WHAT'S THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
JEFFERSON'S WORDS, THIS IS
THE CLASSIC FORMULATION, THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE,
AND HIS STATUS AS A VIRGINIA
SLAVEHOLDING PLANTER.
AND HIS MANY INSPIRATIONAL
STATE PAPERS.
AND HIS ROLE AS AN ICON OF
BOTH AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, THE
EMPOWERMENT OF THE PEOPLE.
AND, ON THE OTHER
HAND, HIS STATUS AS A
VIRGINIA ARISTOCRAT.
IF THERE'S ANYBODY WHO COMES
CLOSE TO THE OLD REGIME
NOTION OF AN ARISTOCRAT IN
AMERICA IT'S JEFFERSON.
SO IT'S RECONCILING
ARISTOCRACY AND DEMOCRACY.
SLAVEHOLDING AND ANTI-SLAVERY.
LIBERTY AND FREEDOM.
AND ENSLAVEMENT.
AND THERE ARE MANY,
MANY, CONTROVERSIES THEN,
THAT DERIVE FROM THIS.
ABOUT HIS STATUS AS A HERO OF
CIVIL LIBERTIES AND HIS OWN
EFFORTS TO MUZZLE THE PRESS
IN PENNSYLVANIA AND ELSEWHERE.
WE COULD GO ON ENDLESSLY
ABOUT HIS BEING A
STRICT CONSTRUCTIONIST.
THAT IS, STRICT CONSTRUCTION OF
THE CONSTITUTION, AND THE FACT
THAT HE WAS APPARENTLY WILLING
TO MOVE BEYOND THE FOUR CORNERS
OF THE CONSTITUTION IN
ACQUIRING LOUISIANA.
SO, THE CHARGE, THE ONE WORD
THAT SUMMARIZES CHARGES AGAINST
JEFFERSON THAT GO BACK TO HIS
CONTEMPORARY OPPONENTS,
IS HYPOCRITE.
OR, IN THE SPECIFICALLY
FEDERALIST FORMULATION, THAT
HAS ALSO RESONATED THROUGH
THE GENERATIONS, JEFFERSON WAS
ACCUSED OF BEING A THEORIST.
SOMEBODY WHO TOOK FRENCH
IDEAS TOO SERIOUSLY.
IT'S ALSO, CONTINUES
TO BE A DAMNING CHARGE
IN MODERN AMERICA.
SO WE COULD GO ON ENDLESSLY.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY JEFFERSON IS SUCH A
FASCINATING CHARACTER IS
THAT HE'S SO HARD TO READ.
OR, MAYBE SO EASY TO
READ IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
