Experience the American dream with today’s Patriot of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s November 24, 1783. I’m at Monticello with Thomas Jefferson’s 10-year-old daughter, Patsy. She’s all excited having just received the letter from her father.
JG: “Patsy, what does your father have to say?”
PJ: “Mr. Gillespie, my papa wants me to practice my music and dance, study my French, and work on my English grammar.”
Thomas Jefferson was the writer of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States, but he was also president of the school board of the District of Columbia and always stressed reading, writing and arithmetic.
Read more about Thomas Jefferson and his love of education.
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
