Thomas Jefferson Archives

Lafayette On The Folly Of Tolerance

By Chris Carosa on April 9, 2024

James Madison served as the fourth President of the United States from 1809 to 1817, immediately preceding James Monroe. History textbooks refer to him as the “Father of the Constitution” as he acted as the driving force in drafting both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

A short three years prior to that seminal event, Madison traveled from Baltimore to Fort Stanwix to negotiate with the Iroquois Confederacy. Accompanying him was a young French general and a protégé of George Washington. That would be the Marquis de Lafayette.

This chance meeting formed what would become a lifelong bond between the two men. Very early on, Madison recognized Lafayette’s affinity with the American Indians, as well as Continue Reading “Lafayette On The Folly Of Tolerance”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged André-Nicolas Lavassuer, commonality, Fort Stanwix, George Washington, Iroquois, Iroquois Confederacy, James Madison, James Monroe, Lafayette, liberty, Thomas Jefferson, tolerance

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Overview Of His 1824-1825 American Visit (Part I)

By Chris Carosa on March 5, 2024

Previous: Why Lafayette?

“The spirits of the defenders of the American liberty are visiting him during his passage, the genu protectors of America drive away the storms,” Moreau and Dubouloz (1825). Source: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

When Lafayette arrived at the harbor in New York, he came with two traveling companions. They would remain with him for the entire journey. During this excursion, they would witness and experience the raw emotion of the reunion between old friends.

The most prominent of Lafayette’s party was his son, Georges Washington Louis Gilbert de La Fayette. Contemporary American newspaper accounts refer to him as “George Washington Lafayette.” This makes sense, given the patriotic zeal that enveloped the country.

Lafayette’s son was born on Christmas Eve 1779. This was the year Lafayette was Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Overview Of His 1824-1825 American Visit (Part I)”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Andre-Nicolas Levasseur, Ben Franklin, Bunker Hill Monument, French Revolution, George Washington, George Washington Lafayette, Harvard, James Madison, John Adams, John Jay, Lafayette, Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson, Yale, Yorktown

‘How Do I Know I’m Truly Free?’ What’s Your Answer?

By Chris Carosa on July 4, 2023

The last glowing embers of July Fourth fireworks float gently down from soaring heights. Satisfied with your annual exhaustion of “oohs” and “aahs,” you lean back to relax comfortably in your chair. Friendly conversation renews and life goes on.

But do you ever wonder about what went into that independence you so enthusiastically celebrate? What are its vital elements? More importantly, how do you know those ingredients haven’t passed their expiration date?

It begins with freedom. Or does it begin with liberty?

Thomas Jefferson doesn’t even use the word “freedom” in his Declaration of Independence. He does refer to “Free and Independent States” twice and to “free people” once. Of course, the one time he uses the word “liberty,” Jefferson gives it top billing in his phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

This latter triumvirate of terms goes back to classic times (see “How to Live the Good Life with No Regrets,” Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, August 25, 2022). Aristotle said the Continue Reading “‘How Do I Know I’m Truly Free?’ What’s Your Answer?”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Aristotle, Declaration of Independence, Four Freedoms, Fourth of July, Franklin D. Roosevelt, freedom, Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, John Locke, liberty, life, Pearl Harbor, pursuit of happiness, Thomas Jefferson

How Far Do Private Property Rights Go?

By Chris Carosa on June 6, 2023

Many see Thomas Jefferson’s iconic “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” as having derived directly from Aristotle’s “Life, Liberty, and Eudaimonia.” For those of you not familiar with Greek, eudaimonia literally translates to the state or condition of “good spirit.” It represents the combination of the eu (meaning good) with daimon (meaning spirit).

Aristotle used the term in his Nicomachean Ethics, his tome devoted to the “science of happiness.” As a result, we commonly equate eudaimonia with happiness. Aristotle was all about living the good life, and by “good life” Aristotle alludes to a morality of higher Continue Reading “How Far Do Private Property Rights Go?”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Alan S. Waterman, Andrew Cuomo, Aristotle, asylum, Covid, Crossroads Hotel, Declaration of Independence, Eric Adams, Eudaimonia, Founding Fathers, home rule, Hudson Valley, illegal alien, John Locke, Kathy Hochul, liberty, life, New York City, Newburgh, Nichomachean Ethics, Orange County, property, pursuit of happiness, Ramada by Wyndham, refugee, rights, Sanctuary City, State of Emergency, Thomas Jefferson, Veronika Huta

How To Declare Independence And Start Pursuing Your Happiness

By Chris Carosa on September 6, 2022

Many folks think Thomas Jefferson “borrowed” the phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” from John Locke. The 17^th Century British philosopher and physician famously wrote, in the unsigned Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government, that government exists to protect one’s life, liberty, and property. Sounds awfully similar to the words used by our Founding Father nearly ninety years later.

Significantly, Locke’s focus on personal “property” breaks from the sense of Thomas Hobbes. In his 1651 treatise Leviathan, Hobbes paints a sovereign-centric ideal. In this “social contract,” citizens cede personal freedoms to the ruler in exchange for protection. Without such protection, the contract is invalidated.

Bear in mind, Hobbes wrote this while in exile during the English Civil War between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists. He rejected Aristotle’s premise that man is driven by Continue Reading “How To Declare Independence And Start Pursuing Your Happiness”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Aristotle, English Civil War, Eudaimonia, Founding Father, government, happiness, John Locke, Leviathan, liberty, life, Lifetime Dream, Parliamentarians, property, pursuit of happiness, Royalists, Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government, social contract, State, Thomas Hobbes, Thomas Jefferson

Condemned to Repeat It: This 200+ Year Old Concept Rises Again in 2020

By Chris Carosa on January 14, 2020

“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
– George Santayana in his 1905 series, The Life of Reason: the Phases of Human Progress.

It’s not new. It’s been with us since George Washington ended his second term as President. You might have heard it ended once and for all during the nadir of the American experiment.

But it’s still here. And for all its association with evil, the worst of our proud heritage, people continue to embrace it like a badge of honor.

Yet, it began with such promise…

No one ever questioned George Washington. He’s our first and probably last Continue Reading “Condemned to Repeat It: This 200+ Year Old Concept Rises Again in 2020”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 1796 Election, Adam Bello, Alien and Sedition Acts, Civil War, compromise, Compromise Tarriff of 1833, drivers license, Federal Immigration Law, George Santayana, George Washington, Henry Clay, James Madison, John Adams, John Calhoun, Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, Michael Kearns, New York State, nullification, Sanctuary City, second amendment, The Life of Reason, The Nullification Crisis, Thomas Jefferson, tribalism

The Liberty of the Ad Lib

By Chris Carosa on August 20, 2019

Did you see what I did there?

“Liberty”…

“Ad Lib”…

Get it?

OK. I have to admit. It is a bit of a stretch. At least from a literal standpoint. The “lib” of “ad lib” doesn’t stand for “liberty.” It’s actually the short form of the Latin phrase ad libitum.

Ad libitum literally translates to “at one’s pleasure.” There’s no “liberty” in it at all. Our word “liberty” derives from the Latin word liber. In Latin, liber and libitum mean two different, albeit not wholly unrelated, things.

The Latin liber means “free” or “unrestricted.” You can easily see how we get “liberty” from Continue Reading “The Liberty of the Ad Lib”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged America, Aristotle, Bill Murray, Caddyshack, Chevy Chase, comedians, comedy, Foundiing Fathers, freedom, Grateful Dead, John Locke, Kodak Center, Libertarian, Marx Brothers, Natural Rights, Rodney Danferfield, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine

Declaration of (Italian) American Independence

By Chris Carosa on October 9, 2018

“They all laughed at Christopher Columbus/When he said the world was round…” So begins the lyrics of Ira Gershwin for brother George’s 1937 composition “They All Laughed.” The Gershwins wrote the song for the movie Shall We Dance, starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Frank Sinatra famously included the tune in his masterpiece Trilogy album, where he sings the closing lyrics “Who’s got the last laugh now?” with a knowing wink.

From Christopher Columbus to Frank Sinatra, it’s clear that Italians and Italian-Americans have had a tremendous impact on America. Over the next three weeks, we’ll focus on those names history books seem to have neglected.

Did you know Italian-Americans played a prominent role in the founding of America? For example, three of the first five American warships were named after Italians. These were Continue Reading “Declaration of (Italian) American Independence”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Andrea Doria, Benjamin Franklin, Christopher Columbus, Conqueror of the Old Northwest, Declaration of Independence, Filppo Mazzei, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Furioso, George Gershwin, George Rogers Clark, George Washington, Ginger Rogers, Giovanni Caboto, Giuseppe Maria Francesco Vigo, Hannibal of the West, Henry Hamilton, Ira Gershwin, Italian American, John Cabot, John F. Kennedy, Lewis and Clark Expedition, New Orleans, Patrick Henry, Shall We Dance, St. Louis, St. Vincent, Terre Haute, They All Laughed, Thomas Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Treaty of Paris, Trilogy, Vincennes, William Clark

A Confession from a Hypocrite: Alas, I, too, am a Free Rider

By Chris Carosa on July 17, 2018

It was the most regrettable thing I had ever done in my entire life. At the time I thought it was a giant step forward, a statement that, because of who I was, because of who we were, would make a difference.

Organizing the protest had other alluring advantages. Our teacher encouraged us. We respected her and she respected us. She treated us like adults. We liked that. It presented us with the ultimate reward: greater self-esteem. In addition, the entire class participated. That meant we could be with our friends, and all the social rewards that brings. Finally, only our class was allowed to participate. It was a reward for getting our schoolwork done in a timely fashion. There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment to fill the soul with self-confidence.

Of course, it helped that we hooked our wagon to a national movement. It was the first Continue Reading “A Confession from a Hypocrite: Alas, I, too, am a Free Rider”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Absolute Power, Ben Franklin, Bethlehem Steel, Bill of Rights, Bishop Mandell Creighton, CBS Evening News, checks and balances, Earth Day, English Bill of Rights, Founding Fathers, Gaylord Nelson, gun, King James II, Lackawanna, Lord Acton, Magna Carta, Santa Barbara Oil Spill, second amendment, self-defense, Thomas Jefferson, United States Constitution, Walter Cronkite

How to Declare War

By Chris Carosa on December 1, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 29, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

What the Constitution says: The Constitution of the United States of America clearly states only Congress can declare war on another nation. Our founding fathers correctly determined the impropriety of putting an entire nation at risk as a result of one person having too much authority. Though naming him Commander-in-Chief, they astutely forbade the President from declaring war.

Constitutional scholars call this juxtaposition the separation of powers. The separation of powers between the three major branches of government creates a very durable system of Continue Reading “How to Declare War”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Commander-in-Chief, Congress, Constitution, Grenada, Gulf War, Iraq, James Madison, Korea, Kuwait, Libya, Panama, President George H.W. Bush, President Nixon, Saddam, Thomas Jefferson, Vietnam, War Powers Act