Legislation Quote by Willard Sterne Randall

[Tomas] Jefferson believed that the United States was a chosen nation with a special responsibility to spread democracy around the world.

— Gordon S. Wood

“To achieve these Jeffersonian ends, Alexander Hamilton—Jefferson’s philosophical rival—devised an ingenious strategy that entailed a strong manufacturing base, a national banking system, a centralized…

— Patrick Mendis

“America has always been torn between the ideal and the real, between noble goals and inevitable compromises. So was Jefferson. In his head and…

— Jon Meacham

“When we seek to understand liberty, equality, progress, constitutional governance, separation of church and state, and the meaning of the American Revolution, we do…

— R.B. Bernstein

“Jefferson feared that Hamilton had plans radically at odds with the Constitution. As he saw it, Hamilton wanted to warp the federal government out…

— R.B. Bernstein

Deeply versed in history, [John Adams] said over and over that America had no special providence, no special role in history, that Americans were…

— Gordon S. Wood

“Democratically-oriented Jeffersonian inspiration has prevailed throughout history and certainly been more admired than capitalistic Hamiltonian-style motivations of greed and power.”

— Patrick Mendis

“President George Washington’s namesake capital, once a marketplace for slave auctions, is now synonymous with democracy and freedom; so is the iconic Jefferson, who…

— Patrick Mendis

“Jefferson’s decision to acquire Louisiana without seeking a constitutional amendment expanded the powers of the executive in ways that would likely have driven Jefferson…

— Jon Meacham

“But this does not detract from the wisdom of his faith in the people and his constant insistence that they be left to manage…

— Calvin Coolidge

More than any other figure in our history [Tomas] Jefferson is responsible for the idea of American exceptionalism.

— Gordon S. Wood

Mr Jefferson meant that the American system should be a democracy, and he would rather have let the whole world perish than that this…

— Henry Adams