Want to see a few tidbits about Deaf people that were connected to our US President from the past? Enjoy! Happy Presidents’ Day! ♥️
[Video transcript]
Adonia: Hello! I’m here today to say Happy Presidents’ Day! I want to share a few short tidbits about the connection between U.S. Presidents and the Deaf comunity. Oh, I have plenty of stories, but I’ll choose three for now.
First tidbit: In April 9th 1816 a young French Deaf man named Francis Gard wrote a letter to the third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson, proposing to establish a Deaf school in America (as there has been no school especially for the Deaf at the time.). Remember, American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut – it’s incorporation date for American School for the Deaf wasn’t until May 1816, which means it was one month earlier when Francis Gard first wrote the letter suggesting establishing a Deaf school. Obviously nothing happened. (By the way, Francis was in fact friends with Laurent Clerc himself.)
Second tidbit: When U.S. President Abraham Lincoln died, the train carried his body in a casket decorated with flowers and a wreath all the way to Illinois. The wreath was donated to the superintendent of Illinois School for the Deaf, Phillip Gillet. He held on to it for some time before donating to the Lincoln Presidental Museum.
Third tidbit: In Georgia, John J. Flournoy (who proposed to establish GSD but was ignored because he was Deaf) wrote the letter to 17th U.S. President Andrew Johnson!
Those important tidbits I shared with you – aren’t they interesting and informative? Happy (US) Presidents’ Day to y’all! Bye!
10 percent from all purchased ASL Rose products (www.aslrose.com/shop) will go to the National Deaf Schools Museum, and we also welcome ANY amount of donation toward the purchasing of the Primary Building (or PB for short).
Please help make a dream come true in purchasing and turning the PB into three divisions: the future National Deaf Schools Museum, a new home for GSD Museum, and also a new home for ASL Rose: https://www.facebook.com/donate/436509450618919/?fundraiser_source=external_url
