The Wisdom of Flawed Men

Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner, We know this from history. And when he died, most were solid, And very few ever let free. Yet Jefferson himself put down the words That led to our great progress, When he said men were entitled to “Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” Do we ignore the man’s greatest ideas That put bondage in its grave, And disregard long volumes of wisdom Because this flawed man owned slaves? James Madison had slaves on his own, He was a product of his day. But could see no way to end it, And the county somehow save. Yet Madison was the driving force, Behind that great constitution, That has been the why and the how Of our ongoing revolution. The constitution that one day would Put slavery in the earth, Do we ignore the role that Madison played Because he was a product of his birth? Sam Adams, he was quite frivolous, At least when it came to cash. He spent far more than he ever made, And was often broke in a flash. But his passion for a free man’s life Pushed him on to fight and cry The British rule would be no more, Sons of Freedom would fight and die! The nation he helped bring about, With prosperity now is flushed, Should we ignore poor Sam and his travails, Because he couldn’t handle a buck? His cousin John Adams loved his wife Abigail, But if you read their letters, she wrote About whether women too had rights A cause that John didn’t promote. But Johnny was a force for independence A passionate speaker and scribe It’s possible to say, without his voice, The cause would’ve withered and died. And his taking office after Washington, Set the grounds a fruitful tradition, The transfer of power without blood and war, Showed us all how to avoid that perdition. It seems to me that many flawed men Will possess that touch of wisdom. I suppose that this only makes sense, Perfection has no home in this Kingdom. It seems to me that every age Has some sins that it can’t dispose, And our children’s children will look back And the present age seek to disown. But if we waited for perfect teachers, So we could learn at their feet, We’d all be waiting a long, long time, And would all die dumber than sheep.