Thomas Jefferson.

Our founders were wise people.

Thomas Jefferson is a saint

facts son

is that really a TJ quote... I've used it frequently, but never actually saw it with a citation before.. thanks.

First published record of the quote is from 1953. Very clearly something Jefferson never said nor would say.

Why would he never say that?

Because it is a veiled dig at communism, and communism had not yet been conceptualized in his day.

He was indeed noted for limiting the powers of government (although a government big enough to ban slavery imports and to involve the navy in the Mediterranean) but the idea that government could be used on that scale to take the role of charity or to engineer mass deprivation is anachronistic.

He could’ve also said it in the context of criminal justice, which was a big problem with the articles

For some reason he was a fan of the articles, as far as I'm aware.

In what research I’ve done, I’m not sure. He was serving as the French ambassador during the Convention, so he didn’t sign the Constitution, but he was from Virginia, and larger states weren’t generally in favor of the articles. This was because each state had equal legislation powers regardless of population or size. This is why the state of Rhode Island wasn’t even represented. If you look at the principles of the Virginia and New Jersey plans, they strongly reflect this, so there was, as you know, a comprise, with congress. But you could be right idk

Oh the articles were a disaster that nearly destroyed the union entirely and everybody said so. Jefferson was influential with the Convention but there was only so much he could do without being there.

But my understanding is that he saw his presidency as bringing the Constitution closer to the spirit of the articles. How right he was about that is up for debate but that was the narrative he pushed.

To my understanding. I am not a historian, I just play one on tv.

Seems legit

The quote still holds true.