Category Archives: History

Censoring Jefferson to safeguard ignorance: President's legacy misunderstood

Posted on December 14, 2016 by matt ohern

The recent demand by nearly 500 faculty members and students that University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan stop quoting UVa founder Thomas Jefferson in her emails reminds us that, when ignorance and arrogance join hands, the results are seldom … Continue reading →

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George Mason’s Battle over Scalia’s Name and Legacy

Posted on May 11, 2016 by matt ohern

There are only a few prestigious outposts of free-market thought in the world of higher education. The Hoover Institution at Stanford comes to mind, as does the University of Chicago School of Economics. Then there are two gems at George Mason University — the Mercatus Center and the George Mason School of Law. Continue reading →

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Jefferson and His Views on Slavery

Posted on August 19, 2015 by matt ohern

(Editor’s note: This history lesson on Thomas Jefferson and his views and actions concerning slavery is worth reading.) Recently, leaders of the Democratic Party of Connecticut voted unanimously to delete the name of Thomas Jefferson from their annual fundraising dinner. … Continue reading →

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Remembering Reagan at 101

Posted on February 16, 2012 by matt ohern

It was an honor to know and work for Ronald Reagan, whose 101st birthday we celebrate this month. I “cut my political teeth” working for him in West Texas in 1976 and 1980, running for the U.S. House at his … Continue reading →

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Resolving the Sally Hemings Myth

Posted on December 14, 2011 by matt ohern

(This article first ran in The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, VA on December 11, 2011.) A new book raises serious doubts about the allegation that Thomas Jefferson had a sexual relationship with the enslaved Sally Hemings that produced one or … Continue reading →

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