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Was Thomas Jefferson a SOCIALIST?

kellyb

Penultimate Amazing
kellyb
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Jan 18, 2006
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http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch15s32.html

Thomas Jefferson to James Madison
28 Oct. 1785Papers 8:681--82
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This little attendrissement, with the solitude of my walk led me into a train of reflections on that unequal division of property which occasions the numberless instances of wretchedness which I had observed in this country and is to be observed all over Europe. The property of this country is absolutely concentered in a very few hands, having revenues of from half a million of guineas a year downwards.
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I am conscious that an equal division of property is impracticable. But the consequences of this enormous inequality producing so much misery to the bulk of mankind, legislators cannot invent too many devices for subdividing property, only taking care to let their subdivisions go hand in hand with the natural affections of the human mind.
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Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise.
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Fact: Conservative schoolbooks written in Texas, which will be used by most public schools in the USA, purposefully disregard Jefferson due to his non-theistic leanings.

Personally, I consider Thomas Jefferson to be a genius.
 
Jesus. James Madison, too.

http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch15s50.html

In every political society, parties are unavoidable. A difference of interests, real or supposed, is the most natural and fruitful source of them. The great object should be to combat the evil: 1. By establishing a political equality among all. 2. By withholding unnecessary opportunities from a few, to increase the inequality of property, by an immoderate, and especially an unmerited, accumulation of riches. 3. By the silent operation of laws, which, without violating the rights of property, reduce extreme wealth towards a state of mediocrity, and raise extreme indigence towards a state of comfort.
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People are aware of Jeffersons' financial troubles, right? Maybe a slave owner who spent all his inherited money and died buried in debt isn't the guy we should be taking advice from. At least not making it gospel.
 
rwguinn said:
But notice:
he said "reduce extreme wealth towards astate of mediocrity..."
not
"reduce extreme wealth to a state of mediocrity"
Which is what Socialism strives for.
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I added a bold for you. Sounds to me like What you claim Socialism does is exactly what Jefferson wants.

You could easily change Jefferson's quote to "reduce extreme wealth striving towards a state of mediocrity..."
 
The socialism thing was really kind of a joke. A lot of those guys were total "progressives" by today's standards, though.
 
Jesus was a socialist too, and if it was good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me.
 
Thunder said:
Fact: Conservative schoolbooks written in Texas, which will be used by most public schools in the USA, purposefully disregard Jefferson due to his non-theistic leanings.

Personally, I consider Thomas Jefferson to be a genius.
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When you get ahold of the textbook that will be used by most public school in the USA that disregards Thomas Jefferson let me know.
 
On the subject of was Thomas Jefferson a socialist there is nothing better than a wealthy slave owning, mansion building, elite, socialist.
 
thaiboxerken said:
So you want him to send you a textbook?
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No I would like to see what is actually written in the textbooks not a scare article about what the evil Texas Board of Education is going to do to the majority of the textbooks in the US. But somewhere there is a different thread on that.
 
Donal said:
People are aware of Jeffersons' financial troubles, right? Maybe a slave owner who spent all his inherited money and died buried in debt isn't the guy we should be taking advice from. At least not making it gospel.
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eeyore1954 said:
On the subject of was Thomas Jefferson a socialist there is nothing better than a wealthy slave owning, mansion building, elite, socialist.
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So we have a disagreement. Either we can't trust him because either he sucked at capitalism or we can't trust him because he was really good at it. Either way it discredits everything and he is not to be trusted on these matters, right?
 
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