Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1993. [Vol. 1.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 21)

STUDIES - András Tarnóc: "Jefferson Still Survives".

ANDRÁS TARNÓC "JEFFERSON STILL SURVIVES' I. The Fourth of July is a special day in American history marking the birthday of the Declaration of Independence and of the United States as well. The day is usually celebrated by patriotic speeches, marching bands, picnics and fireworks. Lost in the revelry is another less joyous milestone. On July 4, 1826, 50 years after the issuance of the Declaration of Independence the second and third presidents of the United States, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson passed away. While Adams and Jefferson were bitter political enemies, Adams' dying words; "Jefferson still survives" paid homage to the accomplishment of his foe and laid the foundation of an enduring Jefferson myth. In an era when heroes seem to fall by the wayside everyday as an ungrateful posterity rocks one too many pedestal, Jefferson seems to have stayed above the fray of deheroization. While the wind of historical revisionism has not spared the Jefferson image, the author of the Declaration of Independence remained a revered character of American and world history. 115