Thomas Jefferson

[Caustic Burno]

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.
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 along with John Adams.

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. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff.

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."

[1wlimo]

He was a very clever man, thanks CB

[TexasBred]

Yet he was a slave owner and an adulterer. Guess none of us are perfect.

[Red Bull Breeder]

Thomas Jefferson was indeed a very smart man. He also lived in a time when men held a great desire to be free.

[backhoeboogie]

We need more like him.

[dun]

Sadly, I don;t think that people like our founding fathers could get elected in this day and age.

[cross_7]

by TexasBred » Thu Mar 22, 2012 4:18 pm

Yet he was a slave owner and an adulterer. Guess none of us are perfect.

We need more like him.

i'll see what i can do

[Ryder]

He was a very clever man, thanks CB

Not clever, brilliant.
Too bad the citizens and leaders lost the message. Now it is going just like he said and it is not up.

[cow pollinater]

Slavery was not much different than what we have in place for farm labor now. I'd be willing to bet that the standard of living for *most* slaves was equal to or equivilant to the condition that most green wetbacks live in today.
The only real differance is that now we don't have to feed and cloth help when we don't need it... When we don't need them they just go without.

[Caustic Burno]

Slavery was not much different than what we have in place for farm labor now. I'd be willing to bet that the standard of living for *most* slaves was equal to or equivilant to the condition that most green wetbacks live in today.
The only real differance is that now we don't have to feed and cloth help when we don't need it... When we don't need them they just go without.

The irony is one of our political parties was the party of slavery, founded the KKK, promoted share cropping implemented the poll tax and created welfare, all forms of slavery. The other one has a pile of skeleton's as well.

[Isomade]

by TexasBred » Thu Mar 22, 2012 4:18 pm

Yet he was a slave owner and an adulterer. Guess none of us are perfect.

We need more like him.

i'll see what i can do

[Douglas]

He died severely in debt from lavish spending on his home. But a great american.

[Dave]

He died severely in debt from lavish spending on his home. But a great american.

There were others in our founding fathers who didn't fare well. Thomas Paine died broke and friendless. Less than half a dozen people attended his funeral.

[Workinonit Farm]

Some of the architecture of his home, Monticello, he copied from places he had been to in France. Monticello is really a pretty neat place. Of course the acreage is smaller than it once was, but there are still his orchards, gardens (vegetable plots) grape vines and many of the original buildings are still there. Over the years it has changed hands and is now a museum. And over the years many people have been able to obtain many of his original pieces of furniture and various personal belongings.

There is a continuous archeological dig, and they're always finding some new piece of the past.

As for Sally Hemmings (one of his slaves), as far as I know, he put a couple of her children through college (he fathered a few of them). The children he had with her looked a lot like him. (there are old photos of these folks).

He even created his own version of the Bible by cutting out choice passages and gluing them to form a new Bible which is currently at the Smithsonian.

For the Virginia folks, especially near me close to Charlottesville, so much is named after him and his family, other than UVA Hospital there's Martha Jefferson Hospital located on Peter Jefferson Pkwy. etc.

He really was quite an intelligent man, and in some ways like Nikolai Tessla ahead of his time. He was very observant and also very tall for people of that time.

Thanks Caustic for posting about this important person in our nation's history. We could use a few good men like him in D.C. now but sadly, as dun said, I don't believe any of our founding fathers could get elected into any positions in D.C. in this day and age. And we are suffering as a result of the loss of memory as it pertains to history.

I'll shut up now.

Katherine

[Ryder]

He even created his own version of the Bible by cutting out choice passages and gluing them to form a new Bible which is currently at the Smithsonian.

Katherine

He had tried to get others to do the Bible construction. When he couldn't get anybody else to do it, he did it himself.

I recently looked at a copy of the Jefferson Bible in a bookstore. Looked to be very 'readable'.
Will probably get a copy later.