The Amazing Thomas Jefferson

[uglypitbullcaptain of 1,000]

What an amazing set of talents the Lord bestowed upon this great man. He started learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America ? and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence .
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia 's legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia , succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France , and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions, and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase , doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello .
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia , and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:
John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

NOTABLE QUOTES:

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe ."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world." (and our nation!)

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

[tmaccaptain of 1,000]

There is a story about when JFK was president. He had all kinds of really smart and important people gathered at the White House for dinner. He quipped something to the effect that there was more intellectual firepower gathered together in one place at one time for dinner at the White House than any other time in history . . . except perhaps when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. TJ was one of a kind. We need another one.

[gr8ideascaptain of 100]

Thomas Jefferson has been maligned and denigrated by the left for years with lies and innuendo. Thanks to David Barton in his new book, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson by David Barton (Apr 10, 2012). the left is exposed. Thanks uglypitbull!! +1

[EclecticLibertariancaptain of 50]

What about exposing David Barton's religious revisionism and all the Myths he's creating about him?

[AGalagaChiasmuscaptain of 100]

What about exposing David Barton's religious revisionism and all the Myths he's creating about him?

This is dated (1996), but a good place to start:
http://www.publiceye.org/ifas/fw/9606/barton.html

[Tribunalcaptain of 1,000]

What about exposing David Barton's religious revisionism and all the Myths he's creating about him?

Very interesting. Care to explain? I'd like to know more.

[gr8ideascaptain of 100]

I'm not sure what EclecticLibertarian is upset about. I have read most of David Barton's work on the founding fathers and found it both interesting and accurate. His work is completely footnoted whereas the great NY Times author who castigated Thomas Jefferson had no footnotes in his work. it was all his own opinion. I don't know what David Barton's religious teachings entail but as far as the Founding Fathers are concerned he seems to be an excellent source. Perhaps EclecticLibertarian is upset about Thomas Jefferson. If so there are some excellent excerpts from general authorities on the subject including having their work done and accepted in the St. George Temple in 1877. See below:

The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.vii
1877—January 1: Offers a dedicatory prayer and is appointed to preside over the St. George Temple. August 21: Is baptized for the signers of the American Declaration of Independence, St. George Temple.

Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p.44 - p.45
Another revelation of great import to Latter-day Saints was the appearance of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and Presidents of the United States to President Wilford Woodruff in the St. George Temple. President Woodruff later reported in general conference, on April 10, 1898:

I am going to bear my testimony to this assembly, if I never do it again in my life, that those men who laid the foundation of this American Government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of Heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits, not wicked men. George Washington and all the men that labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord. Another thing I am going to say here, because I have a right to say it. Every one of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence with General Washington called upon me, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the house of God for them. Men are here, I believe, that know of this—Brothers J. D. T. McAllister, David H. Cannon and James C. Bleak. Brother McAllister baptized me for all these men, and I then told these brethren that it was their duty to go into the Temple and labor until they got endowments for all of them. They did it. Would those spirits have called upon me, as an Elder in Israel, to perform that work if they had not been noble spirits before God? They would not. I bear this testimony because it is true. The spirit of God bore record to myself and the brethren while we were laboring in that way. (Temples of the Most High, p. 87.)

Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.604
The temple work for the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence and other Founding Fathers has been done. All these appeared to Wilford Woodruff when he was president of the St. George Temple. President George Washington was ordained a high priest at that time. You will also be interested to know that, according to Wilford Woodruff's journal, John Wesley, Benjamin Franklin, and Christopher Columbus were also ordained high priests at that time. When one casts doubt about the character of these noble sons of God, I believe he or she will have to answer to the God of heaven for it. Yes, with Lincoln I say: "To add brightness to the sun or glory to the name of Washington is . . . impossible. Let none attempt it. In solemn awe pronounce the name and in its deathless splendor, leave it shining on." (This Nation Shall Endure, p. 18.)

Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Appendix
Aug 21, 1877 -- I[,] Wilford Woodruff went to the Temple of the Lord this morning and was Baptized for 100 persons who were dead including the signers of the Declaration of Independence all except John Hancock and [William Floyd]. I was Baptized for the following names:[Graphic:Footnote,Bitmap]
Deceased Endowment Proxy Ordained by

Thomas Jefferson [VA] Aug. 23, 1877 Lorenzo Brown William Fawcett
[3rd US Pres.]
Benjamin Franklin [PA] Aug. 23, 1877 Moses Martin Sanders WilfordWoodruff
George Washington Aug. 22, 1877 Daniel Thompson McAllister Wilford Woodruff
[1st US President]
[4th US Pres.] Aug. 22, 1877 John Lyman Smith William Fawcett
James Monroe
[5th US Pres.] Aug. 22, 1877 Henry Eyring Wilford Woodruff
John Quincy Adams
[6th US Pres.] Aug. 22, 1877 William Fawcett Wilford Woodruff
Millard Fillmore
[13th US Pres.] Aug. 23, 1877 John D. Thompson McAllister Wilford Woodruff
Andrew Johnson
[17th US Pres.] Aug. 23, 1877 Adolphus Rema Whitehead Wilford Woodruff
Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Appendix, Wilford Woodruff, December 13, 18931. All information regarding the proxy work taken from the St. George Temple records (St. George Baptismal record, Book E, 17 July 1877 - 20 November 1877; Endowment Books A-C, 11 January 1877 - 12 September 1878.

Also: Wilford Woodruff Journals Vol. 13, p 68 (Mar 19, 1894) "I had a dream in the night. I met with Benjamin Franklin. I thought he was on the earth. I spent several hours with him and talked over our endowments. He wanted some more work done for him than had been done, which I promise him he should have. I thought that he died while waiting for burial I awoke. I thought very strange of my dream. I made up my mind to get 2nd Anointing for Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

[EclecticLibertariancaptain of 50]

I'm not sure what EclecticLibertarian is upset about. I have read most of David Barton's work on the founding fathers and found it both interesting and accurate.

Accurate? I very much doubt you'll find many scholars on the Colonial era and the Founding Fathers who would agree with that assessment.

His work is completely footnoted whereas the great NY Times author who castigated Thomas Jefferson had no footnotes in his work. it was all his own opinion.

Footnotes are great because they lend an air of credibility which few people bother to check. Anyone can footnote cherry-picked sentences which, when taken out of context, can support their position. David Barton would appear to have made a career out of it.

I don't know what David Barton's religious teachings entail but as far as the Founding Fathers are concerned he seems to be an excellent source.

I prefer looking at their own writings rather than the interpretation of their writings by biased biographers with an agenda they're pushing. I find it saves a lot of time otherwise spent separating the bias from the facts.

Perhaps EclecticLibertarian is upset about Thomas Jefferson. If so there are some excellent excerpts from general authorities on the subject including having their work done and accepted in the St. George Temple in 1877.

Irrelevant to what Jefferson's views were during his life.

[Thinkercaptain of 100]

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world." (and our nation!)