Stopped by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial last night with a friend, and was reminded of one of my favorite quotes:
I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.
– Letter from Thomas Jefferson to to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1810
A somewhat interesting aside – in the process of looking up and confirming that quote, I discovered that many of the quotes on the Jefferson Memorial are “quotes.”)
Will
It’s a great quote.
Devil’s advocate: It’s optimistic (and sadly probably incorrect) to think that the human mind is progressing.
I’d also substitute “advance” with “adapt” for similarly cynical reasons ;)
But I’m in an argumentative mood (sorry).
PS – I have sadly never visited the great Washington “sites”
MB
Not a bad point to make. My first inclination is to respond that it’s the culture that advances while the mind adapts. The mind is incredibly flexible in very short periods of time. Culture? Not so much.
~
You should stop through DC, sometime. As I was telling my friend last night, I could probably count my stops in the Lincoln Memorial by the hundreds, at this point. And every single time, there are people from all over the planet taking it in as a monument to the best of humanity. That never gets old.
James Young
Actually, it’s a “quotation” (a noun), not a “quote” (a verb).
Aside from that, I ‘ve never understood those who treat Jefferson as some kind of constitutional authority. He wasn’t even in the country when the document was drafted.
MB
Ah, I see that once again, anything taking place after 1860 or so troubles you. But thank you, Prof. Young, for your contribution.
And your second statement, well, okay. I suppose that’s some sort of If You Weren’t There, You Don’t Know claim. Uh, sure.
LFS
Except the article you link to says 1880’s… Now what is it, what sorta things were going on in the 1860’s that you might make such an accusation? Just what exactly could you be trying to say? Is there some lacking, unsubstantiated, and petulant come-back you wanted to give but feared you had been called on it recently? Hmmm….
MB
Don’t be bitter about the Civil War, LFS. You’d just be playing to stereotype.
James Young
You know, Mark, it never fails to amaze me that you on the far Left are such angry, race-baiting assholes, even when somebody tries to have a civil exchange with them. Actually, it started in about 1896, when the Court abandoned originalism (with regard to the 14th Amendment) in Plessy.
And when we’re talking about “originalism,” “some sort of If You Weren’t There, You Don’t Know claim” has some validity.
MB
James. Jim. Jimmy. Don’t be so bitter. Just because you decide to be a backwards antisocial fuckwit, it certainly isn’t fair that the rest of us treat you as such, is it?
You know, as an ambassador for the movement which is continually whining about how much people need to get over it/take a joke/harden the fuck up, you are remarkably thin- skinned. For whatever reason that none of my interaction with you has supported, I suspect you’ve got some strains of decency, James. Which is why I continue to engage you. I know that it’s gotta suck to have thrown in your lot with the losing side of history and humanity, but really, you can still make a choice to fix that.
LFS
“Don’t be bitter about the Civil War, LFS. You’d just be playing to stereotype.”
So what’s your excuse, then?