Bill Barker: "Meet Thomas Jefferson" (1 of 9)

well good evening my pleasure indeed to finally have the opportunity and and arrived here for what I hope will be a delightful discourse that is a conversation upon any subject that you would like to put forth a file general interest a conversation directed by your questions and open and free inquiry that has always been my greatest delight and which is American citizens we must never ever neglect it is the public controversy it is the public debate the public argument more than anything else which will continue to protect and defend our natural rights well this is not only the american argument this is indeed the argument that has continued throughout time immemorial and throughout the family a man across this globe and let us recognize thereby that these are the rights that are given not only to all of us as Americans but indeed the rights that are given to the family of man not by any government and not by any chief industry but rather these are the rights that are given to us by nature and nature's God so how well we incur his favor engage his benevolence when we engage these rights or rest you assured this history has shown if we do not we may lose them so I look forward to your questions I look forward to your concerns and and your argument says I've looked forward these last several months to finally take leave of Washington City which perhaps you have read I often referred to as a swamp of politics oh it is we cannot deny physically that Washington is a swamp the general vicinity of the confluence of the Anacostia with the Potomac River presents to us a swamp which we are ever endeavouring to fillion though I happily the capital building of our nation danced majestically upon Jenkins Hill and the presidents have us upon Davis Hill but no Washington is a sea of politics which I have referred to often politics is a boisterous sea upon which one rarely if ever sights land but I hope we realize that it is a necessity politics is a necessity of the free people to ever be engaged for the ultimate art and the end of politics is compromise and resolution for the public good and so therefore yes I set out from Washington City once more much to the exasperation of the Federalists perhaps you've read as well in the newspapers they continue to accuse me of taking more vacations than any other United States president well considering they've only been to before me I do not think that any great accomplishment by any means citizens I do enjoy to get out of Washington City because well because simply I can travel incognito nobody knows who I am could you imagine if a president's likeness could be duplicated in the newspapers the same way his words and sentences are everybody would know what he looks like he'd never have a moment of solace in his life but no I can travel unknown throughout our land and thereby enjoy conversations directly with my fellow Americans to hear the concerns of our citizenry hear their grievances and to hear the number of means they use to describe the president of the United States and his it has been my delight it is indeed to hear their opinions that I might be more directly connected then to the voice of the people Oh indeed as the Romans used to say vox populi vox di the voice of the people is ever the voice of God there in nature shall speak I I forgive you oftentimes I lapse into Latin phraseology though perhaps because I've ever delighted in the study of those people and they're fantastic civilization and forms of government oh yes I do refer to myself as an antique Roman in many many ways but the great reverence for a republican government but no citizens I'm happy to finally arrive here after these last three weeks in the saddle that is how long it has taken me to ride these 650 miles from the president's house to your the Senate chair the Senate's that is inhabited by the stem family flemm what is that the name Medal him and Joseph who have the stead established this settlement and ADA devoted to trapping I'm astounded by your wilderness up here and the more gratified than when I was a boy all that was in the northwest particularly about the Great Lakes was referred to as North West Virginia so I I feel indeed a great familiarity with all of you you here and I must admit I think I've made some pretty good time on the road as many of you know who owned a horse you can never ride more than about 35 or 40 miles a days so it's not the tie out your horse let alone yourselves and you'd never ride any faster in the saddle then about oh five miles an hour that is a comfortable pace if you've tried to ride or six seven miles an hour over a long distance no you'll soon discover it's unsettling to the digestion and consider if you will most people across the globe do not even own a horse horses are expensive particular to purchase and to breed properly to maintain is that not provocative to think that the majority of people across this globe travel from one place to the other well household they walk our own god-given method of transportation our own two feet which will take you comfortably about three miles an hour which is a curious scientific point to ponder is it not the average rate of speed upon this globe all of these centuries a millennium between the privileged the few that on a horse travel comfortably at five miles an hour and yet the great majority the common man who continues to walk comfortably at three miles an hour well there you have it in your calculation after all of these millennium it still remains a four mile an hour world does it not that is the world I know I know of no place upon the globe where you can travel any faster than a ship at sea or a horse on land oh I know they've been remarkable modern contrivances the steam and powered mechanical device that they placed in the boat back in 88 in place that boat upon the Delaware River to sail against the current oh it still could not travel any faster than when they achieve upon horseback and yes mr. leepu in the city of philadelphia placed the same steam and powered engine in a cart placed the cart on two rails parallel to them be propelled forward that still cannot travel any faster than one may accomplish speed on horseback and I hear there will be a further improvement this year 1807 my good friend mr. Robert Fulton is working with our mutual friend mr. bleep instant of New York and they are collaborating on a much more improved steam empowered engine and citizen my point for this divergence is to consider consider indeed without any mechanical device without any modern technology the art of mechanics and science simply the human mind and our own two hands has created the United States of America is that not truly remarkable to think that we are the first people in the history of mankind to finally establish a nation upon principle not upon monarchy no upon aristocracy this is a remarkable achievement long argued and debated throughout the history of mankind and finally put into effect as the American experiment of self-government I would tell you that as I was dismounting out of doors taking off my riding boots putting on my city shoes here preparing to come in I discovered that I was still somewhat musty and dusty from the road and I thereby thought I should provide you an apology for my unkempt appearance and my I rather dusty address those I was introduced my family yes I ascended the dais to walk here and gainsaid amongst you I do not know why I should apologize for my curious address here this evening I've always believed in dressing for comfort but you overwhelm me in that respect here tonight and and I do then realize that I'm perhaps more the overdressed upon this occasion and what has become quite the modern fashion in a gentleman suit of clothes has perhaps you've noticed since the turn of the century the gentlemen have cut away their old frock coats those trucks were so fashionable before doing after the American Revolution buttoning right down to your knees gentlemen as well have cut away their Wescott's and I will agree this provides a greater comfort in the saddle and I'm never a day out of the saddle there's no excess nail of material to worry about and perhaps you've noticed the the old tri-corner hat remember how fashionable that used to be before during after the American Revolution well now that is looked upon as old-fashioned and they say the gentlemen are now beginning to spot proudly their top hats taking on a rather rigid style though I still prefer floppy felt for my comfort

Channel: Hauenstein Center

Views: 31,457

Rating: 4.9024391 out of 5

Keywords: american, author, declaration, father, founder, founding, jefferson, of, president, secretary, state, states, the, thomas, united

Id: dW8NMyWuGP8

Length: 10min 1sec (601 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 15 2008