I greatly appreciate the discourse and revelations of all kinds. What disappoints me is the emotional "blindness" of those whose bubbles are being burst... as if a human being of note must be perfect. Jefferson's use (and abuse) of slaves is horrible and inexcusable for such an intelligent man. His brilliance in so many spheres is still a fact. Why is this so difficult to accept?
Sent from Melinda's
iPad
On Dec 12, 2012, at 9:12 AM, "Johnson, Kirk N." <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> This seems to be indulging in the "middle ground" fallacy where both
> sides of argument are framed as equally "extreme" and therefore it is
> seemingly reasonable to split the difference.
>
> I just don't see it that way--I don't think the answer to "We shouldn't
> think the Founding Fathers were saints" is "We should deconstruct them
> by 21st century social and cultural mores", but I also don't see that a
> serious discussion of Jefferson's actions within the context of the
> Revolution and the Early Republic is an exercise in what Roth described.
>
>
> Apologies if I'm misreading your intent.
>
> Kirk Johnson
> Serials Manager
>
> Prince William Public Library System
> 13083 Chinn Park Drive
> Prince William, VA 22192-5073
>
> (703) 792-4883
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Henriques
> Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 9:52 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] (VA-HIST] "The Monster of Monticello"
>
> In his novel, The Human Stain, Philip Roth notes that one of America's
> oldest communal passions is to indulge in the "ecstasy of sanctimony."
> We feel good and morally superior by condemning the moral failings of
> others, past and present. I think it is particularly important for
> those of us dedicated to a study of the past to guard against falling
> into the dangerous condition of the "ecstasy of sanctimony." It affects
> those on both the right and left wings of the political spectrum.
>
> Peter Henriques
>
>
> In a message dated 12/11/2012 9:42:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Thank you! Very few extraordinary men have totally clean slates of
> behavior. It seems a bit juvenile to condemn the man and everything he
> accomplished instead of condemning the (disappointing and unexpected by
> "fans") bad behavior as a part of that human being. The emotion about
> this subject never ceases to amaze me. Expecting our heroes to be
> saints is very concrete thinking.
>
> Sent from Melinda's
> iPad
>
> On Dec 11, 2012, at 9:18 AM, Steve Corneliussen
> <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> Mr. Barger complained that Monticello's "emphasis...on slavery
> issues"
> comes "at the expense of Mr. Jefferson." To me that seems upside down.
> The emphasis in fact honors Mr. Jefferson.
>>
>> Mr. Jefferson matters because self-evident but challenging truths
> matter. It's too bad that Monticello, like the rest of us, failed for
> many decades to begin elucidating and respecting the lives, dignity and
> contributions of individual Americans obscenely oppressed by fellow
> Americans -- including by Mr. Jefferson, the paradoxically slaveholding
> human-rights idealist.
>>
>> If Monticello had continued its former Gone-with-the-Windism on
>> slavery
> late into the last century, if the curators had persisted in obscuring
> Americans' lives on that mountain, it would have been the foundation's
> civic, historical and moral negligence that would have come at the
> expense of Mr.
> Jefferson.
>>
>> But they got it right. Good for them. Good for self-evident truths.
>>
>> Good for Mr. Jefferson.
>>
>> Steven T. Corneliussen
>> http://www.fortmonroenationalpark.org/
>> http://tjscience.org/
>> http://www.physicstoday.org/daily_edition/science_and_the_media
>>
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