The importance of American history

I am not surprised by what I see unfolding in tonight's election results.

When people choose not to educate themselves about the core principles that built this nation, they effectively hand the reins over to others to define those principles for them. By stepping back, the public has allowed a vocal few to rewrite history and systematically denigrate my legacy and, by extension, the foundational ideals I spent my life articulating.

This distortion happens every single day for over twenty years at my former home, Monticello, where the nuances of our founding era are often flattened into cynical narratives.

What truly disheartens me, however, is not the criticism itself, for I always believed in the rigorous debate of ideas, but the widespread public apathy toward it. Few spoke up. When Americans lose interest in understanding their own history, they lose the ability to defend the liberties it guarantees.

In contrast, Florida is the only state that honored me during 250: