Comments on: David Barton’s whitewash of Thomas Jefferson as a slave owner https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/ A [retired] college psychology professor's observations about public policy, mental health, sexual identity, and religious issues Wed, 30 May 2018 18:23:53 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 By: Lynn David https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-81839 Wed, 30 May 2018 18:23:53 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-81839 Barton cannot even be classed as an amateur historian due to his necessary confirmation bias. Someday….

]]> By: Bert Lund https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-77830 Wed, 30 May 2018 17:58:54 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-77830 Why doesn’t Throckmorton debate Mr. Barton face to face? Some how I know that will never happen. There is a weighiness regarding the truth of this subject that only the “principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places” full understand the the import thereof.

Shame on all those who have even the slightest trace of “self promotion” or “contentiouis jealousy” when weighing in upon Jefferson.

]]> By: James M. Martin https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-77813 Wed, 30 May 2018 17:58:53 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-77813 You touch on a sublime irony. If he whitewashes Jefferson’s role as a slaver, the pseudo-historian Barton does the Bible a disservice. Both old a new testaments acknowledge the righteousness of owning slaves; indeed, much of the O.T. is chock full of advice on how to treat this conquered foe or that once you have them in chains. The Bartons of this world, hell-bent on painting the separation of church and state as “a myth,” do all they can to Christianize the statesman, but he and Adams, Madison and Lincoln (and anyone’s guess how many others) often dissed Christianity at least in the practice of it, some reserving choice epithets for pastors and preachers in particular. (Lincoln’s atheism may have been inspired by all the failed table-turnings in the White House, since both he and Mary were so saddened with the death of Tad that they resorted to spiritism. Today, we have The Great Randi.) Make no mistake about it: Jefferson was anti-clerical, anti-organized religion, and basically agnostic if not privately atheist.

]]> By: James Fergson https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-77816 Wed, 30 May 2018 17:58:53 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-77816 Also of note is that Jefferson did free 5 slaves in his will. I have noted repeatedly in my comments to the review I wrote in amazon, that it wasn’t the Virginia law, but his own insurmountable debts that forced him to retain his slaves. He used his slaves as collateral, which McLaughlin notes in his book, Jefferson and Monticello, and these slaves were sold as part of the estate sale upon his death to cover his debts.

]]> By: Bert Lund https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-61152 Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:27:17 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-61152 Why doesn’t Throckmorton debate Mr. Barton face to face? Some how I know that will never happen. There is a weighiness regarding the truth of this subject that only the “principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places” full understand the the import thereof.

Shame on all those who have even the slightest trace of “self promotion” or “contentiouis jealousy” when weighing in upon Jefferson.

]]> By: Timothy Kincaid https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-61151 Wed, 13 Jun 2012 20:05:10 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-61151 It’s interesting what Barton is doing.

He feels the necessity to whitewash Jefferson so that his admiration and hero worship can align with his own personal values. To do so, he is willing to engage in distortions and even deceit – even though these are contrary to the direct commandments of God.

Barton is perhaps one of the best living examples of someone who “put other gods before me”. So as to glorify his Founding Father gods, he has ignored the Almighty God.

Probably not a good idea.

]]> By: Timothy Kincaid https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-77831 Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:05:10 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-77831 It’s interesting what Barton is doing.

He feels the necessity to whitewash Jefferson so that his admiration and hero worship can align with his own personal values. To do so, he is willing to engage in distortions and even deceit – even though these are contrary to the direct commandments of God.

Barton is perhaps one of the best living examples of someone who “put other gods before me”. So as to glorify his Founding Father gods, he has ignored the Almighty God.

Probably not a good idea.

]]> By: James Fergson https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-61150 Wed, 13 Jun 2012 06:04:49 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-61150 I am curious who Barton tries to take on next. He would have a tough time with Madison, although I see he has tried,

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves . . . according to the Ten Commandments of God.” — James Madison (unconfirmed)

Adams would be a little easier to approach in this regard, but he too believed in a separation between church and state. Moving forward in history, Lincoln would be exceedingly difficult to pin down on faith, but I often see unconfirmed quotes on his religious views on facebook such as,

“The only assurance of our nation’s safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion.”– Abe Lincoln (unconfirmed)

http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=126

I don’t think it much matters as far as his followers are concerned. What worries me is the ear he has gained among Congressional Republicans and Republican state legislators around the country. It seems these guys want to not only rewrite the science text books but history, economics and social studies text books as well. In many ways they have already done so,

“Since January (2010), Republicans on the board have passed more than 100 amendments to the 120-page curriculum standards affecting history, sociology and economics courses from elementary to high school. The standards were proposed by a panel of teachers.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html

]]> By: James Fergson https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-77824 Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:04:49 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-77824 I am curious who Barton tries to take on next. He would have a tough time with Madison, although I see he has tried,

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves . . . according to the Ten Commandments of God.” — James Madison (unconfirmed)

Adams would be a little easier to approach in this regard, but he too believed in a separation between church and state. Moving forward in history, Lincoln would be exceedingly difficult to pin down on faith, but I often see unconfirmed quotes on his religious views on facebook such as,

“The only assurance of our nation’s safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion.”– Abe Lincoln (unconfirmed)

http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=126

I don’t think it much matters as far as his followers are concerned. What worries me is the ear he has gained among Congressional Republicans and Republican state legislators around the country. It seems these guys want to not only rewrite the science text books but history, economics and social studies text books as well. In many ways they have already done so,

“Since January (2010), Republicans on the board have passed more than 100 amendments to the 120-page curriculum standards affecting history, sociology and economics courses from elementary to high school. The standards were proposed by a panel of teachers.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html

]]> By: James M. Martin https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/06/06/david-bartons-whitewash-of-thomas-jefferson-as-a-slave-owner/#comment-61149 Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:34:14 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=11586#comment-61149 You touch on a sublime irony. If he whitewashes Jefferson’s role as a slaver, the pseudo-historian Barton does the Bible a disservice. Both old a new testaments acknowledge the righteousness of owning slaves; indeed, much of the O.T. is chock full of advice on how to treat this conquered foe or that once you have them in chains. The Bartons of this world, hell-bent on painting the separation of church and state as “a myth,” do all they can to Christianize the statesman, but he and Adams, Madison and Lincoln (and anyone’s guess how many others) often dissed Christianity at least in the practice of it, some reserving choice epithets for pastors and preachers in particular. (Lincoln’s atheism may have been inspired by all the failed table-turnings in the White House, since both he and Mary were so saddened with the death of Tad that they resorted to spiritism. Today, we have The Great Randi.) Make no mistake about it: Jefferson was anti-clerical, anti-organized religion, and basically agnostic if not privately atheist.

]]>