Special Edition: Little-known quotes, and can you believe that 3 of the first 5 presidents DIED ON THE FOURTH OF JULY?
John Adams: "Jefferson still survives." He didn't know his friend had died five hours earlier. The were the last of the original American revolutionaries.
Let’s celebrate Independence Day with some amazing stories and little-known quotes from our Founders. And let’s reflect on some first principles.
All jokes aside, did you know that three of our first five presidents died on the Fourth of July?
Even more incredible: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day, exactly 50 years after the Continental Congress approved the final draft of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
They had voted for independence two days earlier but needed to present a document for the public (and the entire world).
Adams was 90 when he passed on July 4. He had rekindled his relationship with Jefferson after nearly 15 years of bitter acrimony. They wrote fond letters back and forth for the remaining 14 years of their lives.
They were the last of the original American revolutionaries who stood against the British Empire more than a half-century before their passing.
On his deathbed, Adams' last words were, "Thomas Jefferson still survives." But he was mistaken. Jefferson had died five hours earlier at the age of 83.
OnJuly 3, a dying Jefferson awoke in the night and erroneous said, "This is the Fourth of July."
His grandson described Jefferson's final 14 hours.
He soon sank again into sleep, and on being aroused at nine to take his medicine he remarked in a clear, distinct voice, "No Doctor, nothing more."
As twelve o'clock at night approached, we anxiously desired that his death should be hallowed by the anniversary of Independence.
At fifteen minutes before twelve we stood noting the minute hand of the watch, hoping for a few minutes of prolonged life. At four a.m. he called the servants in attendance with a strong and clear voice, perfectly conscious of his wants.
He did not speak again.
About ten he fixed his eyes intently upon me, indicating some want, which most painfully I could not understand, until his attached servant, Burwell, observed that his head was not so much elevated as he usually desired it, for his habit was to lie with it very much elevated.
Upon my restoring it to its usual position, he seemed satisfied.
About eleven, again fixing his eyes upon me and moving his lips, I applied a wet sponge to his mouth, which he sucked and appeared to relish. This was the last evidence he gave of consciousness.
He ceased to breathe, without struggle, fifty minutes past meridian - July 4, 1826. I closed his eyes with my own hands. >
This story is recounted by Andrew M. Allison in the book, The Real Thomas Jefferson, published by the National Center for Constitutional Studies.
Do you know why Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence at the age of 33? Because the older and irascible Adams designated him based on these three reasons:
1. "You're a Virginian. And a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business."
2. "I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise."
3. "You can write ten times better than I can."
The Real Thomas Jefferson recounts the drafting of the Declaration of Independence:
Jefferson labored under great personal stress. His mother and one of his daughters had recently died, and the state of his wife's health was now a matter of increasing concern.
Yet he spared no effort in setting his "masterly pen" to the task. Every evening after Congress adjourned, the townspeople of Philadelphia could see him hurrying back to his rented suite at Seventh and Market streets.
There he closed the door behind him, sat in a large armchair in the parlor, and placed another sheet of foolscap paper on his portable writing desk.
For seventeen days he composed and revised his rough draft of the Declaration, usually working from about six o'clock to midnight.
The original manuscript shows that he took great care in his expression, repeatedly altering the words and phrases to give them more strength and rhetorical beauty. >
Happy birthday, America.
These United States sprang from the theological maxim that we are all born equal in God's image, and from the political philosophy that government exists to preserve Liberty.
The Constitution is a compact among the States that created a federal government delegated with few and limited powers: The federal government is an umpire; it's an ambassador; and it's guardian. Not a whole lot more.
One thing it's not is a ruler. The States are not mere provinces under some mighty national government. And least not by right.
Liberty is inherent in our humanity. The paradox is that it can only be achieved in a society of ethical people. Hence the constant struggle to preserve the freedom stamped upon our DNA by our Creator.
KrisAnne Hall, JD defines Liberty as freedom plus morality. My prayer today is a return to Liberty.
That's the only way we can restore our Republic and regain our freedom. We have to defend Liberty in order to enjoy the blessings and pass them to our Posterity.
Liberty is the paramount political value. And history is a long tale of just how precious and precarious Liberty is when it impedes the voracious appetite of those in power.
My prayer is also for humility. And that we seek understanding, discernment, and wisdom as though they were riches.
Jefferson knew that Liberty can't be secure without access to information. "Where the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe."
This was the crux of his feud with John Adams. Our second president abused his power in signing the Sedition Act of 1798, which outlawed false statements against the government.
Adams set fire to the First Amendment, and federal courts prosecuted at least 26 people (mostly editors) who criticized the Adams administration.
Widespread anger over this federal tyranny fueled Jefferson's victory over Adams in 1800. Jefferson was happy the Sedition Act expired in 1801, even though his political enemies defamed him without mercy. (The Sally Hemings lie, for example.)
But Jefferson understood that Liberty can't exists without the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment: Speech, Press, Religion, Assembly, and to Petition government for a redress of grievances.
When a famous German explorer asked President Jefferson why he allowed such attacks on his character, Jefferson smiled and said:
"Put that paper in your pocket, Baron, and should you hear the reality of our liberty [or] the freedom of our press questioned [in Europe], show this paper and tell them where you found it."
Long live the First Amendment. But it's only a paper guarantee of our rights. The people, whose DNA is stamped with Liberty, have the sacred duty to protect our rights against government abuse.
George Washington said, “We must assert our rights or accept every imposition that can be heaped upon us.”
So when any government servant tells us to move from the Rock of Liberty, it's our job to plant our feet firmly where they belong and say: