The Vent Pipe

…Mr. Jefferson.

On his birthday, it seems appropriate that we take a minute to reflect on the awesome contributions of Thomas Jefferson, our third president, the chief author of the Declaration of Independence, and perhaps the most important defendant of the Federal system of government.  A proponent of states’ rights, Jefferson understood the paramount importance of our the ability for a state government to operate unimpeded, yet he also reflected the need for a Central authority as well.  Unlike his contemporaries, particularly the despicable John C. Calhoun (sorry, but I just can’t stand him), Jefferson never allowed his zeal for states’ rights to translate into some manifesto for Disunion, as Calhoun did.

From Mike Church:

More about Jefferson:

• White House biography
• The Wiki entry isn’t too bad
• Of course see his biography posted on the Monticello site

Jefferson is most remembered for his role as architect of the Declaration of Independence.  Of course he could equally be remembered, as mentioned above, for his role as Champion of States’ Rights (see Virginia-Kentucky Resolution in which Jefferson notes that the state can nullify a law only when the law is unconstitutional, unlike Calhoun’s South Carolina Exposition and Protest, which called for a treasonous act of secession). Jefferson helped to develop the two party system.  His unwillingness to allow Washington and Adams to dominate the political system propelled himself into the Presidency and created the system we know today.

In his two terms as the Chief Executive, Jefferson pledged to be a strict constructionist, following the Constitution to a letter.  Yet he, too, stepped outside what might be called the traditional Constitutional bounds of the Presidency in his oversight of the Louisiana Purchase. Of course in the past few days, there’s been much talk of Jefferson’s resistance to the Barbery Pirates.

So hats off to you, Mr. Jefferson, for all that you did, and even in your death continue to do, for We the People. God Bless Thomas Jefferson and the United States of America.