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A Jefferson for every era, from Lincoln to Trump, and the contradictions that endure
Monticello keeps July 4 naturalization ceremonies as Jefferson’s words are cited in debates over immigration, free speech and historical memory.
- Monticello continues its decades-old July 4 naturalization ceremonies, with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger scheduled as keynote speaker despite President Donald Trump's administration efforts to restrict immigration and denaturalize citizens.
- As the country's 250th anniversary approaches, historians note America's birth remains rooted in Thomas Jefferson's profound contradiction: the man who proclaimed "all men are created equal" remained a slaveholder to his death.
- Jefferson's legacy remains contested; 19th-century Confederates and 20th-century segregationists cited his states' rights defense, while Abraham Lincoln and civil rights leaders emphasized his authorship of the Declaration of Independence.
- Acknowledging enslavement, Monticello features an exhibit on Sally Hemings and the Burial Ground for Enslaved People, though museums face broader challenges as only 10% of staff are nonwhite.
- President Donald Trump has quoted Jefferson's 1807 lament, "Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper," to bolster his war against fake news, contrasting with free-speech advocates citing Jefferson's support for the Bill of Rights.
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32 Articles
32 Articles
The Toronto Star+30 Reposted by 30 other sources
A Jefferson for every era, from Lincoln to Trump, and the contradictions that endure
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — He's a prize-winning presidential historian who wrote an entire biography of Thomas Jefferson. But even Jon Meacham needs to think for a moment before defining what
·Toronto, Canada
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A Jefferson for every era, from Lincoln to Trump, and the contradictio
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — He’s a prize-winning presidential historian who wrote an entire biography of Thomas Jefferson . But even Jon Meacham needs to think for a moment before defining what it means to be a “Jeffersonian.” “Well for a long time, before the civil rights movement, it meant to be more inclined toward states’ rights and limited government,” says Meacham, the National Constitution Center’s Semiquincentennial Scholar. He then paus…
·Baltimore, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left15Leaning Right3Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Left
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources lean Left
53% Left
L 53%
C 36%
11%
Factuality
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