This is amazing. There are two parts. Be sure to read the 2nd part. Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped. 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 the College of William and Mary. Also could write in Greek with one hand while writing the same in Latin with the other. 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 Ben 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 Republican Party. At 57, was elected the third president of the United States. At 60, obtained 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. John Adams died on the same day. Thomas Jefferson knew, because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. Jefferson really knew his stuff. His is a voice from the past to lead us in the future: John F. Kennedy 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." "When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe , we shall become as corrupt as Europe." -- Thomas Jefferson "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." -- Thomas Jefferson "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." -- Thomas Jefferson "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." -- Thomas Jefferson "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." -- Thomas Jefferson "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson "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." -- Thomas Jefferson "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Thomas Jefferson "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson said 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 the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
Cool post. As a History and Civics teacher I often question when quotes are attributed to famous people. These pretty much appear to be true! Here’s what a quick google search found (if you’re interested). The Writings of Thomas Jefferson-Truth! & Unproven! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is sad but there seems to be too many trying to downplay so many of the people from that era and others. I remember a new history teacher they hired at one of our local schools. His whole teaching seemed to be nothing but trying to prove that all the so-called heros of yesterday were nothing but bad guys. He did not last long, thankfully. Guess I was the first one to complain about him though and it seems that nobody in the school was aware of it. But at least they got to checking and quickly got rid of him.
Very true! You never know about the internet “source” itself. Didn’t have enough time to dig deeper than that at the moment. Agreed. This constant revisionist history drives me nuts. Yes, by today’s standards people did things that maybe we don’t approve of now, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about the great things they did do. What will people think of wood burners in 200-300 years? We could be heroes of the earth for not burning fossil fuels, or we could represent the evils of the human race because we killed trees (because who knows, maybe it will be proven that trees and plants do have feelings and consciousness but we didn’t know it). Too many people judge historical figures by modern standards and what we know now. Obviously there are exceptions and some historical figures were simply bad people. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't poking at the references you posted. Just the running joke that if it's on the internet then it must be true. Severely flawed logic to say the least. I like that twice
I hope this isn’t too far on the edge. This helped me see more clearly what others see. It offers perspective.
No worries; I understood the sarcasm! And don’t worry, if I was offended I have a safe space I can go to. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
While it's true that many of the founders who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence were slave owners, I think it's different than commemorating Confederate Civil War leaders. I further believe that when any child is taught about the founders, that slavery and the plight of Native Americans, must be taught as well. No-one, especially children, can formulate a valid opinion/idea if not all the facts are provided. $.02
