Opinion of Thomas Jefferson

[ElectionsGuy]

George Washington: 77.6% Approval
John Adams: 87.0% Approval

3rd President of the United States: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson

Huge FF, perhaps my favorite founding father (besides the social negatives).

[Peter the Lefty]

The definition of hypocrite.  HP. 

[Maxwell]

One of the great Founding Fathers. FF, even if he wasn't a great President.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The greatest of the founding fathers. Huge FF.

[Mechaman]

I must admit, I'm quite divided on the man.  Yes, killing Indians and being a hypocrite on slavery are horrible things, but so was being a Federalist or Alexander Hamilton.

Meh, I guess lean FF on balance, though it would've been preferable if he was a granola eating Co-Exist t-shirt wearing supporter of gay marriage who supported universal healthcare and a living minimum wage.  You can't always get what you want, especially in 1801.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

American titan.

[Lambsbread]

The definition of hypocrite 

I must admit, I'm quite divided on the man.  Yes, killing Indians and being a hypocrite on slavery are horrible things, but so was being a Federalist or Alexander Hamilton.

100% neutral.

[TDAS04]

FF with major flaws.

[Goldwater]

FF with major flaws.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

A real hit with the ladies after his wife died.  Indeed, you could say some were slavishly devoted to him.

[H. Ross Peron]

FF with major flaws.

[ElectionsGuy]

Bump

[TNF]

Definitely a Freedom Fighter.

[Redalgo]

I'm not very well-learned in U.S. history so some of these may based on mistaken beliefs, but...

Pros:

• Zealous anti-authoritarian and opponent of the Alien and Sedition Acts.
• Opponent of monarchies, e.g. those of Britain and France.
• Worked to promote freedom of most religions in the United States.
• Had a major role in writing U.S. and Virginian constitutions.
• Disliked long-term debt and buying things with borrowed money.
• Pardoned a number of folk imprisoned under the Alien and Sedition Acts.
• Had a sense of self-preservation, fleeing when the British came for him.
• Contemporary renaissance man who championed higher education.

Cons:

• Outspoken critic of slavery whose livelihood relied on exploiting over a hundred slaves.
• Claimed all men are created equal but thought only male land-owners should vote.
• Sexist, racist, and signer of legislation institutionalizing racism in the postal service.
• Advocate of confederation and too much in the way of bottom-to-top governance.
• Romanticized small-scale subsistence farming as preferable to industrialization.
• Imperialist and treaty-violator who continued cultural genocide against Natives.
• Seemed to prefer national revenue from taxing foreign trade - not the citizenry.
• Did not believe standing armed forces were needed for security.

Verdict:

HP in politics - he had some good ideas but also too many terrible ones for me to be neutral here.

[TNF]

What's wrong with taxing foreign trade?

[Redalgo]

What's wrong with taxing foreign trade?

It makes sense to be protectionist early on when the country's economy is very modest and its core sectors of industry vulnerable to foreign competition but Jefferson was the sort of guy who believed in having a weak and meagerly-funded government at the national level. His tax policies could never be adequate for actively promoting equality of opportunity, thoroughly upholding individual rights and freedoms, and assisting economic development. And he was more or less the equivalent of today's Tea Party intellectual to the early office of the Presidency, no?

He should have been taxing income or property rather than the same foreign trade lifelines vital to growing the U.S. from a backwater lesser-developed country into a flourishing, advanced nation at the forefront of human progress. I may be off the mark here though. What's your take on it?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

• Zealous anti-authoritarian and opponent of the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Who was more than happy to use State sedition and libel laws against his opponents on occassion.

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Just the Virginia one.  He was overseas during the convention and played no part in either the drawing up of the document or the debate on its ratification.  It's probably one reason why he became the leader of the Anti-Federalists.  He was one of the few small government proponents who hadn't publicly spoken out against the Constitution during the debates.

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  His dislike came from personal experience and it also didn't keep him from going so deep into debt that he was probably one of the few patriots thankful the British burned Washington during the War of 1812.  It gave Congress the excuse of buying his library to replace the burned Library of Congress which helped hi settle some of his debts.

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Since the people who were imprisoned were largely supporters of the Republicans over the Federalists, it would have been surprising if he hadn't.

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Had he been a more competent Governor, he might have had troops in position to fight so that he didn't have to flee.  Given the disaster he was as Governor, I'm astounded anyone trusted him to be President.

[Redalgo]

Hmm. All the more reason to be dissatisfied with the bloke then, I guess!

[Maxwell]

How can John Adams be more of an FF than Washington and Thomas Jefferson, I mean, come on.

[TNF]

What's wrong with taxing foreign trade?

It makes sense to be protectionist early on when the country's economy is very modest and its core sectors of industry vulnerable to foreign competition but Jefferson was the sort of guy who believed in having a weak and meagerly-funded government at the national level. His tax policies could never be adequate for actively promoting equality of opportunity, thoroughly upholding individual rights and freedoms, and assisting economic development. And he was more or less the equivalent of today's Tea Party intellectual to the early office of the Presidency, no?

He should have been taxing income or property rather than the same foreign trade lifelines vital to growing the U.S. from a backwater lesser-developed country into a flourishing, advanced nation at the forefront of human progress. I may be off the mark here though. What's your take on it?

Income taxation was not a possibility in the first decade of the 19th Century, I'm afraid. I don't really think you can fault Jefferson for not enacting policies that he was not aware of and/or had no chance of ever passing.

[morgieb]

How can John Adams be more of an FF than Washington and Thomas Jefferson, I mean, come on.

Less controversial, perhaps?

Anyway, a FF despite being a massive hypocrite.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Massive FF (normal/sane).

[Kaine for Senate '18]

As a UVA student I'm obligated to vote FF.

[Franzl]

HP

[Person Man]

FF with major flaws.