Considering that he’s at the top of my list of America’s greatest politicians, I’m surprised I’d never found this quote from Thomas Jefferson before:
"On every question of construction (of the Constitution) let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed." ~Thomas Jefferson
It is this quote that may quash the debate over the Second Amendment.
If only a vox populi could publicly ask any member of congress, ask any chief of staff, ask any candidate for any office, “If the Second Amendment doesn’t mean that the general population may keep and bear arms to their own satisfaction, what does it mean?”
To this they might say anything, but show them Jefferson's quote and the arguments from the Founding Fathers, and the debate would be won.
The time for debate is over!
8 comments:
Great Post!
One of my favorite quotes by Jefferson is “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
BTW, thanks for linking to my blog!
God Bless,
-Mike
Thanks, Mike!
I'm tempted to call Jefferson the greatest American of all time, but greatest politician will suffice.
BTW, I'm always looking to expand my self-made blogroll, and you're an obvious choice. I welcome suggestions!
I don't agree with alot of what Jefferson says, although he has some good things to say.
Patrick Henry wins the Greatest American award (hands down!) in my book.
Thanks for commenting!
What don't you agree on with Jefferson?
Jefferson has some excellent things to say about de-centralized government.
Later in his life, he fell into some of the ideas of the French Revolution. What I believe happened was, he took his idea of limited central government to far, which would be anarchy. Anarchy, or no government, was the culmination of the French Revolution.
There is also some question whether or not Jefferson was a Christian or a Deist.
You may know all of the above stated, but that's why I don't agree with some of what he says.
Ah, I see. I'm certain he wasn't a Christian, unless he became one on his deathbed.
I really never picked up on Jefferson's anarchist leanings; would you mind directing me to some relevent quotes of his?
Yes, Patrick Henry was certainly one of the greatest politicians. Was he a true Christian?
This is really my own opinion and I have not done much research, but hopefully this will make my eariler statements a little clearer.
I think we would all agree that the French Revolution was wrong, not the reasons, but the way they went about it. Jefferson's approval of the French Revolution is obvious to anyone who reads his letters. For instance, to William Short,his personal secretary, he writes:
"The tone of your letters had for some time given me pain, on account of the extreme warmth with which they censured the proceedings of the Jacobins of France."
Does this help?
As to Patrick Henry.....I could sing his praises forever!!!
He was Scottish, Southern, Presbyterian (well, almost), homeschooled, and he never went to college! He the most eloquent orator of the day (could have run rings around Jefferson, who is more well known for writing than speaking). He was definitley, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Christian.
Sorry for rambling like this. I like Patrick Henry! I like Jefferson too, but I like Henry best.
Ramble on, my friend!
No arguments here: Henry was eloquence incarnate.
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