Organizing For Freedom

This past Wednesday we began our study with Earl Taylor teaching from the book “The Making of America” by W. Cleon Skousen. We jumped ahead in the book to the chapter where it began with the Declaration of Independence. It taught us 8 “ancient principles” that Thomas Jefferson had found in the ancient writings he had spent his life studying. By age 9 he had begun his study of Latin, Greek and French. At 16 he entered the College of William and Mary, graduated at 19, started studying law with George Wythe, the first professor of law in America. By the time he had reached his 20’s he was proficient in 5 languages, had studied the Greek and Roman classics, European history and the Old and New Testament.

We can see that our country was not founded by simple farmers.

While studying the Old Testament and other old documents he found that there were many similarities in the Ancient Israelites and the Anglo-Saxons. He referred to these as “ancient principles”. He used these “ancient principles” to write the Declaration of Independence. Here is the list of the 8 “ancient principles” he often referred to.

How has government changed since the founding of our nation? We quote Thomas Jefferson when we speak of the separation of church and state, but what has he spoken about our government in other areas?

In chapter 14, page 421 in the Writings of Thomas Jefferson, by Bergh, he writes, "The way to have good and safe government is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to [perform best]. Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward [township] direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics, from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man's farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best. What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and powers into one body, no matter whether of the autocrats of Russia or France, or of the aristocrats of a Venetian senate.”