This is a question sometimes asked by those who never studied what Jefferson himself wrote about his beliefs. If they did they would find this:
“I too have made a wee-little book . . . which I call the ‘Philosophy of Jesus.’ It is made by cutting the texts out of the book (the Bible), and arranging them on the pages of a blank book, in a certain order of time and subject. A more beautiful morsel of ethics I have never seen. It is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of Jesus, very different from the Platonists, who call me infidel and themselves Christians and preachers of the gospel, while they draw all their characteristic dogmas from what its Author never said or saw. They have compounded from heathen mysteries a system beyond the comprehension of man, of which . . .were He to return on earth would not recognize one feature.” (As quoted in Founding Fathers—Uncommon Heroes, 2003, page 178, by yours truly.)
Can you imagine if James Monroe, the lieutenant in charge of the cannon with General George Washington’s troops that crossed the Delaware River in December 1776, hadn’t been rescued by a medic when he suffered life-threatening wounds in the Battle of Trenton? If he hadn’t survived to become the fifth President of the United States of America we wouldn’t have the Monroe Doctrine.
When things were getting rough in the Colonies, there were a few men who stood up for things they believed in. It started with Patrick Henry in his speech as he was first elected to the house of Burgesses. Thomas Jefferson, his friend, listened in at the door of the Capitol in Williamsburg, as Henry made his speech, from notes written in the flyleaf of Jefferson’s loaned book!
For years I have presented classes, speeches, and presentations about the Founding Fathers of our United States of America. I love to do it. I suppose during one of my speeches, I had become a little too enthusiastic and bombastic. One attendee came up to me afterwards to tell me as much!
“Music is a part of our history. It is an expression of who we are and the times we’ve known, our highs, our lows, and so much that we love. Take away American music from the American story and you take away a good part of the soul of the story.