On December 20, 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison:
“I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural; and this will be as long as there shall be vacant lands in any part of America. When they get piled upon one another in large cities, as in [...]
Monthly Archives: December 2007
Today (December 20) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Today (December 16) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Sunday, December 16, 2007
On December 16, 1786, Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison:
“To make us one nation as to foreign concerns, & keep us distinct in Domestic ones, gives the outline of the proper division of powers between the general & particular governments.”
Today (December 8) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Saturday, December 8, 2007
On December 8, 1801, Thomas Jefferson said, in his First Annual Message to Congress as president of the United States:
“Infractions of [the Constitution] may sometimes be committed from inadvertence, sometimes from the panic or passions of the moment. To correct these with good faith as soon as discovered will be an assurance to the states [...]
On the problems of taxation:
Friday, December 7, 2007
“The excise law is an infernal one. The first error was to admit it by the Constitution; the second, to act on that admission; the third and last will be, to make it the instrument of dismembering the Union, and setting us all afloat to choose what part of it we will adhere to.”
Today (December 5) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
On December 5, 1801, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Isaac Story:
“Ingenious minds, availing themselves of the imperfection of language, have tortured the expressions out of their plain meaning in order to infer departures from them in practice.”
Today (December 3) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Monday, December 3, 2007
On December 3, 1806, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Andrew Jackson:
“Whensoever hostile aggressions . . . require resort to war, we must meet our duty and convince the world that we are just friends and brave enemies.”
Jefferson’s advice seems particularly apt today as the war in Iraq continues without a clear end in sight and the [...]