What languages did our Founding Fathers know?

“I was educated at William and Mary college in Williamsburg. I read Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, and English of course, with something of it’s radix the Anglo-Saxon.”

– Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Joseph Delaplaine (12 April 1817) – which seems to show that Jefferson thus studied what is now known as “Old English” (or, as he calls it here, “Anglo-Saxon”)

Our Founding Fathers were quite a knowledgeable group, who knew many foreign languages

The Founding Fathers of the United States are among the most brilliant collection of individuals in all of world history. Seldom, if ever, has there been such a remarkable collection of talent anywhere else. Our Founding Fathers were particularly well-versed in things like history – particularly that of Ancient Greece (including Athens), the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire, the British Isles, and our own Colonial America. They also studied the greatest Greek and Roman philosophers, as well as relatively modern philosophers from Britain and France, with great skill. They studied prior laws from the British Isles (such as the Magna Carta), and the great British jurists who expounded on those laws. And, if I may offer an opinion, they helped to create the most successful Constitution that the world has ever known. Nonetheless, many of them were also accomplished polyglots, who attained fluency in a notable variety of foreign languages. Here, too, their genius shines through – with both ancient and modern languages.

Thomas Jefferson

To save time here, I’ll be focusing on some of the most prominent of our Founding Fathers

I have covered their accomplishments in these other spheres elsewhere. Thus, I will instead be focusing here on their attainments in the realm of foreign languages. Here as elsewhere, the Founding Fathers’ record can speak for itself, since I will be trying to use their own words here as much as possible. To shorten this discussion, I will focus entirely on some of the most prominent of our Founding Fathers. This will help to keep our discussion to a more manageable length. It will also help to showcase the knowledge of our Founding Fathers, which stands up well to any reasonable standard.

Thomas Jefferson

The Case of Proclamations created a political uproar

“I was sent to attend the Lord Chancellor, Lord Treasurer, Lord Privy Seal, and the Chancellor of the Duchy; there being present the attorney, the solicitor, and recorder: and two questions were moved to me by the Lord Treasurer; the one if the King by his proclamation may prohibit new buildings in and about London, etc; the other, if the King hath answered, that he will confer with his Privy Council, and his Judges, and then he will do right to them … I did humbly desire them that I might have conference with my brethren the Judges about the answer of the King, and then to make an advised answer according to law and reason.”

– The decision written by Sir Edward Coke, in the Court of King’s Bench, in the Michaelmas Term of the year 1610 – better known today as Sir Edward Coke’s “Case of Proclamations” (1610)

The Case of Proclamations was the brainchild of Sir Edward Coke, and angered King James

In 1610, Sir Edward Coke was a judge in the Court of King’s Bench. He had been appointed there by King James the First of England. The king’s Lord Chancellor approached Sir Edward Coke about a court case that Coke was then hearing. This court case is now known as the “Case of Proclamations.” When Sir Edward Coke made his decision, Coke noted the Lord Chancellor’s prior requests to him in the decision itself. The relevant part is as follows: “the Lord Chancellor said, that every precedent had first a commencement, and that he would advise the Judges to maintain the power and prerogative of the King; and in cases in which there is no authority and precedent, to leave it to the King to order in it, according to his wisdom, and for the good of his subjects, or otherwise the King would be no more than the Duke of Venice: and that the King was so much restrained in his prerogative, that it was to be feared the bonds would be broken: but to apply his medicine according to the quality of the disease: and all concluded that it should be necessary at that time to confirm the King's prerogative with our opinions, although that there were not any former precedent or authority in law: for every precedent ought to have a commencement.” (see source) Sir Edward Coke then offered his response, which would not exactly please this same King James.

Sir Edward Coke

How little-known European conflicts sucked in Britain’s American colonies

Note: This post covers a number of conflicts in various parts of the world. But all of them are arguably part of a larger pattern of European wars during this period. Thus, many of my other mentions of these conflicts are directed to this post, which tries to discuss these various conflicts (and sub-conflicts) in this broader colonial context.

Dutch colony of New Netherland (America), and the First and Second Anglo-Dutch Wars

It was only seven years after the 1607 founding of the Jamestown Settlement … that Holland created its own colony in North America. It was called “New Netherland,” and it was founded in 1614. Only six years later was the Pilgrim colony created at Plymouth Rock in 1620. French Canada had begun to fight the Beaver Wars back in 1609. These Beaver Wars would then be fought for the next 90 years or so. In 1635, the Acadian Civil War also began in French Canada. But, elsewhere in North America, the Netherlands would soon be fighting a war against the native peoples, known as “Kieft’s War.” It was fought from 1643 to 1645, in what are today the American states of New York and New Jersey. But Holland would soon be at war with a much greater threat: the mighty “English” Empire (not to be confused with its eventual successor, the “British” Empire). Thus, in 1652, the First Anglo-Dutch War began, over disputes about trade. This particular war was fought almost entirely at sea, in various bodies of water – from the English Channel to the Persian Gulf. In 1654, the war ended with the Treaty of Westminster, where the Dutch made some minor concessions to the English. The aforementioned Acadian Civil War also ended in 1654, although the aforementioned Beaver Wars continued. But, in 1665, the Second Anglo-Dutch War began. Like its predecessor, this war was fought mainly at sea. However, there was also some land fighting in West Africa, the East Indies, the Guianas, and the Caribbean. In North America, the war also involved the city of New Amsterdam surrendering to the English. Thus, in 1664, New Amsterdam was then renamed “New York City,” the name by which it is still known today. In 1667, the Second Anglo-Dutch War ended with the Treaty of Breda. Thus, the Dutch colony of New Netherland temporarily ended in 1667. However, England also ceded English Guiana, Fort Amsterdam in Ghana, and Run to the Netherlands. The stage was thus set for a rematch.

The Battle of Scheveningen – part of the First Anglo-Dutch War, 1653

The Four Days’ Battle – part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1666

A review of “Confucianism and Taoism” (audiobook)

“Citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, social organization or individual shall coerce citizens to believe in or not to believe in any religion, nor shall they discriminate against citizens who believe in or do not believe in any religion. The state shall protect normal [but, apparently, only “normal”] religious activities.” 

– Chapter II, Article 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (ratified 1954)

In communist China, Chairman Mao persecuted both the Confucian and Taoist religions. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China pays lip service to “freedom of religious belief.” But, in practice, freedom of religion is actually quite limited there. This may be why it’s hard to come up with reliable statistics for the relative size of the country’s religions. In fairness, persecution of both the Confucian and Taoist faiths in China predates the communist revolution there. But this persecution went into high gear, when Mao took over the mainland of China in 1949. The government of the older “Republic of China” then retreated to the nearby island of Taiwan. Taiwan is a much freer country today. Thus, it’s easier to see the influence of the “Chinese folk religions” there, as they are now called, in the country’s demographics.

A review of “Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Chinese Philosophy” (audiobook)

In the West, Confucius may be the most admired of all of the Eastern philosophers. When Westerners are asked to give the name of a non-Western philosopher, Confucius is probably the one that would most often be cited. There has long been some debate in the West, surrounding whether Confucianism is a “philosophy” or a “religion.” Similar debates apply with Taoism – or “Daoism,” as they pronounce it here. Regardless, I might mention that this company (Knowledge Products) actually did another audiobook on this same subject. Specifically, it was called “Confucianism and Taoism.” But, to me, “Confucianism and Taoism” seemed to focus more on the two belief systems as religions. By contrast, this audiobook (“Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Chinese Philosophy”) seemed to be approaching both belief systems from a philosophical perspective. And, in many noticeable ways, they were trying to capture the richness of Chinese philosophy.

Why I’m glad to be a native speaker of English

“… all Pleas which shall be pleaded in [any] Courts whatsoever, before any of his Justices whatsoever, or in his other Places, or before any of His other Ministers whatsoever, or in the Courts and Places of any other Lords whatsoever within the Realm, shall be pleaded, shewed, defended, answered, debated, and judged in the English language [formerly French], and that they be entered and inrolled in Latin … ”

– “Pleading in English Act” (1362), as passed by the relatively-new Parliament of England in the Middle Ages

When including second-language speakers, English is the world’s most spoken language

I love learning non-native languages as much as the next person (and maybe more so). I’ve learned some Spanish and French, as well as some Biblical Hebrew and Greek. Perhaps partially because of this, I would love to have multiple native languages. More specifically, given that I live in the American Southwest, I would love to be a native speaker of both English and Spanish. To be clear, it’s hard for people with one native language to raise their kids bilingually, when that language is not dominant in the culture where they live. Thus, I should clarify that this is not intended as a “criticism” of my parents, for somehow “failing” to teach me any significant Spanish as a kid. Given that they were not native speakers of Spanish, such expectations would seem entirely unwarranted, not to mention inapplicable. And, as mentioned above, I was still able to learn Spanish as a second language later on, making up somewhat for this minor disadvantage in my situation. Nonetheless, if I’ve got to have only one native language, I’m glad in many ways that it was English. Speakers of nearly every language tend to consider their own language to be the most “beautiful.” I get this. I’m actually less that way myself, since I find all of my languages to be comparable in their charm and beauty – maybe even more beautiful. But English likewise has its own charm. Obviously, it’s the most useful language here in the United States, which remains one of the largest economies in the world. But, with apologies to Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, it’s also the most practical language in the entire world. Spanish and Mandarin Chinese may have more native speakers than English, but English has a significant number of second-language speakers. Thus, when you include these second-language speakers in the total, English is currently the most spoken language in the world. In part, this is because English remains one of the major languages of India today. India has more than a billion people, as you may know. Owing in part to the prior British colonization there, a significant portion of modern India speaks English. Small wonder, then, that the business value of English is so strong today.

An official of the British East India Company, circa 1760

Trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, 1963

Why I’m glad that I learned Spanish

“Se habla español.” (“We speak Spanish.”)

– A phrase used by businesses in parts of the United States (including here in the Southwest)

Anecdote about immersing myself in Hispanic culture (which I can’t do with ancient cultures)

This might seem a strange way to begin a blog post about Spanish – but I’ve been learning Biblical Hebrew and Greek for some years now. Because of this, I’ve actually been able to read some parts of the Bible in the original Hebrew. I’ve sometimes wished that I could get off the plane, and step into the cultures of both Biblical Hebrew and Greek. For example, I’ve sometimes wished that I could have a conversation in one (or even both) of these two dead languages. Of course, I’ve never actually been able to do so, because I live in the twenty-first century. There are such languages as modern Hebrew and Greek, but the ancient forms of these languages died out many centuries ago. However, I do have some modern languages alongside of the ancient ones. And one of these modern languages, as it turns out, is Spanish. I live in the Southwestern United States, so Hispanic culture is all around me here. It can be found in things from the local Spanish place names, to the remarkable Mexican food that so many of us eat here. Indeed, this is one of the few cultures that I can actually step into while staying here in my Arizona hometown. This is one of the reasons that I’ve long been glad that I learned some Spanish. I wouldn’t even need to purchase a plane ticket, to be able to put this language into practice. I can do so right here at home, without even having to leave town. With Spanish, I got my wish, and was actually able to get some firsthand experience of the culture for myself.

Great image of a carne asada burrito from Wikipedia