courtesy of Paul L. Nettles

I wonder how many of the misguided wingnuts who intimidate and strive to thuggishly silence their fellow citizens have read the whole passage? They may be comforted by what seems to be stirring phrase, when torn out of context, but they shouldn’t. They misunderstand its meaning, and misunderstand their fate if they give in to violence.

Jefferson told the rest of the citizenry what to do in the face of any such violent watering. Jefferson’s advice to the peaceful is much more arduous than striking out in ignorant violence, but we cannot shrink from his instructions. It is our duty as patriotic citizens to remember the words that surround that disturbing phrase, and act on them if necessary.

Here is Jefferson’s supposedly stirring and inspiring quote:

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.

Now read what Jefferson wrote immediately before it. Jefferson was in Paris, reading a draft of the proposed US Constitution. He objected to some aspects of the federal government, particularly the executive, that he felt were too strong. He begins by wondering what danger of anarchy existed in the US to justify such a seemingly strong central government (and I am sure he feared a president who could inhabit office any length of time would raise a standing army, one of his pet horrors). Then he reflects on the recent Shay’s Rebellion, that had rattled the American aristocracy (including Madison, who was close to panic for awhile):

Yet where does this anarchy exist? Where did it ever exist, except in the single instance of Massachusetts? And can history produce an instance of rebellion so honorably conducted? I say nothing of its motives.

Already there is reason for pause: Jefferson views the conduct of the rebellion ‘honorable’ -given the dishonest and thuggish intimidation by some the shouters, one hopes the honor increases a bit before anything happens. Jefferson did go on to discuss their motive, and his thoughts should give much more pause to those who threaten violence:

They were founded in ignorance, not wickedness.

Jefferson goes on to placidly discuss civil violence in a bland and serene way, that I find disturbing:

God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be. all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. We have had 13 states independent 11 years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century and a half for each state. What country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion?

(my emphasis)

He starts the next phrase with a sentence that I think is true; though as for the second, I myself hope any warnings would not include:violence.

And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.

Now Jefferson considers how the rest of society should confront those who ‘take arms’ in order to ‘refresh the tree of liberty’

The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two?

Jefferson was rather too delicate here, and omitted some steps in this process. But I think it is clear that those who resort to violence are to be confronted, informed, and corrected, but treated with respect and understanding.

Jefferson was no anarchist. In his world view, in a democracy, the majority must rule. But it had to be an enlightened and informed community that respected the expression of EVERY opinion (even, gasp, outright atheism), and participated constructively in public debate.

Jefferson did NOT say that freedom, or liberty, could be preserved by violence whenever there was a serious disagreement. Ignorant and foolish people may resort to threats of violence, or violence itself. The rest of us must counter it in a constructive way, NOT to give in or be intimidated. We will be vilified and ridiculed, but we have Jefferson’s marching orders and we cannot shirk our duty.

Elsewhere in the letter, Jefferson says he would pray that the objectionable parts of the constitution would be changed. They weren’t. When Jefferson returned to the US, he did not pack heat at meetings, and he did not shout people down, he did not threaten violence. Rather, he worked through the democratic process for the changes he believed in.

The powerful forces that are lying to these misguided people and trying to excuse, justify, or use, uninformed and violent discontent, are betraying Jefferson’s fundamental vision of a democratic society. And we need to raise our voices in condemnation. People who knowingly lead uninformed and frightened people astray need to be countered too, and much more strongly than the followers whom they exploit.

And, those informed and supposedly powerful people who hold positions of leadership who are cowardly, and counsel passive accommodation to threats of violence, and violence itself, must also be strongly opposed and condemned. For they are not following the vision of Jefferson either.

Neither of them would be worthy leaders in Jefferson’s eyes. We must use all of our power, through the democratic process, to remove these miserable and abject failures from positions of leadership and dangerously misused power.

From Jefferson’s letter to William S. Smith from Paris, Nov. 13, 1787