Category: Thomas Jefferson

The Governor’s Palace at Colonial Williamsburg: Witness to the Birth of America 

In the 18th century, the Governor’s Palace was considered the most significant building in Williamsburg, the then capital of Virginia. It was considered by many to be the capital of all the American colonies. Building began in 1706. The building had many roles. It was the official residence of the governor in a manner fitting…


Cleveland Metropolitan Schools Removes Names of Patriots From Buildings

The Cleveland Metropolitan Schools district has removed the names of two American statesmen and a scholar from decades-old schools and replaced them with the names of women who made an impact on the northeast Ohio region. In a move that can be considered either cancel culture or social change, the CMS School Board voted on…


Mount Rushmore: The Story Behind How This Iconic Monument Came into Being

A plane buzzed over the Black Hills of South Dakota in the summer of 1927. It swooped and dove through the air, entertaining President Calvin Coolidge and his family below. The pilot dropped a wreath of flowers to this little crowd and sped away. The Coolidges had chosen the large Game Lodge in Custer State…


Best Bargain of All Time: How Thomas Jefferson Doubled the Size of America at Five Cents per Acre

One of Thomas Jefferson’s greatest achievements was the Louisiana Purchase, in which the United States acquired 828,800 square miles of the French territory La Louisiane in 1803. Encompassing all or part of 14 current U.S. states, the land included all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; parts of Minnesota that were west…


Return Thomas Jefferson Statues to Their Rightful Place

Commentary On Thomas Jefferson’s birthday, we should take our cue from the Tulsa Star, a now-defunct black newspaper. Its masthead from 1920 included statements of religious and political faith, including a paraphrase from the Declaration of Independence: “‘All men are born equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights which are life, liberty and the pursuit…


Cancel Culture or Social Change? Cleveland Considering Renaming Seven Schools

Continuing its march on what could be called cancel culture or social change, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District is considering renaming seven of its schools because some of the namesakes were slave owners and had “racially problematic pasts.” Two of the decades-old elementary schools targeted were named for America’s founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick…


Founding Friends Bound Together by the Fourth of July

The United States has been blessed with many distinguished leaders. But the generation that founded our nation has a special place in the hearts of many Americans. Even among that very special generation, two of our Founders stand out not only because of their many accomplishments and their lasting mark on the country, but because…


The ‘Most Sublime of Nature’s Works’

One of Virginia’s most amazing architectural treasures wasn’t formed by the hand of man at all, and it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Thomas Jefferson once owned it. George Washington is said to have surveyed its location as a young lad of 17—though he was fully commissioned as a surveyor with a…


‘Follow the Science’ a Potent Source of Authority for Politicians

News Analysis To hear the way some politicians talk, when it comes to COVID-19, they’re all “Following The Science,” not to mention “The Data.” “Look at the data. Follow the science. Listen to the experts. Be smart,” tweeted now-former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in May 2020, after “Two Weeks to Flatten the Curve” had…


Removing Thomas Jefferson—The Man Who Moved the World Forward

Commentary After 187 years, the statue of Thomas Jefferson was removed from New York City Hall. The reason for the removal could be guessed without having even heard about the removal. Jefferson owned slaves. A lot of slaves. Jefferson’s ownership of slaves while also writing the famous line “all men are created equal” have led…