The war he had helped launch and justify raged on, the enemy’s army had swept through his state capital only hours before and his successor as Virginia’s Governor still hadn’t been selected by the legislature, but Thomas Jefferson was going home, convinced that his work for America was done. It was the summer of 1781, five years since the July in Philadelphia when the author of the Declaration of Independence had, in two inspired weeks of writing energized by years of thought and study and practical political activity, helped create a new nation with his pen
Tag Archives: declaration
France Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite?
“The revolution is a complex whole, like life itself, with the inspiring and the unacceptable, with hope and fear, violence and fraternity.” — Francois Mitterrand A big azure-and-gilt hot-air balloon, a reproduction of an 18th century model, wafted skyward in a “salute to liberty” as thousands of spectators gathered in the Tuileries Gardens last January for the official launch of the bicentennial of the French Revolution. The Republican Guard played a fanfare.
Cuban ‘Peace’ concert riles some exiles
An international rocker is creating a rare opportunity to sing about change on the Communist island of Cuba.
Two journalists wounded in Afghanistan
Two journalists working for Associated Press were wounded when they were struck by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the news agency reported Wednesday.
A Brief History of Prison Riots
Using shards of shattered glass and metal scraps as weapons, inmates at an overcrowded California prison went on an 11-hour rampage on Aug. 8, leaving some 250 people injured and a prison dormitory burned to the ground.
River threatens historic flooding in North Dakota
More than 1,000 volunteers rushed to fill sandbags early Wednesday as many in North Dakota tried to protect themselves from historic floods that are expected to swamp the area. At 3:30 a.m., hundreds of volunteers were packed into individual sandbagging centers, an organizer said
Rush Limbaugh calls on conservatives to take back nation
Rush Limbaugh brought a cheering crowd to its feet several times Saturday in Washington as he called on fellow conservatives to take back the country in the keynote speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “We conservatives have not done a good enough job of just laying out basically who we are because we make the mistake of assuming that people know.