10 takeaways about Thomas

Between you and me: I’m not a huge fan of Thomas Jefferson. The more I learn about him, the less I like him. I recently finished reading American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis.

Here are a few takeaways about our third president:

Frequently full of baloney — “a monster of self-deception”

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Sang, talked, and hummed to himself

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Doubled his holdings marrying Martha.

Martha was a wealthy widow. With their union Jefferson doubled his holdings in both land and people.

NOTE: Martha didn’t want him to remarry when she died, which seemed hypocritical and a bit of a double standard. She remarried when her first husband died. Turns out, she may have just not wanted her kids raised by a stepmother. She’d had two and it didn’t go well.

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Wanted a complete separation of church and state.

He appreciated the moral lessons of Jesus, but was skeptical of religion as a whole. He was tolerant of others’ religion, saying “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It picks neither my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

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Il ne savait pas parler Français.

He fancied himself multilingual… but couldn’t speak French even after living after living in France for five years. While comfortable reading in several languages, he wasn’t able to confidently or reliably able to speak or write.

His daughter Patsy became so familiar with the language that she began thinking in French ... and thinking that she wanted to be a nun. That’s when Jefferson realized it was time to go home. He wanted nun of that.

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Obsessed with proving that Americans have bigger mammals.

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Owes Toussaint L’Ouverture and the mosquito a debt of gratitude for Louisiana.

Without them, France may not have been so open to offloading the territory.

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Adored alliteration.

A Megalonyx is a giant ground sloth, occasionally called “Jefferson’s ground sloth” since he was the first to write about the fossils. He originally believed they were a member of the lion family.

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Feared the federal judiciary.

OK, a few years ago I wouldn’t have any idea what he was talking about. But I have to admit. He may have been onto something here. I see you, Jefferson. I see you.

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Up next!

I’m currently reading Heirs of the Founders: Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants, by H.W. Brands. Follow along on Instagram for new doodles.

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Don’t be ugly.

To see all of my doodles inspired by American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, check out this reel.

I’ll close with some advice Jefferson gave his daughter Polly:

Never go out without your bonnet “because it will make you very ugly and then we should know love you so much.”