Saturday, September 16, 2017

Jefferson- A book Report

Architect of Liberty By; John Boles History has been very much on my mind. I had the opportunity to give a talk in my home town of Lockport, N.Y. I was given recognition as a Distinguished Graduate. I took the occasion to pay tribute to the educational system in Lockport and all across America in the 30’s and 40’s. We were taught to appreciate our heritage and were grateful to be American citizens. That obviously is no longer the norm. The Millennial Generation in particular doesn’t agree. The movement to destroy Civil War Monuments and change the name of buildings, Streets, etc. is reaching a crescendo. I don’t believe it will end until all of our history is erased from view. We will pretend our history never happened. The condemnation of great men because of slavery is unconscionable. Slavery was a fact of life before we became a country. Many realized it was wrong but for many reasons it remained until ended by the Civil War. Even then, for the next 100 years blacks were treated poorly, particularly in the South but the North was just as guilty. I recently purchased a book entitled Slavery and the Founders. It was a short book but after reading I had a better understanding of how ingrained slavery was at our beginning. You are probably aware of the 3/5 rule that granted a larger count of citizens in the South by including black men in the count at the 3/5 ratio. The debates as our Constitution was written included many sessions where slavery was discussed. My contention after reading is that there never would have been a new country formed if the North had insisted of ending slavery. In fact I was amazed to realize that slavery existed in every State not just the South. Gradually over the years one State after another phased it out. George Washington upon his death granted freedom to all of his slaves. While he was alive he didn’t purchase or sell any and treated them kindly. Thomas Jefferson on the other hand kept his slaves even though on many occasions during his life he proposed ending the practice. Upon his death only five were granted freedom. They were relatives of Sally Hemmings. Supposedly when they were living in Paris he promised he would if she returned. Had she stayed she would have been free by French Law. His problem was one of money. When he left Washington after serving eight years as President he was deep in debt. No matter what he attempted during the years after, he was still deep in debt when he died. One of the reasons was his support of all of his family but also his desire to make Monticello a great home. He too was kind to his slaves and treated them well. At his death they were all sold as well as the property. It was years later that the debts were finally settled. Putting the above subject aside there can be no question that Jefferson was a great man and accomplished much good for our Country. He is highly regarded as the most intelligent of all the Presidents. He never stopped learning. It was a passion to him. He did after all author The Declaration of Independence that started it all. He fought for and obtained freedom of religion in his State on Virginia and the United States as well. He founded the University of Virginia. It was while he was President that the Louisiana Purchase occurred more than doubling the size of our Country. Of great importance was his strong belief in the Constitution. His Republican Party included the people. The Federalist Party favored the British Parliamentary System with a House of Lords. The reason Jefferson stayed on for a second term was to assure our Constitution remained as written. In this he was successful. He had a remarkable life. He was kind and generous and a Patriot thru and thru. He did everything possible to nurture the new country during its infancy. We owe a deep debt of gratitude that he lived and accomplished what he did. I found this book at the Tucson Library. I recommend reading to anyone interested in our history. Jack B. Walters September 16, 2017

No comments: