Posted by
LouGanzo on Friday, April 24, 2009 12:00:00 AM
I'd like to comment on the abundance of historical bluster over Thomas Jefferson. He is likely one of the most highly revered political leaders in American history. I would like to point a few things out in relation to his accomplishments.
1. Mr. Jefferson is lauded as the author of the Declaration of Independence. He drafted this, but his first version was quite a bit nuttier than what Adams and the others left us with - because Jefferson had some pretty bizarre perspectives. His assignment as author was a slight to him because at the time that job was viewed as the least important job the founders of this fledgling democracy had on their agenda. He was assigned this not because of his eminence but because of his lack thereof and because he was to mousy to speak in public and could be eloquent with a pen. True, this document proved to be much more important than his contemporaries anticipated. It has become a source document for democracy in the history of the world. However, Jefferson borrowed heavily from British/Scottish political philosophers in the concepts included in the DoI and nobody ever notes that. So, Jefferson was a bit of a plagiarizer and that goes unnoticed. He was also guided and probably edited heavily by John Adams - a leader of much greater stature, though largely relegated to the graveyard of historian-appointed dismissal.
2. Mr. Jefferson wrote the Declation of Independence. Let's just suppose the DoI was not accompanied by the War for Independence as fought by courageous men like Washington and Hamilton. Americans would possibly still be English subjects today. Mr. Jefferson's great document would have disappeared from history as insignificant and un-noteworthy. So, who do we owe more to? Jefferson or Washington? The interesting point here is that as Governor of Virginia - the then most-populated state in America - Mr. Jefferson never took a stand in the Revolutionary War by calling out the state militia. He parked his state on the side lines and hid out personally at Monticello until the British made him flee on horseback. He was Bill Clinton in essence. All theory and no action. So how great is a Declaration without the will and courage to stand behind it. Mr. Jefferson did not have the will, wisdom or courage.
3. Relevant in today's world, Mr. Jefferson dismantled the American Navy during his presidency because he was a UTOPIAN. As a result the U.S. shipping was hounded by the Terrorists of the time - the Barbary pirates. The U.S. was powerless to defend itself because of Mr. Jefferson's pacifist inclinations, humanist faith and lack of vision and realism.
4. Mr. Jefferson was basically an effete dandy. He was tempermental, arrogant, aloof, indecisive about key issues of his time and most of all undermined his president (Washington) because of his own misconceptions about foreign affairs. He betrayed the man who bestowed his Secretary of State position on him, which was decidedly disloyal. He was kind of a creep, really.
5. Mr. Jefferson did not support the writing or the preservation of the Constitution. Much of his correspondence with Madison showed him to be against the system set forth in the Constitution and as early as the Jay Treaty with England he was ready to change the Constitution to fit his political ends. Not very insightful or wise from my way of thinking.
I could go on, but this is enough to make my point. For my part, down with Jefferson, up with Adams, Hamilton and Madison.
My point here is that Jefferson should not share in the kind of love and admiration we give Washington and Lincoln and that there are others like Adams and Hamilton and Madison that deserve much more praise and admiration and monuments than Thomas Jefferson. How did he rise in the pantheon so high?