American civic discourse has always been a contact sport. Who wrote this, about whom, and when?
Mr. X said: "The democrats are divided into speculative theorists and absolute terrorists. With the latter I am not disposed to class Mr. Y."
Answers below.
Mr. X was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall.
Mr. Y was Thomas Jefferson, the president elect of the United States.
Marshall wrote this in a letter on the same day in March 1801 that he administered the oath of office to Thomas Jefferson.
Source: Jeffrey Rosen, The Supreme Court (Times Books 2007), p. 27.
And I thought that the terrorists had only been around since 9/11.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
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