Al Franken: Thomas Jefferson explains inconsistencies in the Declaration of Independence. (July 4)

[Rhiannon12866]

Al interviews our third President on the 4th of July.


Get tickets to see Al during his 15-city "The Only Former U.S. Senator Currently on Tour" Tour at https://alfranken.com/appearances.

[Cobalt Violet]

1. No mention of the "merciless Indian savages"

Wonder when we finally stop celebrating slavery and genocidal white guys?

[Buckeye_Democrat]

2. Franken got the year of death wrong.

I was thinking, "Didn't both Jefferson and Adams die 50 years after the signing?", and they did -- 1826, not 1824.

Somewhat amusing dark humor, though!

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Just double checked and you're right

A rare, but excusable, error for Al Franken!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. He's still a funny and intelligent guy, obviously.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. And a patriot! I still can't get over his ability to draw the entire U.S. from memory!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. Yeah, that's amazing!

One of my teachers asked the students to draw the outline of the USA (not the states) from memory in elementary school, and I thought that I did reasonably well. I later saw the outline that was drawn by a female student close to me, and it was incredible. It looked more like a tracing!

[Rhiannon12866]

7. When we were kids, my brother and I had puzzles of the country with all the states

So I'm not all that bad at identifying them if they're not labeled, LOL, but there are a few (the perfectly square ones) that I sometimes get mixed up.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

8. Yeah, it's best to save states like...

... Colorado and Wyoming for last or near-last.

[DFW]

11. You caught that, too

This is the first time I EVER heard Al mess up like that.

Of course, since most Republicans couldn‘t even tell you who the first seven Presidents were, and in which order they served, I am hardly the one to start pointing fingers.

[SheltieLover]

9. K&R!

[2Gingersnaps]

10. A few serious points to Al's on point but irreverent ones,

There was a worldwide recession occurring at the time of Jefferson's death, between France impoverishing itself and other nations with the Napoleonic Wars, Jefferson's continuous entertaining as Statesman and official/unofficial Ambassador of the United States, Jefferson's spending habits; he built Monticello, tore it down and rebuilt it again-and was an avid book buyer his entire life (I can relate and be envious on the books), and a private loan of $20,000 dollars to a friend who defaulted-Jefferson died deeply in debt.

Sally Hemmings accompanied Jefferson to Paris. In Paris she was as free as any woman in France. That is to say, all women were bound to men economically since they had no legal standing beyond wife, daughter, sister (or slave). She was the half sister to Jefferson's wife, born a slave to the father of Jefferson's wife, whom he inherited.

On the final tour of the United States, the last time two dear friends would see each other alive, the Marquis de Lafayette tore Jefferson a new one on his failure to end slavery. Bottom line, one of the most brilliant minds of the era, he knew better, he did not do better.