Thomas Jefferson......

[Old School]

THOMAS JEFFERSON
At 5, began studying under his cousins 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 .

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.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[gottabkiddin]

Brilliant man! Shame that he's been turning over in his grave for quite some time now....

[Hiram25]

Truth hurts!

[MotorCityGun]

Brilliant man! Shame that he's been turning over in his grave for quite some time now....

...more like spinning in his grave like a pin wheel in a hurricane since January 2009.

[357and40]

Brilliant man! Shame that he's been turning over in his grave for quite some time now....

At least since the last election...

[Stubborn]

All you need to do, is read the Declaration of Independence to be convinced of his brilliance.
There is no better example of someone having command of a language.

Those men that founded this country would shoot us all for cowardice, if they could see what we have let it become.

[Harryball]

All you need to do, is read the Declaration of Independence to be convinced of his brilliance.
There is no better example of someone having command of a language.

Those men that founded this country would shoot us all for cowardice, if they could see what we have let it become.

The bold part...I have a feeling you are right.

[mwhartman]

Sadly, we do not have any bright insightful leaders today. Would love to ask Mr. Jefferson how we lost so much and no one noticed or raised a hand to stop it
My addiction Droid Forums

[Doodle]

I call for a liberty tree watering party! I love this thread.

[dcselby1]

As everyone knows, Jefferson succeeded John Adams as president. Ironically, he preceded John Adams in death by a few hours on July FOURTH 1826!

[HotGuns]

I have often wondered what might it be like if we had men in our government with the wit,morality, intestinal fortitude and foresight that our founding fathers had.

Instead we suffer incompetence, corruption and abuse... because we let it.

[Dennis1209]

All you need to do, is read the Declaration of Independence to be convinced of his brilliance.
There is no better example of someone having command of a language.

Those men that founded this country would shoot us all for cowardice, if they could see what we have let it become.

Amen Brother! I'll bet the earthquake in New England was the result of our founding fathers collectively rolling over in their graves!

[canav844]

...more like spinning in his grave like a pin wheel in a hurricane since January 2009.

Might want to adjust that to about 1880 or so, and probably even before that. But to soome degree concessions were inevitable as from the get go he was on the opposite side of the metaphorical table from federalist Adams. In his lifetime he saw Adams go on a power grab that's just been expanded upon time and again from successor after successor, which grew more and more into federal government growth over the years. Jefferson was a believer of John Locke's theories, and if you read Common Sense you'll see what it was that Jefferson attempted to avoid with some of the oh so famous documents he wrote.

Documents written when it was thought we were an educated people, that were best capable of deciding what is right for ourselves, and that it was not up to government to guide us. He was a smart man but he expected his fellow countryman to educate themselves on the issues, long before we had internet. Jefferson was smart but he was not alone, and in to learn what his influences were and what the political culture was then, and the core issues still being the same just on a different topic of the day. It also offers some unique perspective on our current events.

[glockman10mm]

We need these again. Perhaps the as close as this generation will ever be to that type of man, was Ronald Reagan.

[Rock and Glock]

In his lifetime he saw Adams go on a power grab

I am certainly not arguing, but don't forget the power grab Jefferson used to acquire the Louisiana Purchase? Despite its military, commercial and geopolitical brilliance, some might argue he was over-reaching a wee bit?

Having said that, I do agree with the first post, and find him a fascinating figure, as well as John Adams and many others of the era.