Jefferson’s Enduring Beliefs

Akhil Amar, as might be expected, has made his case against Thomas Jefferson readably and learnedly (“Declaring Independence from Thomas Jefferson,” July 31). There was a time when I shared it, and more. Hatred of banks, love of Jacobins, paralysis in the face of slavery — his failings are many.

I always acknowledged, however, Jefferson’s unique skills as a writer. I stress the word “unique.” He borrowed this, that, and the other from a dozen sources, and sometimes admitted it. The vital thing for the reader, and the rememberer, is what Jefferson did with it all. The difference between the right word and the almost-right word, said Mark Twain, is the difference between lightning and lightning bug. Jefferson at his best, and the Declaration contains a lot of his best, flashes.

Over the years I have also come to believe that the two things he most believed were that rights are real and that the people, over time, will choose rightly. The second belief is harder to swallow, since it often seems to contradict the first. But with optimism and hard work, it too can be true. If Jefferson was wrong about either or both of these beliefs, then America is wrong.

Richard Brookhiser