Too much emphasis on him, as though he acted alone. Read the autobiography of Ben Franklin; nobody did more than him. George Washington was the natural leader; neither of these were less based than TJ. Many, many great men pledged their lives, honor and fortune to establish this Nation that has become the whipping boy of the left.

Had there been no TJ, would they have taken up the slack? What would be different? We have no way of knowing. Perhaps his biggest contribution came while he worked abroad. After opining that "the Musselman" (Muslim) had a part here, he gained first hand experience with their bs. Instead of going along with their ransom, he sold the doctrine of FAFO, which took many years. Had he not been there, would someone else have done it? Again, we'll never know.

He made great contributions, but was one among many.