From The Mind of a Founding Father

[The Drummer]

Hi All,

Before I get beat up on the Board, let me issue this qualifier: The following doesn’t necessarily represent my views; I just offer fodder for discussion.

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong”.
-Thomas Jefferson

I didn’t write the following analysis. It was sent to me, and I just cleaned up format and grammar. I also removed opinion and conjecture.

Thomas Jefferson, among other things, studied the previous failed attempts at government. He was said to understand actual history, the nature of God, His laws, and the nature of man.

A voice from the long ago past seems relevant today, and may lead us into the future.

First a bit of chronological overview:

• At 5, 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 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 32, was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress

• 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 Benjamin 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 Republican Party

• At 57, was elected the third President of the United States

• At 60, was instrumental in 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

It may be said that Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who began learning very early in life and never ceased to learn.

John F. Kennedy once 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”.


Some anecdotal evidence from the mind of 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 labors 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 subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical

Thomas Jefferson stated in 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 these banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

Sorry guys and gals for taxing your brains, but I’m off work today and extremely bored!

Please feel free to offer your opinions.

TD

[cale1964]

What Thomas Jefferson wrote and worked to implement has resulted in the greatest and most successful society the world has yet to produce. I can not understand the unwillingness of our citizenry, not subjects, to recognize the danger of the current political direction of the United States. Drummer, it is a great service of you to take the time to create this post. Thank you.

[RochBob]

This is an excellent synopsis of Thomas Jefferson's Professional Life and what he stood for. The only significant thing left out is his drafting and lobbying for the "Bill of Rights" (these are the first 10 Amendments to the the Constitution of the United States). Rights which to his historicly reported shock were not included in the original draft of the Constitution. Even though most of them were things the Revolutionary War had been fought over. We now take many for these Rights for granted (Free Speech, Bearing Arms, Warrentless searches).

[roscoe14850]

[The Drummer]

Originally Posted by RochBob

This is an excellent synopsis of Thomas Jefferson's Professional Life and what he stood for. The only significant thing left out is his drafting and lobbying for the "Bill of Rights" (these are the first 10 Amendments to the the Constitution of the United States). Rights which to his historicly reported shock were not included in the original draft of the Constitution. Even though most of them were things the Revolutionary War had been fought over. We now take many for these Rights for granted (Free Speech, Bearing Arms, Warrentless searches).

This is a point well taken, RB. If I fully understand your reply, this also brings forth a paradox -- the self-contradictory and false proposition of liberty and justice for all.

By the time of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, slavery in the United States was a grim reality. There’s, conveniently, no mention of slavery in the Articles of Confederation.

Thank you for your insight.

[Vern0065]

WOW!! My thoughts exactly ive he's always been one of my favorite people to studied from history!! He was a remarkable man with a amazing mind. I've even been to visit his house in Virgina. What a amazing place many people dont think of him as an architect but he was that as well.
I often wonder how our old great leaders from back in the day he would be if they were born and raised in our current time? Would they be diffrent?

[RochBob]

Unfortunately Jefferson, George Washington and several of the other "Founding Fathers" were also Landowners and subscribed to what at the time was the common practice of Slavery to work and maintain their land. And as with the Native Americans (it's not PC to call them Indians anymore). Slaves brought over from Africa were thought of as lesser people and not equal to Americans of European decent. Therefore they were not worthy of the same Rights and Privilages. Women were subjected to the same type of bias by Men of all types. This is not to condone their actions. But an attempt to place the social attitudes of 240 Years ago into context.

[Doove]

Do you guys care to lay claim to everything Thomas Jefferson thought and did, or are you content with the idea that his infallibility is limited to the areas where you tend to agree with him?

[DomCapers]

your right, dont care

[JohnnyCap]

Originally Posted by cale1964

What Thomas Jefferson wrote and worked to implement has resulted in the greatest and most successful society the world has yet to produce. I can not understand the unwillingness of our citizenry, not subjects, to recognize the danger of the current political direction of the United States. Drummer, it is a great service of you to take the time to create this post. Thank you.

Yes, thanks Drummer.

I cannot agree this is the greatest society the world has ever produced. I'd say almost the exact opposite.

I am very lucky to be an American male. Life ain't so bad. But the fact is our forefathers, with help of successive generations including our own, took a pristine, sparsely populated, clean continent and turned it into a filthy cesspool of corruption. Compared with ancient civilizations that learned how not to be eaten by wild beasts, how to speak and write, how to navigate by the stars, how to turn rocks into tools, even just figure out that an artichoke was edible, the accomplishments of Americans are similar to flushing a toilet (that someone else designed). We haven't done shit.

I agree about the greatness of TJ. Many great things were done by him, and I make sure to visit his likeness every time I visit DC. My favorite aspect of TJ was how thoroughly he understood that power will inevitably and totally corrupt man. Personally, I believe that is why he was prone to melancholy; the young, idealist TJ probably fought internally with the TJ that became president.

Thanks again for this post. I'd love more of these discussions.

[guest032013]

"Some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye can see." -TJ

[Guest121613]

Whosdair, ur on a roll??? LOL.

I agree with john f statement. If u evere read the works of the great minds of a century or two ago, it is easy to see their intelligence dwarfs the greatest minds of our era.

[Sweet Destiny]

See this is how detailed teacher's need to be when they teach. Kids act like they don't know anything about history after coming from class nowadays.

[Doove]

Originally Posted by lostforkate

I agree with john f statement. If u evere read the works of the great minds of a century or two ago, it is easy to see their intelligence dwarfs the greatest minds of our era.

It's also easy to see that they were usually 100 or 200 years behind the times.

[The Drummer]

Originally Posted by Doove

Do you guys care to lay claim to everything Thomas Jefferson thought and did, or are you content with the idea that his infallibility is limited to the areas where you tend to agree with him?

Hey Doove,

I performed a simple search, "Jeffersonianism Pros and Cons". For you and others, if you wish, do the same and it'll provide more info in order to further our discussion.