Thomas Jefferson

Presidents And Immigration Policies: 1789-1861

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The issue of immigration has been a divisive part of American History from the beginning of the nation under the Constitution in 1789.

Between the Presidency of George Washington and James Buchanan (1789-1861), the general policy was Pro Immigration, with the major exception of John Adams’ Presidency 1797-1801, where the Alien and Sedition Acts were signed and enforced.

Then, that discriminatory legislation was repealed under his successor, Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), although Jefferson at times expressed concern about the trend of immigration expansion.

French immigration was the major issue that led Adams to support and sign limitations on immigrants, and enforcing a 14 year reqirement to apply for citizenship.

Later Presidents through James Buchanan encouraged immigration, although in the late 1840s and 1850s, there was growing nativism toward Catholic immigrants from Ireland and the German states.

This was based on fear of the Pope being a threat to the heavily Protestant religion of the vast majority of Americans.

So there were some urban riots and violence against the fear of Catholic migration.

Presidential Nominees More Than Twice In American History

Ronald 30 Comments

The history of Presidential Elections shows a total of 13 individuals who have been nominated more than twice for the White House.

Seven of these individuals ended up in the Presidency, and six others never made it to the White House.

This includes four nominees of third or minor parties who were on the ballot more than twice in a Presidential election.

The all time “champion” is Franklin D. Roosevelt, nominated and winning four times–1932, 1936, 1940, 1944–before the 22nd Amendment, ratified by 1951, prevented any future candidate to have more than two terms.

Thomas Jefferson was nominated for President in 1796, when he lost to John Adams but became his combative Vice President, and 1800 and 1804, when he twice won the Presidency.

Andrew Jackson was nominated for President in 1824, when he won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College to John Quincy Adams. Then, he won the Presidency in the next two elections, 1828 and 1832.

Martin Van Buren was nominated for and won the Presidency in 1836, but then lost the Election of 1840, and later ran as the third party Free Soil nominee in 1848.

Grover Cleveland won the Presidency in 1884, but although winning the popular vote in 1888, lost the Electoral College to Benjamin Harrison, but then came back and defeated Harrison in a rematch in 1892, making him the first of two Presidents to have nonconsecutive terms of office.

Richard Nixon lost the Presidential Election of 1960 to John F. Kennedy, but came back and won the Presidency in both 1968 and 1972.

Donald Trump won the Electoral College in 2016, despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, and then was defeated by Joe Biden in 2020. In 2024, although not winning a majority of the popular vote, he finally accomplished winning the popular vote edge over Kamala Harris, and is now serving his second nonconsecutive term, sharing that distinction with Grover Cleveland

Two major party nominees were nominated three times, but lost all those elections—Henry Clay in 1824, 1832, and 1844—and William Jennings Bryan in 1896, 1900, and 1908.

Two Socialist nominees were nominated and ran five and six times—Eugene Debs in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920—and Norman Thomas in
1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, and 1948.

Ralph Nader ran as either the Green Party candidate, or as an Independent, in four consecutive elections—1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008, with his impact being significant in the Presidential Election of 2000, in “throwing” the election in Florida to George W. Bush over Al Gore.

Jill Stein ran as the Green Party nominee three times, in 2012, 2016 and 2024.

Of the seven Presidents who were nominees more than twice, five of these Presidents were elected twice (Jefferson, Jackson, Cleveland, Nixon, and Trump) with Van Buren only winning once, and FDR being the lone exception of four times being elected, which now can never happen again in the future.

Commemoration Of Bicentennial Anniversary Of Passing Of Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson And John Adams

Ronald 9 Comments

On this Semiquincentennial Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is also notable that it is the Bicentennial Anniversary of the passing of two Founding Fathers, who collaborated on the Declaration of Independence; then became dire political “enemies”; and then reestablished fast friendship by letters until they jointly passed away on July 4, 1826.

Thomas Jefferson passed away early on the 50th Anniversary, and John Adams died in the evening, uttering the statement: “Thomas Jefferson still survives”, not accurate, but an indication of their closeness and collaboration on the Declaration of Independence and the establishment of a new nation.

Interestingly, the 5th President, James Monroe, died on the Fourth of July five years later, in 1831, making three of the first five Presidents and “Founding Fathers”, who died on that most significant national holiday.

Presidents’ Common Birth Years, And Death Dates, As Three Presidents Reach Age Of 80 In Next Eight Weeks!

Ronald 29 Comments

The year 1946 witnessed the births of three American Presidents, in reverse order of date of birth, and all three will reach 80 years of age in the next eight weeks:

Donald Trump June 14
George W. Bush July 6
Bill Clinton August 19

But there are other Presidents who share similar birth years, although no cases of THREE Presidents, rather TWO, who have the same birth year.

1767—John Quincy Adams (July 11) and Andrew Jackson (March 15), consecutive Presidents but reverse dates of birth.

1822—Ulysses S Grant (April 27) and Rutherford B. Hayes (October 4).

1913—Richard Nixon (January 9) and Gerald Ford (July 14).

1924—Jimmy Carter (October 1) and George H. W. Bush (June 12), non consecutive Presidents but reverse dates of birth.

At the same time, there are only three sets of cases of death dates of American Presidents dying on the same day of a year, with two in the same year:

July 4—John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (1826) and James Monroe (1831). But Jefferson died a number of hours before Adams on the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and supposedly, Adams’ last words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives”, which was not the truth!

March 8—Millard Fillmore (1874) and William Howard Taft (1930)

December 26—Harry Truman (1972) and Gerald Ford (2006).

Trump Vanity Projects Add Massive Costs, And Against American Historical Traditions!

Ronald 27 Comments

Donald Trump is on a rampage to have as many “Vanity” projects as possible, defying history, where only leaders who have passed away, and have high regard of the American people, have projects and buildings named after them.

Trump has destroyed the East Wing of the White House, in his mad dash for a massive 90,000 square foot Ballroom, that would overwhelm the historic building of 226 years.

Trump has also destroyed the Rose Garden, one of the major attractions of the White House.

Additionally, he has promoted a 250 foot Triumphal Arch;

renamed the John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts to include his name;

adding his name to the US Institute of Peace;

is renovating the Reflecting Pool of the Lincoln Memorial;

painting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to be as white as the White House, even though it has always been granite;

a proposed National Garden of American Heroes;

banners on federal buildings of his portrait;

wishing to have Penn Station in New York City and Dulles International Airport in Virginia renamed after him;

proposal to have American Passports with his face on them;

along with wish to create a $250 bill with his face on the currency, when that only happens for leaders who have passed away.

The extent of his self aggrandizement and ego promotion is unprecedented, and no past President would endorse it, not even Richard Nixon, and would be particularly condemned by the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan.

What Trump is promoting reminds one more of the ancient Roman Empire; King Louis XIV of France; and Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany.

In a new development, the federal courts have intervened to attempt to end control of the Kennedy Center and the adding of Donald Trump’s name;

and are resisting the “Weaponization” proposal to award financial damages to January 6 Insurrectionists, a proposal that many Republicans in the US Senate are now working to prevent.

While for now, there is no final decision on these matters, finally, we are seeing an organized attempt to rein in the reckless activities of Donald Trump, and it is a good sign for the preservation of American democracy and the rule of law.

Four Octogenarian Presidents In Next Three Months!

Ronald 14 Comments

America has had 45 men serve as President, and 12 of them have reached the age of 80, and with three more to be added to the list between June and August 2026.

So one third of our Presidents will have reached the age of 80, with six of them reaching the 90s up to 100, and nine reaching the age of 80 plus.

Those in their 90s include Jimmy Carter, who reached age 100, followed by George H. W. Bush (94); Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan (93); John Adams and Herbert Hoover (90).

Those in their 80s include Harry Truman (88); James Madison (85); Joe Biden (who will be 84 in November 2026); Thomas Jefferson (83); Richard Nixon (81); and John Quincy Adams (80).

In the next three months from today, Donald Trump will reach 80 on June 14; George W. Bush on July 6; and Bill Clinton on August 19.

Seven of these 15 are Republicans (HW Bush, Ford, Reagan, Hoover, Nixon, Trump, W Bush); 4 are Democrats (Carter, Truman, Biden, Clinton); 1 is Federalist (Adams); and 3 are Democratic Republicans (Madison, Jefferson, JQ Adams) in party affiliation.

Interestingly, 4 of the 15 Presidents were from the first 6 Chief Executives. Then, all of the remaining 11 Presidents who will have reached the age of 80, are a full century later after JQ Adams.

And after Hoover and Truman, and from Nixon onward in succession, every President from Ford, Carter, Reagan, HW Bush, Clinton, W Bush, Biden and Trump, will have reached that accomplishment, with only Barack Obama still nearly 15 years away from being an octogenarian.

Supreme Court Finally Upholds The Constitution, And Rebukes Donald Trump On Tariffs!

Ronald 22 Comments

After acting totally submissive toward Donald Trump in his first year of his second term, finally the Supreme Court majority, including two Trump appointees—Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, along with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three Democratic women justices–have delivered a solid rebuke to Trump on the subject of protective tariffs.

This is long overdue, as the Court has developed a reputation as the most extreme right wing Court in a century, and Chief Justice Roberts presides over a majority which usually has no desire to challenge executive power of the President.

This dangerous trend, hopefully, will continue to be challenged in future cases, particularly on birthright citizenship rights, which are contained in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified after the Civil War.

Donald Trump does not care about the reality that protective tariffs are a disaster, as they were in causing the Panic of 1893 and the Great Depression of the 1930s, because Republican Presidents Benjamin Harrison (prodded on by future President William McKinley’s promotion of high tariffs) and Herbert Hoover stubbornly imposed them on the American people, destroying the economy.

With the economy not doing well, despite Trump’s delusional statements, this repudation of Trump’s tariffs should be seen as a blessing by him, as well as the American people.

But instead, Trump is railing against his own Republican Justices who have “defied” him, and one wonders how it will show up in his State of the Union Address next Tuesday.

Will he openly condemn Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett in his speech, or will he be diplomatic and maybe just lightly tease them?

This should be a very interesting moment of confrontation between the Supreme Court members who show up and the President of the United States!

It reminds one of past clashes of Presidents and Supreme Courts, including under Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson with Chief Justice John Marshall; Abraham Lincoln with Chief Justice Roger Taney; Franklin D. Roosevelt with the majority conservative Court and Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes during the New Deal; and other controversies involving Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Barack Obama and Supreme Court decisions!

The $175 Billion raised in tariffs this past year were a financial burden on the American consumers, and should be returned to the American people with a refund per taxpayer of $1700, as suggested by Illinois Governor JD Pritzker. However, it seems that Trump has no concern of the damage done to the average American, while constantly engaged in grift for personal gain, having enriched himself in the past year, a crime against the Constitution!

The Total Preposterous And Outrageous “Prager University” Presidential Rankings Survey!

Ronald 20 Comments

The Right Wing Propaganda Organ known as “Prager University”, which is NOT a university, but a well financed attempt to distort the reality of American history, extol the virtues of unbridled capitalism, work against “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion”, and undermine science, has come out with a 2026 Ranking of American Presidents.

Anyone who would believe the virtues or veracity of this listing needs their heads examined, as it is a total distortion of the office of the Presidency to the extreme imaginable!

All Presidents except William Henry Harrison (one month) and James A. Garfield (6 months) are included, but with the decision NOT to include Donald Trump, even though he finished his first term five years ago, but using the excuse that he is presently in office, so not to be placed in the listing for now.

One can be certain when a later version of this so called “Ranking” is published in the future, Donald Trump will end up very high on the list, probably in the top five, based on the crazy order of the Presidents compiled by the propagandists promoting this pure trash of a listing.

So without listing every President, let’s look at the most significant cases of total distortion.

The survey starts off with George Washington Number 1 and Abraham Lincoln Number 2, but after that, the listing goes totally awry.

Ronald Reagan is Number 3, which is a major distortion of reality, but then is followed by, of all people, Calvin Coolidge at Number 4. That is an example of how wacky this survey is, when examined in detail. No one who has any intelligence would rate Coolidge as anything more than in the bottom third of the Presidents.

The rest of the top 10 are in order—Thomas Jefferson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, James Monroe, James Madison, John Adams, and Theodore Roosevelt. Monroe, Madison and John Adams in most cases would be in the middle of the second ten, not the top ten, but otherwise, not terrible, except to put Coolidge above the Founding Father Presidents and Theodore Roosevelt, as well! How crazy can one get?

Harry Truman is rated Number 12, behind Grover Cleveland at Number 11, which seems ridiculous, followed by Andrew Jackson as Number 13 and James K. Polk as Number 15, both who have otherwise collapsed to lower than Number 20 with recent reevaluations that have caused their rapid decline. Ulysses S. Grant is Number 14, higher than the rise he has gained in legitimate rankings.

John F. Kennedy ends up Number 18 and Franklin D. Roosevelt as Number 20, with of all people, William Howard Taft in between as Number 19, clearly totally lacking in reality.

The Two Bushes, HW and W are Numbers 21 and 22, with Bill Clinton behind them as Number 23, followed by the largely unimpressive many Presidents that have been ranked low for many decades in surveys.

But once we reach the 31-42 range, the bottom of the list, we discover Lyndon B. Johnson Number 35 behind Herbert Hoover Number 33, as well as behind Gerald Ford Number 27 and Richard Nixon Number 29. How crazy can one get to come up with such rankings?

And it gets worse, as Woodrow Wilson is Number 37, followed by Barack Obama Number 38, Jimmy Carter Number 39, and then followed by two Presidents who belong in the bottom, Andrew Johnson Number 40 and James Buchanan Number 41. One might be harshly critical of Wilson, who has declined in rankings in recent years, but to put him in the bottom six of all Presidents is preposterous! And placing Obama and Carter in this bottom group is outrageous beyond belief and reality!

But one might ask, well, who is the absolute bottom at Number 42, and it is, unbelievably, Joe Biden! Whether one admires Joe Biden’s Presidency or not, to put him dead last is the height of craziness, not based on facts!

Notice that the three recent Presidents who demonstrated compassion, empathy, common decency and humanity, morals, ethics, and had no corruption—Obama, Carter, Biden—end up in the bottom five of these listings, which is testimony to how disgraceful this listing of Presidents really is!

This so called “Prager University” Poll is total garbage, and no serious scholar or intelligent citizen would accept the presposterous and outrageous compiling of this propaganda organ, that deserves to be disposed of as extremist and lunatic in nature!

Ken Burns’ “American Revolution” Documentary Latest In Long Line Of His Contributions To Historical Knowledge!

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Anyone who is an historian, including this author and blogger, would be certain to applaud Documentarian Ken Burns, who has devoted his career to the development of brilliant historical documentaries on a host of subjects for the past 40 years, presently including “The American Revolution” on PBS!

These include the following topics:

The Civil War
The National Parks
Baseball
The War (World War II)
The Vietnam War
Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
Country Music
The Roosevelts
The West
The US And The Holocaust
Jazz
Prohibition
Mark Twain
Brooklyn Bridge
Huey Long
The Statue of Liberty
The Dust Bowl
Jackie Robinson
Leonardo Da Vinci

Kamala Harris Memoir Burns Bridges, Likely Insures End Of Political Career!

Ronald 2 Comments

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, by publishing a memoir with strong statements about many political leaders she has worked with, is likely burning her bridges, making it highly doubtful that she will ever again hold public office.

History records that once a Presidential nominee has lost election to the White House, the odds are extremely high that such individual will never be President.

There are only six cases of a defeated Presidential nominee going on to be elected President–three before the Civil War, once in the Gilded Age, once in the mid 20th century, and finally, Donald Trump.

Two of the cases–Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump– won the Presidency, then lost, and then returned, so unusual and special cases. In the case of Cleveland, he won in 1884, lost in 1888, and won in 1892. Trump won in 2016, lost in 2020, and won in 2024.

The three before the Civil War were Thomas Jefferson, who lost in 1796 and won in 1800; Andrew Jackson, who lost in 1824, and won in 1828; and William Henry Harrison, who lost in 1836 and won in 1840.

Finally, Richard Nixon lost in 1960, but then won in 1968 and 1972.

So the odds of Harris coming back are very low, but additionally, by being critical of Joe and Jill Biden and the Biden Staff, and stating her reasons for not selecting Josh Shapiro or Pete Buttigieg as her Vice Presidential running mate instead of Tim Walz, has caused controversy and a sense of anger by those individuals and others.

And it is generally well known that Kamala Harris was not an easy person to work for, losing staff regularly in the Senate and the Vice Presidency.

One gets the feeling from her appearance on Rachel Maddow, and on “The View”, that she does not seem to have the “fire in the belly” to compete in another strenuous Presidential campaign.

It would have been easier for Harris to have run for California Governor, with assurance of an easy victory, and a major role in the largest state’s impact in reaction to Donald Trump and the Republican Party, just like Gavin Newsom is now waging.

So it seems clear this is the end of any serious “comeback” by Kamala Harris to national politics.

Instead, she is on a major speaking tour to promote her book, and to spread the argument of strong opposition to the horrors of Donald Trump, but not a formal national or state role in that effort.