Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Thomas Jefferson

Posted on 07/13/2005 3:14:50 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee

Biography Channel had an hour on Jefferson. Being Canadian I never learned anything about this great man. Some one on this site lamented that they would never want to listen to a thing he said because he was a slave owner. Yet Jefferson tried in the state legislature and the colonial legislature to end slavery. It didn't happen in his time. And no, he only freed those slaves that he felt had the skills to survive. But maybe he worried that they would be marginalized in the white man's world and end up in shanty towns?

What really impressed me is that he and Washington gave themselves self-imposed term limits. These men saw political power as so distasteful they actually refused to keep power longer than what they saw as prudent.

Not many men today are in this class.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; History; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: presidents; thomasjefferson
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-48 next last
To: pissant

It is sad that Adams became a federalist.


21 posted on 07/13/2005 7:25:58 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Firefigher NC

All you need to know about the difference between Canada and the US. Canadians voted their greatest Canadian to be Tommy Douglas - the Father of Socialism in Canada! All our truly great men left and went to America.


22 posted on 07/13/2005 7:27:22 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: jla

I noticed that as well. That he was not a participant in the revolution - really a thinker - like John Locke. I don't know much about Samuel Adams but I love some of his famous quotes.


23 posted on 07/13/2005 7:28:56 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: pissant

Wasn't Alexander Hamilton a proponent of big government?


24 posted on 07/13/2005 7:29:51 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: gubamyster

So what. And you have never sinned?


25 posted on 07/13/2005 7:30:35 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Uhhuh35

Even Churchill was somewhat racist. He loved to call the German huns. Yet, I am sure most German Americans don't fault him for it.


26 posted on 07/13/2005 7:33:10 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee

I'll gladly trade both the GOP and the Dems in for the Federalists of yesteryear.


27 posted on 07/13/2005 7:36:59 PM PDT by pissant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee

Not big government. But strong federal government limited in scope by the constitution. Read the Federalist Papers. He was one of the architects of our country! I highly admire him.


28 posted on 07/13/2005 7:38:46 PM PDT by pissant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: pissant

Yes, but the Federalists still wanted to take America back to where it came, right? They wanted a strong, large central and intrusive government. Isn't that what the colonists fought against?

Don't get me wrong. The United States is the envy of the world. States have amazing powers that provinces in Canada could only dream about.


29 posted on 07/13/2005 7:40:42 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: pissant

I prefer a weak Federal Government at the mercy of the States. Again I come from Canada, where we are fed up with intrusive federal governments.


30 posted on 07/13/2005 7:41:57 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee

No, the Federalists just wanted to make sure the federal gov't supeseded the states in the areas enumerated by the constituion. They would all be considered radical states rights advocates by today's standards. I have very little heartburn with the early Federalists.


31 posted on 07/13/2005 7:45:12 PM PDT by pissant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee

I prefer a strong federal government limited by the very short document known as the constitution. That means no medicare, welfare, social security, etc, etc. The one non-constitutional thing I do like is the National Park system.


32 posted on 07/13/2005 7:47:15 PM PDT by pissant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: pissant

OK. Guess I had the wrong idea of what a federalist was.


33 posted on 07/13/2005 7:52:19 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: pissant

National parks are a good idea within limits. Not to be used as a tool to stop oil exploration or to appease enviro-socialists.


34 posted on 07/13/2005 7:53:52 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee

Agree 100% with that sentiment. Good thread, BTW.

Have a good nite!


35 posted on 07/13/2005 7:56:02 PM PDT by pissant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: jla

Being that Madison came up with the 9th amendment I think it is easy to say how he feels about individual rights.

When it come to the various Depts. of the government it is harder to say because in his time we didn't have the infrastructure for those things to even be feasible really.

I would have a hard time believing anyone who helped create the system of government that helped a country become the foremost superpower in the world in less than 200 years could feel anything but pride about that country.


36 posted on 07/13/2005 8:19:45 PM PDT by Mr. Blonde (You know, Happy Time Harry, just being around you kinda makes me want to die.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee
So what. And you have never sinned?

Did I really nead a sarcasm tag???

37 posted on 07/13/2005 8:21:40 PM PDT by gubamyster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Blonde
I always felt Madison was the "Man Behind the Scene" before and during Jefferson's tenure. He seemed to be that nerd slogging away making everything work, while everybody else took it for granted. He wasn't the charming, handsome and courageous soldier type like Washington, Hamilton or Burr. It's often said that Burr was Madison's alter ego. Both became good friends during the Revolution War. Burr even supposedly match Dolly and James during the war, but always secretly coveted Dolly.
38 posted on 07/13/2005 9:35:20 PM PDT by neb52
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: neb52
Burr was an opportunist and a nasty piece of work. I suggest that read more about him.
39 posted on 07/13/2005 9:38:15 PM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: gubamyster

Got yah.


40 posted on 07/13/2005 9:47:35 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-48 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson