...Jefferson expressed the belief for his generation more eloquently; writing from Paris in 1785, he declared: "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens....liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds." I5'J Jefferson's independent yeoman-farmer, drawing vigor and virtue from his agrarian pursuits and...

...twirling a distaff."72 In a letter to John Jay, Jefferson's civic argument was even more explicit. "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens....tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interest by the most lasting bonds." If ever the day came when there were too many farmers, Jefferson...

...virtuous for many centuries, as long as they are chiefly agricultural Cultivators of the earth are most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous,...wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds."8 For Jefferson, the American character was rescued from the corruption and decadence of the...

...owners of property, and as handlers of nature, Jefferson argued, cultivators of the earth were America's most valuable citizens: "They are the most vigorous,...to its liberty and interests, by the most lasting bonds."3 Furthermore, Jefferson believed that rural people were the moral backbone of the new republic....

...pastoral if not Arcadian. Cultivators of the earth are most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied...liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds. As the frontier expanded westward the mythology developed to include the freelance cowboy as well as the...

...pastoral if not Arcadian. Cultivators of the earth are most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied...its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds. 80 As the frontier expanded westward the mythology developed to include the freelance cowboy as well...

...Adams counties by recognizing their abilities to serve in this capacity. I would like to close with, "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens....wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands." — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Jay, August 23, 1785. Senator GORTON. Thank you. Mark...

...cultivate that inner strength upon which republicanism depended. As Jefferson wrote to John Jay in 1785: Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens....virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to it's liberty and interests by the most lasting bands. As long therefore as they can find emploiment...

...number of people in their cultivation. Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. ... As long therefore as they can find employment in this...would not convert them into mariners, artisans, or anything else." 64 Jefferson then expressed his preference in the event that any citizens were unable...

...the majority of the population. "Cultivators of the earth," he wrote in one characteristic passage, "are the most valuable citizens. They are the most...vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and thev are tied to their country, and wedded to its liberty JJJ and interests, by the most lasting bonds."...