Quote:
Originally Posted by OldYoda
So who was the the real Jefferson - Saint or black hearted sinner? I am interested in all opinions but defend them with facts.
It is not an either/or type of question; nor, can it be answered in that way.
I will touch on a few of your comments. Jefferson was no more a plagiarist than say Plato or Cicero or thousands of others that have built on, or recast, or amplified previous ideas, aside from coming up with original concepts (Jefferson had an assembly line nail factory, and invented a special plow for the soils of his native Virginia, and was no slouch as an architect, designing his own residence and the University of Virginia for example).
Jefferson was also a product of his time and place, the age of enlightenment, which despite the name, puts some constrains on how to judge his character and place in history. I suggest you need to rethink your stance.
The presidential campaign of 1800 was one of the most bitterly fought and acrimonious in American History and was actually decided by a vote in the House of Representatives. See the links below.
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/elections/p/election1800.htm
http://articles.cnn.com/2008-08-22/l...n?_s=PM:LIVING
Politics is a dirty business and contaminates all who participate; from Solon, to Sulla, to Jefferson and Adams.
Slavery had many legal/ownership complications to it. Jefferson freed the five (?) slaves that he fathered with Sally Hemings, a few others were allowed to run away,(see Dumas Malone,
The Sage of Monticello). No others were freed; a large majority of his slaves he inherited through his wife Martha. Jefferson was a spendthrift (and had some bad luck as a farmer) and died deeply in debt which was a compelling financial reason why he did not free his slaves.
As to the sexual relationship; I do not consider it any of my business, though moralizing busybodies love to air out these kinds of tantalizing and scandalous details to titillate the moronic public. There is little solid evidence to go on as to what the relationship actually was and speculation is rampant. This type of activity went on in the South and is no secret. My opinion after much reading about Jefferson is that the relationship was not abusive. But that is my own personal opinion.
If you wish to know more about Jefferson I suggest,
Jefferson Writings, put out by the Library of America. Aside from his autobiography, A summary View of The Rights of British America and Notes on the State of Virginia and other papers, this volume contains numerous personal letters of Jefferson, which is about as close as you can come to a personal view of his character that there is. I highly recommend this volume. I also have read
American Sphinx, which I thought quite well done, and
Thomas Jefferson Author of America by that turncoat Christopher Hitchens, and the Dumas volumes. These materials are the references to my above points and opinions of Jefferson the man.
-Zeno
Last edited by Zeno; 04-15-2011 at 02:08 AM.
Reason: typo