On January 31, 1814, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Joseph C. Cabell:
“I have always thought that where the line of demarcation between the powers of the general & the state governments was doubtfully or indistinctly drawn, it would be prudent and praise-worthy in both parties never to approach it but under the most urgent necessity.”
Monthly Archives: January 2008
Today (January 31) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Today (January 29) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
On January 29, 1802, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Thomas Cooper:
“If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy.”
Today (January 24) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Thursday, January 24, 2008
On January 24, 1814, Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams from Monticello:
“All bigotries hang to one another.”
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day:
Monday, January 21, 2008
Although he was a slave owner himself, Thomas Jefferson believed slavery was wrong and hoped it would be abolished someday. He believed the African-American slaves were destined to be free. In his autobiography, written in 1821, Jefferson wrote:
“Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free; [...]
Today (January 14) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Monday, January 14, 2008
On January 14, 1809, Jefferson wrote to William Eustis:
“To save permanent rights, temporary sacrifices were necessary.”
Today (January 12) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Saturday, January 12, 2008
On January 12, 1819, Jefferson wrote to Nathaniel Macon from Monticello:
“Honesty is the 1st chapter in the book of wisdom.”
Today (January 10) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Thursday, January 10, 2008
On January 10, 1808, Thomas Jefferson wrote to William Wirt:
“I will not say that public life is the line for making a fortune. But it furnishes a decent and honorable support, and place’s one’s children on good grounds for public favor. The family of a beloved father will stand with the public on the most [...]
Today (January 8) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
On January 8, 1789, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Richard Price from Paris:
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”
Clearly, Jefferson believed that the more information that was [...]
Today (January 4) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Friday, January 4, 2008
On January 4, 1786, Thomas Jefferson wrote to George Washington from Paris:
“It is an axiom in my mind that our liberty can never be safe but in the hands of the people themselves, & that too of the people with a certain degree of instruction.”
Today (January 2) in Thomas Jefferson’s History:
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
On January 2, 1814, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Walter Jones about the sorry state of the press in the United States:
“I deplore with you the putrid state into which our newspapers have passed, and the malignity, the vulgarity, & mendacious spirit of those who write for them.”
Some people would argue that the same criticisms could [...]