Leon Benjamin is the senior pastor of New Life Harvest Church, former Richmond GOP Party Chairman, and a candidate for Virginia’s fourth Congressional district.
Read MoreCongressional Candidate Leon Benjamin: It’s Pastor Time
Tag: Thomas Jefferson
University of Virginia to Contextualize Monument to Founder Thomas Jefferson
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan announced that the school will contextualize a monument to its founder Thomas Jefferson. Ryan said the move is part of a broad effort to make the university both “great and good.”
Read MoreCommentary: D.C. Mayor’s Committee Recommends Removing Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument
Holy Cow, the cancel culture has sunk even further. Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Alexander Graham Bell, Ben Franklin, Woodrow Wilson, and many more names from American history are now personas non grata in Washington DC. A committee formed by the mayor has recommended taking their name off city-owned buildings. They also recommended removing federal assets such as the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser formed the District of Columbia Facilities, and Commemorative Expressions Working Group, also known as the DC FACES Working Group.
Read MoreCarol Swain and Michael Patrick Leahy Discuss Virginia and Thomas Jefferson’s Lineage
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Carol Swain to discuss her home state of Virginia and claims that Thomas Jefferson fathered four children by way of a slave woman.
Read MoreCommentary: Why Do They Hate Thomas Jefferson?
When Al Sharpton demanded, three years ago, that the funding for the Jefferson Memorial’s upkeep be cut off, people laughed. But they’re not laughing now. Actually, they’re still laughing, but now it’s more of a nervous chuckle in dismal expectation of what’s to come. First it was Robert E. Lee, then it was Christopher Columbus, and now it’s old TJ himself.
Read MoreLamar Alexander, Defending Andrew Jackson Statue, Begs People Not to Erase History
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) this week took to the floor of the Senate to plead with people to “not try to erase our history,” especially as it pertains to former U.S. President Andrew Jackson’s statue in Lafayette Square.
During his lifetime, Jackson resided in Tennessee.
Read MoreCommentary: Are States That Refuse to Reopen Losing the Consent of the Governed?
What happens to a government when the consent of the governed breaks down? History has many instances of this some ending with peaceful transformation, others with successful revolution as in our own history and still others with military crackdowns as we currently see in Hong Kong.
Thomas Jefferson wrote in our nation’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence, which was written as a series of reasons why the American colonists no longer accepted the rule of King George III. The opening two paragraphs of this seminal document used to be memorized by school children as part of their school exercises, a practice which was largely abandoned in the 1960s. So as a refresher, here is what Jefferson penned:
Read MoreAmerican Inventor Series: Benjamin Banneker, a Black Tobacco Farmer Who Surveyed the Nation’s Capital
Benjamin Banneker was much more than just an inventor. As a mathematician, astronomer, landowning farmer, writer, and surveyor, Banneker was one of the most influential African Americans alive during America’s infancy.
Read MoreJC Bowman Commentary: Walking Point on Independence Day
Our nation, our republic, is unquestionably dependent upon the active and informed involvement of our citizens.
Read MoreJC Bowman Commentary: Lives, Fortunes, and Honor
JC Bowman writes: Freedom should never be taken for granted. Today we are debating the very concept of what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America. While many citizens are very passionate about our country, others seem disillusioned and some openly hostile. It is why the Declaration of Independence is such an important document. It expresses what it means to be an American.
Read MoreCommentary: The Turbulent True History of the ‘Good Ole Days’ of Politics
by Jeffery A. Rendall It’s only natural in times of political turmoil – like what we’re experiencing now and for as long as I can remember – that people harken back to yesteryear for a more tranquil period when everyone got along swimmingly and went out for drinks after…
Read MoreJC Bowman Commentary: Dark Money + Union Money = Corrupt Politics
This election cycle we have already seen an influx of unaccountable cash, known as dark money, which pours into our state. Outside money hurts more than it helps. Tennessee voters were not swayed by big spending outsiders. It is worth noting the message the outsiders bring is almost always negative. If you don’t think this is an erosion of democracy, you’re not thinking about it hard enough. The formula is simple: Dark Money + Union Money = Corrupt Politics
Read MoreJC Bowman Commentary: Reflecting on Memorial Day
We need to take a minute to THANK those veterans who gave their lives so we Americans can enjoy our liberty.
Read MoreTexas School District Considering Renaming Schools Honoring Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson Over Slavery Debate
Ben Franklin’s face graces U.S. currency, but Texas officials may soon remove his name from one middle school over a “connection to Confederacy.” Dallas Independent School District is conducting an investigation into numerous schools in the wake of a national debate over monuments and historical figures associated with slavery. The…
Read MoreStatue Hysteria Spreads: Jefferson Vandalized at UVA
A mob of students attacked and defaced the statue of Thomas Jefferson that stands on the University of Virginia campus on Tuesday night. What reportedly began as a rally in protest of the university’s alleged failure to implement a series of radical demands made last month by UVA’s Black Student…
Read MoreGov. Bill Haslam Calls for Removal of Bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Capitol
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is advocating for the removal of a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Capitol in Nashville. “My position on this issue has not changed – I do not believe Nathan Bedford Forrest should be one of the individuals we honor at the Capitol. The…
Read MoreCommentary: Is Culture Still Relevant?
The United States is a diverse country, racially and ethnically, as well as in how people choose to organize themselves socially and politically. It can be argued that our public schools are integrally situated to communicate society’s values, such as individual responsibility, patriotism, integrity, objectivity, justice, respect for others, being on time, doing a good job, working well with others, being a good citizen, and exercising democracy in government and other interactions. Americans have thus far kept our republic, and created it to be resilient and strong. However, the United States will remain free only with relentless vigilance and public engagement, which must be transmitted in our culture.
Read MoreLouisiana Democrats Remove Thomas Jefferson And Andrew Jackson From Name Of Fundraiser
The Louisiana Democratic Party has dropped the names Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson from its annual fundraising dinner. The Jefferson-Jackson dinner will now be called the True Blue Gala, reports the Associated Press. This year’s event is set to be held Aug. 26 in New Orleans. The name change is…
Read MoreCommentary: A Bold Vision for Education
For the first time in history, children have new and different ways of acquiring and accessing, deciphering and digesting information instantly. Children are now contributors, not just copiers, of existing knowledge.
Read MoreConstitution Series: Judicial Review
This is the eighth of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23. The Separation of Powers and Federalism are two foundational…
Read MoreCommentary: Planting the Roots of the Republic
Thomas Jefferson was not silent on the most effective manner to pass freedom to future generations depended on providing a quality education to our children. An educated citizenry is the roots that our republic is planted on.
Read MoreThe ‘Aha Moment’ at the Tennessee General Assembly This Year
The idea of a citizen-legislator has gone by the wayside and been replaced by the career politician. Unless there is more transparency and inclusion, there may well be a demand for change in leadership. For certain in 2019 there will be great change, and quite possibly the “drain the swamp” echo from 2016 will filter down to state politics in 2018. It may be time for the state to consider term limits.
Read MoreConstitution Series: The Electoral College and the Selection of the President
This is the third of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23. The method of selection of a President to head…
Read MoreCommentary: Education for the Next Generation
People of great accomplishment do not sit back and let things happen to them. They go out and make things happen. They pursue new or improve existing skills, insights, and ideas. If they are not learning, they understand they are not growing.
Read MoreThomas Jefferson & American Education
An essential objective in public education is, and must be, an educated citizenry that creates an informed electorate.
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