Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s July 8, 1776. I’m visiting with Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia.
JG: “Mr. Jefferson, what did you mean when you wrote in the Declaration of Independence that ‘all men are created equal’?”
TJ: “Mr. Gillespie, by ‘equal,’ I most certainly did not mean we ought to all have equal privileges, or that we are equally talented, or that we should all be equally rich. What I meant was that, before government existed, humanity had certain God-given rights that government could not take away.”
In Union City, Tennessee, the Thomas Jefferson historical marker reads, “President of the United States of America, served two terms from 1801-1809.
“Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, a charter of American and universal liberties, drafted in 1776.
“He became the nation’s first secretary of state, served as vice-president to John Adams, and was elected as the third president of the United States in 1800.
“During his first term, the more notable of the two, he achieved the purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 and commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The United States doubled in size during his presidency.”
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
