Hard times

 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is its natural manure." – Thomas Jefferson, Nov. 13, 1787, in a letter to William Stephens Smith

"A little rebellion now and then is a good thing." – Thomas Jefferson, Jan. 30, 1787, in a letter to James Madison

I bring forward these quotes from Thomas Jefferson in light of the horrifying rape and vandalism of the nation's Capitol by a fevered pro-Trump mobacracy on Wednesday, fomented to insurrection by none other than President Trump himself just moments before the assault on Congress.

The Trump supporters, apparently prepared for rebellion (and well armed, as it turned out), intentionally tried to interrupt a Constitutionally ordained procedure to certify the electoral college vote count.

In other words, a move toward anarchy.

The above quotes by Jefferson, which seem to be pointed and precise if you care to take sides with the aggressors, were written in response to Shays' Rebellion that occurred near Springfield, Mass., in 1786-87. The uprising was a result of area farmers dealing with a local debt crisis and state taxation. Many of those rebels fought in the Revolution and felt under-compensated for their efforts (including Capt. Daniel Shays, for whom the rebellion was named).

The rebellion also occurred during the drafting of the Constitution to replace the ineffective Articles of Confederation, which Madison – regarded as the Father of the Constitution – used to draw up the Second Amendment. You know, the part about a well-regulated Militia.

To this day, both of Jefferson's quotes are open to interpretation. The second quote often shows up on T-shirts among small-government believers who also like to brandish "Don't Tread on Me" flags.

The first quote is curious. The blood of "patriots & tyrants" is pitting two opposing forces – countrymen – against each other, apparently to the death. This actually foretells the Civil War. The part about manure might speak for itself. Maybe Jefferson's quote isn't what it might seem. Was he really promoting bloody rebellions every generation or so? A bit more on that in a moment.

The thing about these quotes is that Jefferson was on a diplomatic mission in France at the time, buying books and furniture and discovering recipes for ice cream. He had nothing to do with writing the Constitution, so why are his opinions even regarded here?

The French, however, loved Jefferson and saw him as an expert in revolutions, especially given that he was the author of the American Declaration of Independence, the ultimate in revolutionary documents.

The argument can be made that Jefferson was a seriously conflicted personality. While writing that all men are created equal, his slaves were building Monticello. While calling for rebellion against the monarchy, he's fleeing Charlottesville from approaching British troops. Where's the blood of the patriot?

If truth be told (a rare commodity these days, it seems), Jefferson can be regarded as an extreme liberal for his views on rebellion. He also thought the local Massachusetts government had a right to put down Shay's Rebellion.

Considering that he is so self-conflicted, did we really elect him as our third president of the United States? Sounds like he had some real split-personality issues.

Well, he did give us the Louisiana Purchase. Wait. Wasn't that socialism redefined as government expansionism?

In light of these troubled times, there's another quote to consider. It comes from Massachusetts Chief Justice William Cushing in a letter he wrote in The Hampshire Gazette in June 1787 about Shays' Rebellion:

"I fear evil minded persons, leaders of the insurgents ... (waging war) against the Commonwealth, to bring the whole government and all good people of this state, if not continent, under absolute command and subjugation to one or two ignorant, unprincipled, bankrupt, desperate individuals."

Wow. That could have been yesterday's editorial.

We live in perilous times right now. The days leading up to Joe Biden's inauguration appear to be particularly fraught, especially after last week's events. Trump supporters, emboldened after breaching the Capitol while Congress is in session, are promising more to come. Maybe even bloodshed.

When, after the Constitution was adopted in 1789, founding father Ben Franklin was supposedly asked if the nation had a republic or a monarchy.  "A republic," was his reply, "if you can keep it."

The storming of the Capitol is as close as we have come to Franklin's crossroads since the Civil War. 

Tomorrow's editorial awaits.