“Thomas Jefferson Born,” and “Sidney Poitier Wins Oscar,” - This Day in History – Apr 13th

Future President Thomas Jefferson is Born

Back in 1743, Albemarle County, Virginia welcomed the birth of the future third President of the U.S, Thomas Jefferson.  Mr. Jefferson was also the man who helped to draft the historic document – The Declaration of Independence. 

According to history.com, “Jefferson's character--as a man or a president--defies definition in black and white. He was at once an intellectual, architect, philosopher, musician and essayist. His fascination with science prompted his study and collection of fossils. He projected a down-to-earth, relaxed and unconventional attitude and his desire to be seen as a common man was reflected in his penchant for receiving White House visitors in a robe and slippers. Jefferson denounced oppressive government and was a fierce proponent of freedom of speech and religion. He worried that fellow founding fathers George Washington, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton had designs to fashion the American presidency after a monarchy. When Washington and Hamilton proposed a national bank and state assumption of national debt, Jefferson resigned from Washington's cabinet in protest. He adamantly rejected Hamilton's plan to build a strong federal military, fearing it might be used by a tyrannical leader against American citizens."

"Though Jefferson was highly principled, he was not above using smear tactics against political opponents. He anonymously assailed his victims in print under a pseudonym and helped to fund the anti-Federalist press.”

Sidney Poitier Becomes First Oscar African American Oscar Winner For Lilies of the Field

Back in 1964, actor Sidney Poitier won his first Oscar for the portrayal of a construction worker, Homer Smith who helps to build a chapel for the movie, “Lilies of the Field.”  This win was also the first by an African American for Best Actor. 

History.com stated that, “With his historic Oscar win for Lilies of the Field, Poitier became only the second African American to win an Academy Award. The first was Hattie McDaniel, who won in the Best Supporting Actress category in 1939 for Gone with the Wind. McDaniel played Mammy, the tough but indulgent slave governess to the spoiled Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara. Critics of the film, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), later pointed to the role as an example of the typical black stereotypes that Hollywood was keeping alive."

"When presenting Poitier with his Oscar statuette, the actress Ann Bancroft congratulated him with a kiss on the cheek, a gesture that caused a mild scandal among the show’s most conservative audiences. Poitier took part in a more momentous kiss three years later, when he and Katherine Houghton shared the first interracial on-screen kiss in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967).”

All History facts are from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tiger-woods-wins-his-first-masters?catId=10