In 2010, the Texas Board of Education removed Thomas Jefferson from their curriculum?

The first three Presidents of the United States were more than just a representation of the new born nation and the democracy to which they found – they ARE the institution and continuity of the Office of the President. In this, and because of them it is without question that the U.S. Government exists today.

The exclusion of Jefferson is the exclusion of America’s most independent, intelligent, and forward thinking President the United States ever elected. President Kennedy once said at a dinner honoring American Nobel Prize winners, April 29, 1962: “I think that this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.” No one disagrees with this point across either aisle nor in either Chamber even today in 2012.

Sifting through the records of the Virginia Gazette, through which Jefferson ordered many of his books, a scholar by the name of Frank Dewey discovered that Jefferson bought this copy of the Qur'an around 1765, when he was still a student of law at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. This is important as it situates his interest in the Qur'an in the context of his legal studies–a conclusion that is consistent with his shelving of it in the section on jurisprudence. How he shelved his books speaks to the central character of this man. (He would pick the ordered copy up from the General Store not far from his beloved Monticello when it arrived.)

For the sake of History just “what” was happening in 1765? Jefferson was in fact beginning the compilation of what is now known as the “Jefferson Bible” though he wouldn’t get into a more full consideration of this work until after he left the Office of the President. In 1765 the Colonists were dealing with the following Acts that had already arrived and other Acts that would soon arrive (these lead to the American Revolution): 1763 Proclamation, 1764 Sugar Act, 1764 Stamp Act, 1764 Currency Act, 1765 Quartering Act, 1765 Stamp Act, 1767 Townsend Act, 1773 Tea Act. Jefferson began taking the Qur’an, the Torah, the King James Version of the Bible and began searching for answers on the common man ability to self rule, rule without a Crown above. Jefferson becomes the first man in North America to own an English version of Qur’an; to him it was a tool and pool of knowledge not unlike the other tools at his disposal for consideration.

Too bad the politicians in Texas didn’t consider the following:

Samuel Greenhow happened to be Jefferson's agent at the Mutual Assurance Society. He decided to approach Jefferson for a donation to the fledgling Bible Society, writing to him, “I [am] very unwilling to be considered as impertinent, and have therefore hesitated, before I determined, that, I might, without impertinence, inclose to you a Copy of the Address & Constitution of an Association in Virginia, for the distribution of Bibles gratuitously, to those who are not able to purchase them....We should be much pleased to number you among the members of the Society; But, if you should prefer it, we will thankfully receive any donation that you may be pleased to aid us with ---“ On January 31, 1814, Jefferson replied, "I presume the views of the society are confined to our own country, for with the religion of other countries, my own forbids intermedling. I had not supposed there was a family in this state not possessing a bible and without having the means to procure one. when, in earlier life I was intimate with every class, I think I never was in a house where that was the case. however, circumstances may have changed, and the society I presume have evidence of the fact. I therefore inclose you chearfully an order on Messrs Gibson and Jefferson for 50.D. for the purposes of the society, sincerely agreeing with you that there never was a more pure & sublime system of morality delivered to man than is to be found in the four evangelists." The sum of $50 USD in this time frame was no chump change; we see the sort of thinker he is in this answer above as he had written “….society are confined to our own country…”

I am not an Atheist any more I am a Fundamental Christian; however, the “gray area��� (religiously speaking) appreciates that “Freedom of Religion” also means the right to choose your faith as it does the right to abstain from any form of organized religion. Imposing this new standard is a travesty to the History of the United States; last I looked Texas is NOT an Independent Nation and this whole matter is a shame.

“Live Free or Die” <<<< these weren’t just words in the time of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson – this was a call to Freedom, a democratic Freedom “…of the People, by the People, and for the People…”

It's pathetic, isn't it? This is the worst case of revisionist history I've ever seen. What sucks even more is that Texas is so big, that their decisions often affect the text books that other states end up using.

It's crap like this -- when people put their "us vs. them" philosophy ahead of basic reason -- the leads to cultural warfare and ultimately contribute to civil wars.

Recently a mathematician analyzed cycles of violence over the decades in the US, and came to the conclusion that we are headed towards a bad one in the 2020s. I hope he's wrong, but I have to admit some of the signs are worrying, such as the growing gap between rich & poor, increasingly heated cultural battles, eroding middle class, rise of conspiracy theories, increased political polarization, etc.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-really-experience-violent...

I do question the 47 million statistic though, when Texas only has 25 million citizens total.

And a lot of liberals beleive he ment the modern day version of Jefferson sepreation of church and state is what he ment by the logo. People should be taught about him the good and bad and should be encourage to read his works he's an intresting figure that is hard to put down.

Anyways the consitutional republic is a better description of the USA. Just look up quotes by Jefferson on what he thought of democracy's (he diden't think to highley on them)

and Natures God is a bord but non relegious way of saying god.

Basically what Texas is doing is trying to get past the PC police.

please cite which works have had ol' TJ removed from them...do history books just skip over the months he spending in Philly in 1776 and that document thing he and Adams wrote, and, do the books have a big blank spot between Adams and Madison's Presidencies?

Kelly, you're being very blonde and letting your prejudices show......

what exactly is a fundamentalist Christian ?

no

YOLO