In this video, Steve from Sensus Fidelium offers a fraternal correction of recent claims made by Dr. Taylor Marshall about Thomas Jefferson, the separation of Church and state, and whether Jefferson is “to the left of AOC.”

This isn’t a hit piece or a rage response. It’s a historical and Catholic deep dive from someone who has spent years immersed in the Founders, Anti-Federalists, Jeffersonian democracy, federalism, subsidiarity, and 19th-century nationalism.

Key themes & thinkers mentioned:

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John C. Calhoun, Patrick Henry, John Taylor of Caroline

Dr. Brion McClanahan, Dr. Thomas Woods, Donald Livingston, Clyde Wilson

Pius IX, the Syllabus of Errors, 19th-century nationalism, socialism, secularism

The 14th Amendment, incorporation, centralization, and the modern “miracle amendment” mindset

Federalism vs. nationalism, subsidiarity vs. centralization, localism vs. empire

00:00 – Intro: Why this is a fraternal correction, not a hit piece
02:00 – Steve’s background in Founders, Federalists & Anti-Federalists
03:00 – Pius IX, the Syllabus of Errors & 19th-century nationalism
06:15 – Nationalism, socialism, secularism & centralization in Europe
09:00 – Why Pius IX condemned separation of Church and state (rightly understood)
11:00 – DIY liver health joke & pivot back to Jefferson / church–state question
12:00 – “Wall of separation”: what Dr. Marshall said vs historical context
13:00 – Danbury Baptists’ letter to Jefferson: what they actually asked
16:20 – Jefferson’s reply: “their legislature” & Congress vs. the states
18:00 – Hugo Black, incorporation, and ripping “wall of separation” out of context
19:00 – States as sovereign nations & state-level established religions
20:00 – How you can have a Catholic state – at the state level, not in D.C.
22:30 – Centralization, Puritanism & the pledge of allegiance
24:30 – Parties, Lincoln, Republicans, and the destruction of the old Democrats
25:30 – Founders, Freemasonry & the real federalist / anti-Federalist split
28:00 – Jefferson, slavery, debt, and the Sally Hemings narrative
30:00 – DNA evidence, Monticello, and why the Hemings story isn’t that simple
37:00 – Race, modern narratives & Jefferson’s reputation
37:40 – Jefferson on public education & schooling for all free children
39:20 – Jefferson on nullification & resisting unconstitutional federal acts
43:20 – Oaths, religious tests & the founders’ understanding of God and law
51:00 – Corrections: deism, Freemasonry & throwing the baby out with the bathwater
52:40 – Jefferson’s moral seriousness & the Jefferson Bible(s) explained
54:40 – David Barton’s take: 1804 vs 1820 Jefferson Bible projects
58:40 – Was Jefferson really “to the left of AOC”? Why that makes no sense
1:00:30 – Treaty of Paris & “free, sovereign, and independent states”
1:01:20 – Christian nations at the state level (Georgia example)
1:02:00 – Oversized states, representation problems & ungovernable scale
1:03:00 – Is Jefferson “evil”? Comparing founders to modern politicians
1:04:20 – Parties, moral decay & selective outrage
1:10:10 – “One nation” rhetoric, communism & centralization
1:12:00 – Catholic dioceses vs giant blobs: why localism matters
1:14:00 – Italian unification & the loss of many small Catholic polities
1:15:20 – Dearborn, NYC, and federalism: let locals live how they vote
1:18:00 – Secession, breaking up states & competition between polities
1:20:20 – Obamacare vs Romneycare & the 10th Amendment
1:22:00 – Yankees, moral busybodies & “make them live like Boston” mindset
1:23:30 – Jefferson on debt, future generations & moral responsibility
1:25:00 – Why this correction matters & invitation to criticism
1:26:10 – How Jefferson, Woods, McClanahan & Livingston shaped Steve’s thinking
1:27:00 – Clyde Wilson on the Jeffersonian conservative tradition
1:31:00 – What American conservatism should actually conserve
1:33:00 – Closing thoughts: team sport, heaven, and making the world better for our kids

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