Thomas Jefferson

On Thomas Jefferson . . . with some Balance

Thomas Jefferson’s 5,000 acre plantation at Monticello was a typical example of the southern state chattel slave culture and he owned around 200 slaves. Jefferson had several children by Sally Hemings, a good-looking mulatto seamstress slave, who at 17 was with Jefferson in France before returning to Virginia with him. It is said that he hated slavery, but was caught in the early American slave society.

Jefferson's original Declaration of Independence Draft, to his credit, contained words indicting King George III for supporting the slave trade. But South Carolina, et al, refused to vote for independence unless those words were removed. Jefferson is quoted as saying:

"There is not a man on earth who would sacrifice more than I would, to relieve us from this heavy reproach [slavery]... we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other."

Jefferson actually felt the Negro slave was inferior to the white race and was in favor of gradual elimination of slavery. But he wanted all freed slaves to be deported back to Africa because he felt they would cause unrest with the remaining slave population. It seems that Jefferson's Declaration of Independence was intended to apply only to the white citizens of early America. Lincoln, some 60 years later began the correction, followed by Martin Luther King 100 years after that. African American equality is still a work in progress.

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson became President of the United States. During the Presidential election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson won more votes than John Adams. It's ironic that he was aided by the South's having slaves counted in the total population as 3/5ths persons, as written in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution (later changed by Section 2 of the 14th Amendment). This increased the electoral votes controlled by the Southern states. Jefferson became President because of this advantage, and would have lost without it.

In spite of his "Slavery Flaw", Thomas Jefferson was remarkable, one of a few real "renaissance men" of the time . . . I include Washington, Adams and Franklin in this group. Take a look at the following chronology and a few interesting anecdotes and quotations:

Thomas Jefferson, at age:

5, began studying under his cousins tutor.

9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

16, entered the College of William and Mary.

19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.

23, started his own law practice.

25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America " and retired from his law practice.

32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

33, took three years to revise Virginia ’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

40, served in Congress for two years.

41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.

57, was elected the third president of the United States.

60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.

61, was elected to a second term as President.

65, retired to Monticello.

80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.

83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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."

Thomas Jefferson said:

“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 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.”

And . . . we are rapidly heading there!!! Please See This

Unalienable Rights
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