 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Thomas Jefferson is revived at library
By JULIANNE WU, Times Staff Writer
SEMINOLE -- For a moment in time, Orlando playwright/actor J.D. Sutton brought Thomas Jefferson back to life last week. But instead of talking about him as the third president of the United States of America, Sutton portrayed him as a 77-year-old man who had retired from public office. The occasion was a presentation Wednesday in the Seminole Community Library attended by about 100 people and sponsored by the Friends of the Seminole Library and the Florida Humanities Council. Sutton, as Jefferson, reminisced about how it fell to him to write the Declaration of Independence in 1776. "In truth, I didn't want to draft it at all," Jefferson said. "But, between John Adams and Dr. Franklin (Benjamin Franklin), it was decided I should draft it. Although the General Congress was impatient, it was some weeks before I was satisfied with it." Sutton's performance was full of historic detail. For instance, Jefferson talked about how the other members of Congress picked apart his draft and how they dropped two of his passages, including censures against the English and against slavery (even though he himself owned slaves). "I learned then, if angry, count to 10 before you speak. If very angry, to 100," he said. Another thing Jefferson touched upon was what he enjoyed the most: "I live in the bosom of my family, my friends and my books." Speaking of the latter, after learning how the British had vandalized the books in the Library of Congress in 1812, he decided to sell the body of his vast collection -- about 6,500 books -- to the Library of Congress. "In May 1815, when Congress accepted my offer," said Jefferson, it took 10 full wagons to cart them off." He then acquired new books for himself, saying, "I cannot live without books." And he launched into a bit of a tirade: "We must be ever vigilant of those who would tell us what we could buy or are to read." Although Jefferson didn't mention the scandal that is still talked about today -- his relationship with his slave Sally Hemings -- he did take the chance to blast the notorious journalist James Callender, who reportedly broke the story. "I read no newspapers now but the Richmond (Va.) Enquirer," Jefferson said, "and then, the only true things in the newspaper are the ads." Yet, later he acknowledged that newspapers helped the citizens be informed. He said: "If I had to choose between a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I'd choose the latter." Jefferson said his greatest failure was not to have had slavery abolished. Later, in the question and answer period, he said "Upon my death, it is my intent to free them (his slaves) if the economy of the farm allows it." After the performance, Sutton said he began his one-man show as Thomas Jefferson four years ago, "but I read biographies about him for five years before I put pen to paper." While he only presented excerpts last Wednesday, Sutton has written a full-length play, Twilight at Monticello, which was developed in partnership with PlayLab, the Orlando-University of Central Florida's Shakespeare Festival's play development program. When Sutton was finished, Ken and Eleanor LeDuc, of Seminole, expressed their delight. "It was an outstanding performance," LeDuc said. "Excellent," said Mrs. LeDuc. "Some of our politicians could learn from this."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
