Thomas Jefferson April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826
Some of you know that I am a great fan of Thomas Jefferson. It's my belief that he was one of the more important philosophers America has raised. He was not only the popular politician, president and statesman but a very a learned scholar, strong inventor and, by some accounts, a talented musician (violin.)
There are a number of books available on the man and many of the letters and legal matters he authored are still in print. I've spent a lot of time studying these writings and have given a great deal of time to ponder his philosophies and actions.
Yes, he did hold slaves and yes, he probably wasn't the very best U.S. President. But, he was a very valuable American of rather strong principles and convictions who stated very clearly the importance of true liberty and warned against the tyrannies that face us (then and now) in the constant struggle to maintain true liberty.
I am very thankful for a man of such prominence and eloquence to provide us all with so many great words and ideas and through many of his actions, give examples of the benefits of tolerance, professionalism and hard-work.
(I only wish we had someone doing the very same these days.)
Some links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html
http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/
http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/biography.html
Thomas Paine January 29, 1737 - June 8, 1809
Without Thomas Paine's contribution, it's my belief that we may not have had the morale to sustain the war against the Crown.
"Common Sense" inspired many Americans to take up arms or continue to fight the oppression brought to us by the British. His words were easy to understand and written for the common American of the time. His words made great sense then and they make great sense now. After reading about our own government slowly stealing away our true liberties under the guise of security on so many occasions, I've been tempted to reprint Mr. Paine's wonderful pamplet(s) to be distributed on the windshields of cars parked in grocery store parking lots with the hopes that the contemporary common man would wake up and take action against our modern version of the Crown (American Imperialism/Greed/Waste.)
Without getting any further into my personal political (and inappropriate for this venue) views, Thomas Paine was an extremely important figure in the founding of our Nation. He spoke for the common American and inspired those citizens to do the right thing. As a direct result of his actions, we now enjoy some of the freedoms for which those warriors sacrificed.
It is with great pride that I give so many of my thoughts and much of my time and gratitude on this upcoming National Holiday to this great man!
Some links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine
http://www.ushistory.org/Paine/index.htm
http://www.thomaspaine.org/Default.htm
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"Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."
- Native American proverb
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