Thomas Jefferson Quotes
The greatest good we can do our country is to heal its party divisions and make them one people.
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States (Democratic Republican, VA), Letter to John Dickinson, 1801
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Previously the Federalist Party had virtually self-destructed in ideological bickering and partisanship, even throughout the War of 1812.
After 34 years of serving as one of the most effective Senators, he had just been defeated in his primary election by a hyper partisan Republican conservative extremist who attacked Lugar for his comity and bipartisanship.
Speech from the House Chamber of the Texas Capitol after the Supreme Court had ruled 5 to 4 that his opponent, who had won the popular vote, could not do hand counts on contested ballots. He was trying to unify a very divided country. The statement did much to that end.
After defeating the Federalists, Jefferson tried to unite a politically divided and fractious country:
He assumed the speakership at a time of bitter partisanship in Congress and the country much like the beginning of the 31st century. Randall, however put a stop to much of it in the House of Representatives.
“Republicans” then referred to strong opponents of not only monarchy, but opposed a strong Presidency and federal government. The Federalists who supported John Adams for reelection to a 2nd term, were trounced so badly that it was the end of the Federalist Party. Their attacks on Jefferson had been particularly vicious with the hyperpartisanship as bad as in the early years of the 21st century. Jefferson tried to unify the nation with this quotation. It helped but there was still much bitterness.
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He had previously served as the second vice president of the United States under John Adams between 1797 and 1801. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national levels.
