result of the inheritance of his wife's estate not just from his spendthrift ways. Who could blame a man for buying books? :^)

[Grand Old Partisan]

Interesting tidbit: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson's supposed mistress, was his dead wife's half sister, and three-quarters white.

Saaturday Night Live had a skit in which Jefferson is trying to pick up Sally at a party where she is serving drinks. Jefferson asks her: "So, when do you get off work?" to which she replies: "Um, never."

[ConstitutionLover]

I could if he was buying them with money he didn't have.

[justshutupandtakeit]

That was the redeeming feature of his administration but was either 1) blind luck or 2) Napoleon's payback for Jefferson's closing of trade with Haiti in an attempt to help the French invasion by starving out the rebelling slaves.

This embargo declared over trade with Haiti was the very first foreign policy action of the Jeffersonian presidency. It was taken because the Slavers were terrified at the prospect of slave rebellions. They even prevented the newspapers in the South from printing news of the event so that their own slaves wouldn't hear of it.

[Tribune7]

If he were alive today, Thomas Jefferson would a limosine liberal.

Don't think so

On Sodomy (and crime and punishment) Whosoever shall be guilty of Rape, Polygamy, or Sodomy with man or woman shall be punished, if a man, by castration,

On guns

A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Jefferson talked the talk but rarely walked the walk.

[justshutupandtakeit]

While I believe J and Sally had an affair, I don't hold that against J. He had promised his wife never to re-marry and, though Sally appeared White, he could not marry her anyway since it was common knowledge she was a slave. I think they had a loving, non-explotive relationship for over twenty years. Certainly his treatment of her children and family was singular even down to the teaching of her sons how to play the violin (one became a well-known musician later) the instrument J himself played. She resembled his wife, reminded J of her and of Paris which he loved since she had been there.

Of his slaves only members of that family received their freedom upon his death. Sally didn't because she would have had to leave the state of Virginia by Law upon being freed. As an old woman who had lived her whole life there she did not want to leave the family and friends still there. Plus, had she gone to live with sons or daughter who were "passing for White" it might have compromised those efforts if knowledge of her past came out.

[ConstitutionLover]

You have to keep in mind the times in which these were written. To treat them as if they were written today is a mistake which would make anyone of that era seem quite conservative.

[Grand Old Partisan]

I don't understand the outrage about Jefferson having sex with Sally Hemings. The real outrage was that he OWNED her.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Also, Hemings traveled to France iwth Jefferson, where she was free, yet went back to Virginia. Of course, her prospects on her own in France would have slim to none.

[Protagoras]

And Jefferson in his opinion of Hamilton.

[stainlessbanner]

Great American bump!

[ConstitutionLover]

And his hypocrisy is clearly evident in his condemning of King George in the original draft of the Declaration for continuing the practice of slavery of which he was a practitioner and beneficiary himself. That passage was removed during the debate over the Declaration.

[justshutupandtakeit]

J's opposition to games in that quote is indicative of his hatred of competition and conflict and his ungainly and awkward movements. That part of it sounds exactly like the Liberal tendency to avoid such competition.

His alliance with the Clintonians and Burr in New York was the beginning of the use by the DemocRATs of the big city machine-Southern racist coalition which has dominated most of the history of the DemocRATic party.

Jefferson was definitely the forefather of the DemocRATic party and used the Big Lie as often and as manipulatively as the modern RAT. He was anti-Military and anti-pro-American foreign policy and a fanatic wrt the French Revolution even after it became terrorist.

None of the proto-RATs of his party were anti-gun so that part of the quote has nothing to do with anything.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Jefferson's opinion of Hamilton was based upon a Lie. A lie useful to his demagogury and manipulation of the foolish, ignorant and corrupt. Just like today's RATs.

Hamilton was a great Patriot who had devoted virtually his entire adult life to the creation and strengthening of the American nation. Only by overcoming Jefferson's lies and attempts to sabotage the administration he was part of were H and Washington able to create a government capable of leading America forward into the new age.

Jefferson's deceit and mendacity caused Washington to remove his respect, regard and friendship. He refused to even speak his name after leaving the Presidency. Hamilton was respected by Washington above all others until the end of his life. THAT says it all.

[Protagoras]

You are a well known Jefferson hater.

Your opinions on the subject are therfore discarded by me.

Hamilton was no freedom lover, and therefore I resist him and his big powerful central government ideals.

[justshutupandtakeit]

There is no outrage today over that but during his time, while sexual exploitation of female slaves was common, a big facade was maintained to hide it. And pretend that it didn't happen. This is why so much effort went into the denial that this ever happened and the attempts to blame it on the kinfolk. Plus, the South had elevated Jefferson to demi-god status whose feet of clay were not to be examined.

I find it particularly gratifying that this story was broken by James Callender, the vicious calumnist he used to help destroy Hamilton's chances of being President. No modern liberal has ever used the lying media and Pressitutes any more effectively or destructively than Jefferson. He even went so far as to set up one of the most vicious and untruthful of the editors, Phillip Freneau, as a State department employee. Thus, Washington's administration unknowingly was paying for its own slander.

The real outrage is that this story, if true, means that J had enslaved his OWN children. All the while blathering on about freedom, liberties, rights etc. Is there ANYTHING which could be more hypocritical than that?

[Grand Old Partisan]

"Is there ANYTHING which could be more hypocritical than that?"

Yes, the neo-Confederates claiming that the rebels were honorable, fought for justice, the Constitution, blah blah blah....