Thomas Ritchie to Thomas Jefferson, 13 March 1818
From Thomas Ritchie
Richmond, March 13. 1818.
D Sir
I have had so many proofs of your liberal and friendly disposition, that I am sure, if you cannot grant, you will at least excuse, the present application.
I enclose you a Letter from John Adams Esqr (published in the Baltimore Weekly Register,) in which he attempts to strip Virginia of all the merit of originating the War of Independence, and transferring it to Massachusetts.
While I feel grateful to the Patriots of Massachusetts for their noble exertions, I cannot sit, patiently, by, and see my own State divested of the laurels to which I have always thought her entitled.
I feel proud of the name of a Virginian—and jealous of any attempt that is made to lower that name in the estimation of the world.
Mr Adams may be right—but I wish to convince myself and others that he is not. I wish truth—and I apply to you, Sir, to aid me in the investigation.
I refer to Burk’s history—it scarcely touches the period between ‘60 & ‘65—Where, Sir, shall I seek the information? What printed or M.S. archives can I ransack? If not to be found there, must I not seek it from oral testimony? And to whom, Sir, can I apply with more propriety than yourself?
Far be it from me to burden your time—It is this Consideration that makes me scrupulous in addressing myself to you.—But you, Sir, will best judge on this point.
I seize this oppy of offering the sincere respect of
Thomas Ritchie
RC (DLC); dateline at foot of text; endorsed by TJ as received 19 Mar. 1818 and so recorded in SJL.
The enclosed letter from John Adams to Hezekiah Niles, Quincy, 13 Feb. 1818, emphasizes the role of the people of Massachusetts in initiating the war of independence and recommends “these hints to the consideration of Mr. Wirt, whose life of Mr. Henry I have read with great delight. I think, that after mature investigation he will be convinced that Mr. Henry did not ‘give the first impulse to the ball of independence,’ and that Otis, Thatcher, Samuel Adams, Mayhew, Hancock, Cushing and thousands of others were laboring for several years at the wheel before the name of Mr. Henry was heard beyond the limits of Virginia” (MdHi; printed in Baltimore Niles’ Weekly Register, 7 Mar. 1818).
Index Entries
- Adams, John; and origin of American Revolution search
- Adams, Samuel (1722–1803); and origin of American Revolution search
- American Revolution; disputes over origin of search
- American Revolution; J. Adams on search
- Baltimore, Md.; newspapers search
- books; biographical search
- books; on history search
- Burk, John Daly; The History of Virginia search
- Cushing, William; and origin of American Revolution search
- Girardin, Louis Hue; and J. D. Burk’sHistory of Virginia search
- Hancock, John; and American Revolution search
- Henry, Patrick (1736–99); W. Wirt’s book on search
- Jones, Skelton; and J. D. Burk’sHistory of Virginia search
- Massachusetts; and origin of American Revolution search
- Mayhew, Jonathan; and origin of American Revolution search
- newspapers; BaltimoreNiles’ Weekly Register search
- Niles, Hezekiah; andNiles’ Weekly Register search
- Niles’ Weekly Register (Baltimore newspaper) search
- Otis, James; and origin of American Revolution search
- Ritchie, Thomas; and origin of American Revolution search
- Ritchie, Thomas; letters from search
- Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry (W. Wirt); and origin of American Revolution search
- Thacher, Oxenbridge; and origin of American Revolution search
- The History of Virginia (J. D. Burk, S. Jones, and L. H. Girardin); mentioned search
- Virginia; and origin of American Revolution search
- Wirt, William; Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry search