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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson stories: 10 news summaries

 200-Year-Old 
 Presidential Code 
 Cracked 

Mathematician unravels cipher that stumped Jefferson

Jul 2, 09 2:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - A code that stumped Thomas Jefferson and other cryptologists for over two centuries has finally been cracked, the Wall Street Journal reports. The cipher—sent to Jefferson in 1801 by mathematician Robert Patterson as an example of the perfect code—piqued the interest of defense cryptologist Lawren Smithline, who tackled... More »

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encryption • mathematics • Thomas Jefferson • code

OPINION

 Remember History: 
 Give Pirates No Quarter... 

How Jefferson would deal with Somalia

Nov 22, 08 12:45 PM CST
(Newser) - The US can learn from its 18th-century experience with piracy, Michael Oren writes in the Wall Street Journal. America had no Navy in 1785, so when the Barbary Pirates demanded a million-dollar tribute in exchange for free passage through the Mediterranean, America paid. That million dollars represented 10% of... More »

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Somalia • history • pirates • Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson-
Hemings History Wins National Book Award

Tome details founding father's slave family

Nov 20, 08 6:31 AM CST
(Newser) - The heart-wrenching and controversial history of Thomas Jefferson's secret family with slave Sally Hemings took the top prize for nonfiction at the National Book Awards last night, USA Today reports. Annette Gordon-Reed became the first African-American woman to win the prize for her detailed exploration of the lives of three... More »

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book • slavery • National Book Awards • nonfiction books • Thomas Jefferson • Annette Gordon-Reed • Sally Hemings • Monticello

OPINION

 Ranking the 
 Dads-in-Chief 

Carter among the best, FDR one of the worst

Nov 4, 08 3:08 PM CST
(Newser) - Enough with debates on Sarah Palin being a mommy and a vice president. A look at the best and worst fathers-in-chief, as compiled by Madeline Holler for Babble, starting with the worst:
  • Thomas Jefferson only acknowledged (the white) half of the "kajillion kids" he had.
... More »

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parenting • Jimmy Carter • Bill Clinton • children • president • George HW Bush • father • Franklin D. Roosevelt • Harry Truman • Election 2008 • Thomas Jefferson

OPINION

'The Oracle' Forgot One Thing: We're Greedy

Founding fathers quickly figured out people couldn't be trusted to be selfless

Oct 18, 08 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - If those who ignore history repeat it, Alan Greenspan must have slept through a few Constitutional history classes. In promoting the risky derivatives market, the former Federal Reserve chairman was depending on individuals' restraint and care for the greater good. But Americans just aren't that altruistic, as the Founding Fathers... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Alan Greenspan • derivatives market • regulation • US Constitution • George Washington • greed • Thomas Jefferson • financial crisis • John Adams

ANALYSIS

Mudslingers Today No Match for Jefferson

Dirty campaigning has always been a feature of American democracy

Oct 13, 08 3:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - The 2008 presidential race is getting rough, but the combatants look well-mannered compared to mudslingers of the 19th century. Thomas Jefferson was called an “infidel” and an “unbeliever,” while John Adams was accused of possessing a “hideous hermaphroditical character.” Although “everybody always assumes there... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • John McCain • presidential politics • history • Abraham Lincoln • John Quincy Adams • Election 2008 • Thomas Jefferson • John Adams

OPINION

The Real Loser at the Pastor Rick-Quisition: America
 

Warrren's examination of candidates' faith was absolutely un-American

Aug 20, 08 1:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Discussion of whether John McCain or Barack Obama "won" Saturday’s Saddleback inquisition misses the point, Kathleen Parker writes in the Washington Post. When the presidential candidates are publicly interrogated on their beliefs by a minister, even one as exemplary as Rick Warren, the only winner is the minister—... More »

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Barack Obama • John McCain • religion • separation of church and state • Rick Warren • Thomas Jefferson • Saddleback Church

The Gospel According to Jefferson

Founding Father cut and pasted his own personal Bible

Jul 6, 08 4:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Thomas Jefferson cut and pasted together his own New Testament, removing everything he refused to believe—like miracles and the resurrection of Jesus, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dubbed the Jefferson Bible, it reflects his deist belief that God created the universe and let it run on its own. But... More »

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Christianity • Bible • miracle • gospel • Jesus Christ • resurrection • Thomas Jefferson • deism

 Bush Edits Jefferson on Religion

President leaves out phrase condemning 'monkish ignorance'

Jul 5, 08 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thomas Jefferson may be a founding father, but that doesn’t stop President Bush’s speechwriters from editing his words as they see fit, Ed Brayton writes on his blog, Dispatches from the Culture Wars. In a July 4 speech, Bush recited a famous Jefferson quote on “the blessings... More »

MORE ABOUT:
religious right • speech • George W. Bush • Fourth of July • Thomas Jefferson

OPINION

 A Weekend for 2
 Nations to Celebrate 

400th anniversary of Quebec City offers chance to reflect: historian

Jul 3, 08 7:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - Tomorrow is Independence Day, but north of the border today marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, the first settlement of New France and one of the oldest cities in Canada. David Hackett Fischer, a historian writing in the New York Times, uses the occasion to explore... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Canada • independence • history • Quebec • Native Americans • Samuel de Champlain • Thomas Jefferson

10 Stories


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