Founding Fathers ~ #3 Jefferson

The third president of the United States and the third man on my list of Founding Fathers is Thomas Jefferson.  Many modern political philosophers have tried to portray Jefferson as atheist and not a believer.  I do not agree.  The father and author of the Declaration of Independence, in my estimation, could not have written by a man who did not believe in a Divine Creator.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.  That they are endowed by their Creator - - -

He went on to detail what he called to be God-given, unalienable rights, including Life; Liberty; and the Pursuit of Happiness. My personal religious convictions have taught me that when we are born into this life, we come with two precious gifts: our physical bodies - life itself - and our individual agency - the freedom and liberty to make choices for our own lives.  I see this statement in the Declaration as Divinely inspired.

Jefferson was born in Virginia in 1743.  He attended William and Mary University and briefly practiced law in his home colony, where he focused on defending the rights of slaves seeking freedom.  Like Adams' defense of British soldiers in Boston, Jefferson's defense of black slaves in the south is an indication of his honor and character.

He married Martha Whales Skelton in 1772.  Like Washington's wife, Martha, Jefferson's Martha was also a young widow when they married. Together, they had six children, four of whom died young.  Jefferson, according to historians, adored his wife and felt that their time together was the happiest season of his life.  When she died in 1782 following years of ill health and recent childbirth, Jefferson was devastated.

He promised Martha on her deathbed that he would never remarry (which had been her dying request.) Later in life, he carried on a long-term affair with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings.  It is interesting that Sally was actually Martha's half-sister!  Martha's father had an affair with Sally's mother.  Even more complex was the fact that Sally's mother was herself half white being the offspring of an affair of Martha's grandfather with Sally's grandmother.  Sally bore Jefferson six children in their years together.  Jefferson's progeny with Martha fought against his progeny through Sally for generations, refusing to acknowledge them as Jefferson's descendants.  With the advent of DNA testing, several years ago the Jefferson descendants organization finally recognized the descendants of Sally Hemming as Jefferson's progeny.  I think that Hemmings reminded Jefferson in many ways of his first wife and I believe that he loved her.  Had circumstances been different, I believe he would have married Sally.

In additions to being a powerful political figure, Jefferson had a very creative nature.  He often played his violin while Martha accompanied him on the piano.  He was also an architect who designed Monticello (Italian for "Little Mountain") on his 5,000 acre plantation in Virginia. 

One could go on for pages about Jefferson's accomplishments.  In addition to being the third president of our nation, he was the second vice-president under John Adams.  He was a state legislator and governor of Virginia.  He was the U.S. Secretary of State.  He served as minister to France, where he built a strong and lasting friendship with the Marquis de Lafayette.  While President, his concluded a treaty with France which resulted in the United States purchasing the huge amount of land known as Louisiana, which purchased more than doubled the size of the United States. He commissioned the Louis and Clark expedition to explore this territory and to go on to the Pacific Ocean.

Returning to his religious views, Jefferson was baptized into the Episcopal Church as a child.  He was a voracious reader on many subjects, including philosophy and religion.  He felt that clergy in the churches had been historically hostile to liberty. [1] He became anticlerical and found his faith in pure Christianity. He considered himself to be Christian in belief and ethics, but did not support some of the traditional tenets of the Christian churches of his day, such as the notion of the Trinity.

His religious curiosity was peaked when, during his presidency, he had inherited a problem of the Barbary Pirates.  These Islamic pirates sailed the Mediterranean and captured ships of all nationalities. The captain and crew were then given three choices: 1) become Muslim; 2) pay a tribute (only allowed to those who were "people of the book," i.e., Jews or Christians; or 3) be killed (usually by beheading.)  When Jefferson became president, the U.S. was paying the pirates a huge annual tribute to leave U.S. ships alone.  When the pirates requested an increased tribute, President Jefferson asked the pasha of Turkey how they could justify such behaviors and was told that it was sanctioned, even encouraged, by the book of their prophet.  Jefferson acquired a copy of the Koran and read it. His opinion of the book and of the Islamic behavior in the Mediterranean was clear - he refused to continue the tribute and declared war on the pirates.  He sent the U.S. Marines to "the shores of Tripoli."  Marines were required to wear a heavy leather collar to protect them from beheading.  To this day, Marines are called by the nickname Leatherneck.

During his election campaign, his opponents criticized his unorthodox religious views, calling him an atheist.  His reply was that he was a Christian in any sense in which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others.[2] He sought throughout his life to follow divine guidance as he understood it.  I personally believe that he was inspired as a Founding Father and I look to him as one of the Fathers of our Liberty, a staunch supporter of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 

He did not believe that the government had the right to declare one set of religious belief to be preferable over another.  He coined the term, separation of church and state based on this interpretation of the First Amendment.  However, he never said that meant that government had the right to force a system of non-belief on anyone either.  He meant that a man could worship however he pleased, according to the dictates of his conscience.  Supreme Court use of this term, as if it were part of the Constitution, is erroneous.  It is never stated in the Constitution.  It was Jefferson's understanding of his own position.

Jefferson believed in God, of this I have no doubt.  He just believed in a God that differed from the mainstream religions of his day.  He strove all of his life to live in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ.  His words speak loudly from history.  His behaviors speak even more loudly that he was - and is - a man of God.

 

©Gebara Education, November 28, 2017

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson#Monticello.2C_marriage_and_family
[2]https://images.search.yahoo.com

Founding Fathers~ #2, John Adams

One of the most powerful figures in the history of America's fight for independence was John Adams.  He was born in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts in 1735.  He graduated from Harvard University and went on to practice law in that colony. 

He married Abigail Smith in October of 1764.  She could well be called a Founding Mother of America as she was the chief confidant and advisor to her husband. Over the years of separation due to John's political career, the couple wrote over 1200 letters to one another.  These letters have been preserved and provide a keen insight into American philosophy, politics, and history of the period.  They also provide a vivid picture of a deeply committed love that lasted their entire lifetimes.

John was practicing Law in Boston in 1750 when a key event in history occurred.  The British army was stationed in Boston to deal with the increasingly open rebellion against British authority.

A small group of soldiers were attacked by angry colonists while they were standing duty.  The civilians subjected them to verbal abuse.  The conflict soon degenerated into the protestors throwing things at the soldiers.  Things had gotten completely out of hand when the soldiers fired into the crown, killing 5 of the protestors. They were arrested and tried for murder.  Attorney John Adams was hired to represent them.

Adams took a lot of rebuke from fellow patriots, including his own cousin,  Sam, for his representation of the Red Coats.  The patriots wanted to use this event to stir up further resentment amongst the colonists against the British.  The picture of this event is a representation of one done at the time by Paul Revere. It clearly depicts the soldiers as being the aggressors and the protestors as victims.  The inclusion of blood in the scene further incited the anger of the Bostonians.  Adams' defense of the soldiers (who were reacting to rather than instigating a riot) was successful.  Most were acquitted and two were convicted of a lesser charge and branded on the hand as punishment.  Adams was passionate about freedom and a great leader in the cause for independence, but he was also an honest and honorable man. His defense of the soldiers (who were clearly not the instigators of this "massacre" in Boston) is, to me, one of the great lights shown on Adams' character as a moral human being.

He represented his colony at the Second Continental Congress in 1775-1776. An outspoken man, Adams was frustrated at his fellow delegates' refusal to act upon even a discussion on the topic of independence.  His argument was that, as the war was already upon them beginning at Bunker Hill, fear of "offending" the British was a moot point.  In the musical 1776, Adams is portrayed as saying, "King George has already declared us in rebellion; why the bloody h_ _ _ can't they?"

I don't know if he really said that or not, but he was clear about his feelings that our country could only endure if we remained a "moral and religious people" and that the founding principles of our nation were found in doctrines taught in the Bible. Here are some of his ideas on America's covenant with God that I found in my research:

"The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their address, or by me in my answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty..." [1]

"Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God ... What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be."
_{--Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.[2]}

"Now I will avow, that I then believe, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God; and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System." [3]
_{--Adams wrote this on June 28, 1813, excerpt from a letter to Thomas Jefferson.}

John Adams has been represented as both a Congregationalist and a Unitarian.  His wife, Abigail's, father had been a Congregationalist minister and Adams likely attended services with his wife. Key tenets of Unitarianism are of the oneness of the nature of God. However, I believe that to Adams, it also represented the unity of basic Christian morality. 

His hope was that Young America would remember the work involved in bringing 13 disparate colonies together into one United States.  There were many, like John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, wanted to remain loyal to England and the king. Others, like Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, would not agree to anything that disparaged the South's "peculiar institution" of slavery.  Freedom, as they say, never comes easily.
 
There are other Adams quotes that, taken out of context, have been construed to represent our Second President as being anti-religion.  He was not!  What frustrated him were the seemingly endless squabbles amongst the differing Christian sects.  To him, it was the basic principles taught by religion that should be united and serve as a guide to the American people. Said he:

"The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their address, or by me in my answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty..." [4]

Mary Fairchild, editor of www.thoughtco.com, summed up my feelings on this topic beautifully.  Wrote she: "No one can deny that many of the founding fathers of the United States of America were men of deep religious convictions based in the Bible and faith in Jesus Christ.  Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, nearly half held seminary or Bible school degrees. . . . [They had] strong moral and spiritual convictions which helped form the foundations of our nation and our government. [5]  

            

 I couldn't have said it better myself.

©Gebara Education, November 26, 2017

[1] https://www.thoughtco.com/christian-quotes-of-the-founding-fathers-700789
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid, May 23, 2017

Other Sources Consulted

http://www.american-presidents.com/john-adams/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Adams

https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Adams-president-of-United-States

http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html#Declaration

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarianism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_delegates_to_the_Continental_Congress

Founding Fathers ~ Washington

In the late colonial period, America had created a new and distinct national identity. While still linked to England as a colony, many of the colonists began to think of themselves as Americans, not Englishmen. The more the British monarch tried to hold them down, the more they pulled away.

There are many men - and women - of that period who rose to the cause of liberty and independence in the face of many more who did not want to challenge the status quo.  Some were firebrands who sought to rattle the sword.  Others were quiet men who served, not for honor, but for love of country.  George Washington was one of these.

According to one source [1], Washington was the first of the Founding Fathers and, in many ways, the most important. If they want an argument from me, they need to chose a different subject! Just as Christopher Columbus felt that he had been called and directed by God throughout his life, so I believe that Washington likewise called and directed.was

He was born in Virginia in 1732 to Augustine and Mary Ball Washington.  His father died when he was 11 and his mother followed when he was 12.  As an orphan, George lived with his older half-brother, Lawrence, until he was 16.  Lawrence died in 1752 and George inherited Mt. Vernon, the family's 10,000 acre estate.

In 1959, at the age of 27, George married Martha Custis, who was a young widow with 2 children.  The Washingtons had no children of their own.

Washington was a surveyor by profession and served in the British Army in the French and Indian Wars.  He later served in the Virginia House of Burgesses (the colonial legislature) and spoke out against British policies.  During the Revolutionary War, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.  After the war, he retired to Mt. Vernon.  He was called out of retirement to chair the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  Without his presence, there may not have been a convention or a constitution.  He was elected President in 1789. [2]

There is much that can be said of Washington, but I'd like to focus on the miracles he prayed for and experienced during the Revolutionary War. I truly believe that without this divine intervention, there would have been no way that 13 colonies with a rag tag army could have prevailed against the most powerful empire of the 18th Century.

For a detailed discussion of these miracles and of Washington's sincere belief in God, I refer you to Timothy Ballard's marvelous book, The Washington Hypothesis.  Here are just few highlights from that book:

• During the French and Indian War, Washington gained the reputation of being bullet-proof.  This continued throughout his military career when he was often in the thick of battle with balls striking all around him without ever being hit.
• On one occasion, the American Army was bivouacked at West Point.  As the enemy moved in, Washington was surrounded and sure to be taken.  They could not retreat without being the proverbial sitting ducks.  Washington, who always instructed his men to be prayerful and righteous (he didn't allow profanity or fighting) prayed for a miracle.  That night, an unseasonable fog rolled in, completely blanketing the point.  Washington and his little army were able to escape in the fog without detection.  Had the army been captured, that would have been an end to the war for independence.
• Another well-known miracle occurred on Christmas day in Trenton, NJ.  The Americans had suffered one loss after another, always miraculously able to retreat to safety, but national moral was low. Washington took his troops across the Delaware River on Christmas Eve, again under a blanket of fog.  The surprised the Hessians at Trenton, who were sleepy and hung over from a night of celebration.  The surrender of the British at Trenton lead to other victories and the tide of the war turned.
• Washington's victory over British General Cornwallis and his ultimate surrender effectively ended the war and gave Americans the independence they sought.  That victory, too, was miraculous and aided by a freak storm that kept the British ship that was coming to the aid of Cornwallis from ever reaching its destination.

If you'd like to learn more about Washington's faithfulness before the Lord and his subsequent preservation by heavenly intervention, I'd again invite you to read Ballard's book

Since this series of posts that began last April, "The Last, Best Hope," was of the theme of the role of religion in the founding of America, I'd like to close on that note.  Washington, by all accounts, was a man full of faith.  He relied on God all of his life and had full faith that his prayers would be answered.  He lived true to his faith and admonished those within his stewardship to do likewise.  His frequent call to prayer and repentance during the war was proof of Washington's unwavering testimony. He was a national hero after the war and was offered a kingship.  He refused because he knew that America's only true King was Jesus Christ.  As soon as he was inaugurated as president, he led all members of Congress to a near-by church for solemn prayer of thanksgiving.  He recognized that America owed its very existence to God.

I pray that today's Americans would recognize that as well.  We need God to bless America as much today as we ever have.  Our enemies are far more subtle and more dangerous than any red-coated ranks of Britain.  Our enemies are secret.  Our biggest threats come from within.  Like Washington at Valley Forge, we should all fall to our knees and ask the Lord's blessing upon our beloved land.  God bless America!

©Gebara Education, November 25, 2017

[1] https://www.thoughtco.com/george-washington-first-president-united-states-104657
[2] Ibid. All information about Washington's life came from this source

The First National Day of Thanks

Yesterday, we celebrated a national day of Thanksgiving. Most of us think back to the Plymouth Colony and the Pilgrims when it comes to the first Thanksgiving.  What most people don't know is that the first national day of Thanksgiving was created by what we now call an Executive Order by President George Washington, first president of the United States.

Five members of the first Congress in 1789 to ask President Washington to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness."[1]

Accordingly, the first presidential proclamation was issued to the states' governors in October 1789.  The President requested that it be "published and made known in your State in the way and manner that shall be most agreeable to yourself.”[2]  It requested that the first official national day of Thanksgiving be observed sometime in November of 1789.

Today, on the day after Thanksgiving 2017, I'd like to pose the question: how many of us spent our day yesterday in prayer and thanksgiving, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many blessings of Almighty God, especially the [blessing] of a Constitutional government? How many of us taught our children and grandchildren about that blessing?  Or did we all spend the day watching parades and football on TV, perhaps saying a quick prayer at the table so that we could get to the feast? I'm embarrassed to admit, that was the case at my house.

For the past few weeks, all people seemed to talk about was today: not the national day of giving thanks but the day after: BLACK FRIDAY! Between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving has become the forgotten holiday, yet it is the only truly American holiday to be officially proclaimed and celebrated. Quite frankly, it makes me feel sad.  Commerce has become King. 

Halloween when I was a child was a simple, fun celebration for children to dress up in inexpensive and usually homemade costumes and trick or treat in safe neighborhoods.  Today, Halloween has been highly commercialized and targets adults as much, or even more, than children.  Aisle after aisle of expensive costumes, masks, make-up, candy, accessories, and candy.  Because of the huge potential for sales, Halloween themed items begin to appear in the stores not long after July 4!

The day after Halloween - and some stores the week of Halloween - Christmas appears.  Christmas has become Xmas, a season to exploit the huge commercial potential to push retail stores out of the RED and into the BLACK financially. Hence the name, BLACK FRIDAY (in case you were wondering where the term originated.) It's all about the money honey.

Thanksgiving 2017 is history. Many of us (including me) missed the boat.  But, as BLACK FRIDAY attests: Christmas is coming.  Let's put Christ back in Christmas a remember to give thanks to almighty God for the greatest of all gifts: the gift of our Savior; the gift of His love. 

©Gebara Education, November 24, 2017

 [1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/washington-thanksgiving-proclamation-first-executive-order-104800400--election.html
 [2] Ibid