Correctly Assessing Thomas Jefferson

Written by Frank Li

America is deeply in trouble. “We the People” simply do not know what to do, other than periodically casting our vote of “no confidence” to elect someone very different to be the President – first Barack Obama, then Donald Trump. Unfortunately, neither has worked out …

What’s wrong with [Jeffersonian] America?

It’s time to correctly assess Thomas Jefferson!

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0. Thomas Jefferson

Among all our Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson was obviously the most influential. Three key reasons:

1. The author of the Declaration of Independence, published on July 4, 1776.
2. The third American President (1801-1809).
3. The mentor of James Madison, the fourth American President (1809-1817) and the principal author of the U.S. Constitution.

No wonder America has been regarded as “Jeffersonian” throughout its history, so far!

Now, let’s correctly assess Thomas Jefferson from four perspectives:

1. The American Revolution.
2. The Declaration of Independence.
3. The U.S. Constitution.
4. Vision for America: Alexander Hamilton vs. Thomas Jefferson.

Let me elaborate on each …

1. The American Revolution

The image below is worth more than 1,000 words.

To correct the “Lye”, read: What is The American Revolution, Anyway? Below is an excerpt:

The American Revolution was chiefly instigated by a bunch of rich people, most notably Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who wanted to keep more to themselves (instead of paying more taxes to the mother country), including the possibility of swallowing up everything that still belonged to the indigenous people, specifically and explicitly against King George III‘s decree (Royal Proclamation of 1763). They conspicuously hid this real reason behind an eloquent slogan of “no taxation without representation” and took a modest risk throughout the American Revolutionary War.

In short, America was founded by the rich, of the rich, and for the rich!

2. The Declaration of Independence

The image below is worth more than 1,000 words.

Two informative readings:

1. What Is America’s “Declaration of Independence”, Anyway?
2. “All Men Are Created Equal”, Really? Below is an excerpt:

In the document of “Declaration of Independence“, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “All men are created equal.” While this quotation was obviously very useful, as a simple but powerful slogan, for America to defy Britain at the time, its true validity has been in question ever since, with profound implications not only for America but also for the world. It’s time to thoroughly clarify it: it’s false!

3. The U.S. Constitution

The spirit behind the U.S. Constitution is multi-faceted with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Let me elaborate on each …

3.1 The good

Two examples:

1. Our Founding Fathers did their best to form the republic, with all kinds of compromises (e.g. slavery).
2. One thing they did not compromise: democracy (i.e. one person, one vote)! Specifically, not only did they preclude it in the U.S. Constitution, they also instituted several mechanisms to prevent it from happening in the future, such as three different forms of majorities for the House, Senate, and Presidency, respectively!

Bottom line: The word “democracy” is not in the U.S. Constitution!

3.2 The bad

Two examples:

1. The biggest falsehood (or lie) in the Declaration of Independence (i.e. “all men are created equal”) continued in the U.S. Constitution as “We the People”, which referred to everybody, except for the minorities, women, and even white men without [enough] property. For more, read: “We the People,” Really?
2. The compromise on slavery, which is totally contradictory to “We the People” and “all men are created equal”!

3.3 The ugly

The Constitution was written by the rich, of the rich, and for the rich, continuing along the path as the start of the American Revolution! Two examples:

1. It emphasizes property rights, which is a good thing.
2. The rich wanted a limited (i.e. minimalist) government, which would not only leave them alone to become richer, but also be actually controlled by them (via money)!

What is its lasting impact today?

Our government does not even work [anymore]!

3.4 Summary

Two informative readings:

1. “We the People,” Really?
2. What Is the U.S. Constitution, Anyway?

4. Vision for America: Alexander Hamilton vs. Thomas Jefferson

Read: Vision for America: Alexander Hamilton vs. Thomas Jefferson. Below is an excerpt:

Time will ultimately prove that Alexander Hamilton had a more enduring vision for the United States of America than Thomas Jefferson did!

5. Discussion

America is deeply in trouble. The image below is worth more than 1,000 words.

Why is that?

America: It’s Democracy, Stupid!

What’s wrong with democracy?

When did America become a [minimalist] democracy (i.e. one person, one vote)?

1965 (Voting Rights Act of 1965)!

How did America become a democracy?

We have progressively morphed ourselves into a [pseudo] democracy over the past 200 years, in danger of losing the last safe-guard against it: the Electoral College. Five highlights:

1. “All men are created equal” has become “Everyone has the same right to vote when he/she reaches a certain age, regardless of his/her success or failure by then”.
2. Towards dumb democracy: Amendment 26, which lowers the voting age from 21 to 18. For more, read: Repealing the Twenty-Sixth Amendment!
3. From dumb to dumber: Rep. Ayanna Pressley Wants To Lower The Voting Age to 16.
4. From dumb to reckless: Bernie Sanders: Felons should be able to vote while in prison.
5. Elizabeth Warren Calls for Ending Electoral College.

How could this progression towards democracy have happened?

Blame these two big slogans in our DNA:

1. “All men are created equal”, as in the Declaration of Independence.
2. “We the People”, as in the original U.S Constitution.

6. More discussion

America was founded as a country by/of/for the rich, and remains so today. Any doubt? Look at the power of money, from moneyed politics to all kinds of inequality, including the life span (Rich Americans live up to 15 years longer than poor peers, studies find).

Furthermore, we have obviously changed for the worse against some basic founding principles, from democracy to nepotism – See image below. Consequentially, Jeffersonian America may have finally run its course (Has Jeffersonian American Run Its Course?), especially when facing China’s comeback.

What’s so special about China?

The image below highlights a key difference between the U.S. and China.

For more, read: The U.S. vs. China: A Great Experiment vs. A Great Civilization!

For the significance of China’s comeback, read: History 2.0.

America, reform our failing political system, as I have suggested (American Democracy – Why is it failing & how to fix it?), or become a fiddle, second to China!

7. Still more discussion

First, look at this image.

Next, look at the three images below.

Finally, ask and answer yourself two profound questions:

1. Is this the America Thomas Jefferson wanted?
2. Has Jeffersonian America Run Its Course?

8. Closing

Thomas Jefferson was a great man. However, Jeffersonian America may ultimately prove to be just a failing experiment. For more, read: The U.S.A. Unmasked!

Now, please sit back and enjoy two videos …

In this first video, Richard D. Wolff, a self-proclaimed American communist, has correctly observed the symptoms in America, but is obviously too obsessed with democracy to have the correct diagnosis and solution!

The second video illustrates China is so advanced in infrastructure that it leaves Jeffersonian America in shambles …

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