The Thomas Jefferson Hour

Clay Jenkinson and Lindsay Chervinsky respond questions from a listener about the paradoxes and inconsistencies of Thomas Jefferson’s life, including his ownership of enslaved people. Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

In June, Clay Jenkinson was invited to give an endowed lecture on the humanities at the Library Company of Philadelphia, America's first successful lending library and oldest cultural institution. It was founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin. We discuss that lecture and Alexander von Humboldt, as well as the amazing artifacts Clay saw while in Philadelphia. Mentioned on this episode. Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay Jenkinson discuss current events including recent Supreme Court decisions and the Second Amendment. Mentioned on this episode. Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay Jenkinson present ten things about the Supreme Court. Mentioned on this episode. Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

We are joined this week by three friends and contributors to The Thomas Jefferson Hour: Brad Crisler, Lindsay Chervinsky and Joseph Ellis for a rousing conversation about Independence Day. Mentioned on this episode. Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Recently the Thomas Jefferson Hour was contacted by long term listener Vince DiPiazza, the city manager of Uvalde, Texas. Vince wrote, “My community is broken, and we have to figure out now how to come together, pick up the pieces, and try to make some good come out of this terrible event.” Clay Jenkinson invited Vince to join us in conversation and speak about the character of the community of Uvalde and his thoughts about what can be done to avoid tragedies like this in the future. Mentioned on this episode. Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Clay Jenkinson and Joe Ellis discuss the Enlightenment, a European intellectual movement that happened between 1680 and 1840 that believed in rationality, science, the rights of man and the possibility that humans could govern themselves. Joseph Ellis says that the very basis of the Enlightenment was truth and truth seeking. Mentioned on this episode: PBS: The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, PBS: Ben Franklin Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

David Swenson speaks with President Jefferson about the cost of the American Revolutionary War, the aid France provided to America, and Jefferson's position on aiding other nations in their struggles for freedom and liberty. Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

In the second of two shows devoted to Theodore Roosevelt, Clay Jenkinson and Lindsay Chervinsky discuss Roosevelt’s accomplishments and his shortcomings, including his collection of White House pets, his children, and how much the press enjoyed covering his presidency. Mentioned on this episode: The Best and Worst Presidential Cabinets in U.S. History by Lindsay M. Chervinsky for The Great Courses Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch.  Subscribe to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on YouTube. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Clay Jenkinson and Lindsay Chervinsky discuss Theodore Roosevelt’s accomplishments and his shortcomings, including his great contributions to conservation and government reforms as well as the fact that he was considered a jingoist, an imperialist and at times a eugenicist and racist. Mentioned on this episode: The Roosevelt Country Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

David speaks with President Jefferson about the "original argument" between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton concerning whether or not the United States should have a national bank. Jefferson felt this was in a sense unconstitutional and Hamilton believed we needed a flexible constitution. This program originally aired in June of 2017. Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay Jenkinson discuss John Jay, the American statesman, patriot, diplomat, Founding Father, abolitionist, and signatory of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Jay was a proponent of strong, centralized government, which at times put him at odds with Thomas Jefferson. Jay worked to ratify the United States Constitution in New York in 1788 and was a co-author of The Federalist Papers along with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. Clay will be performing live as Thomas Jefferson on May 14th in Newport News, Virginia at the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Mentioned on this episode: PBS: Benjamin Franklin by Ken Burns Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkins

David Swenson speaks with President Jefferson about Plato’s Republic and American democracy. This program originally aired in 2016.  Clay will be performing live as Thomas Jefferson on May 14th in Newport News, Virginia at the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Mentioned on this episode: "Democracies End When They Are Too Democratic" by Andrew Sullivan Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay Jenkinson discuss King George III and his effect on the American Revolution. According to the British historian George Otto Trevelyan, the King was determined to "keep the rebels harassed, anxious, and poor, until the day when, by a natural and inevitable process, discontent and disappointment were converted into penitence and remorse." Mentioned on this episode: "George III by Andrew Roberts — not so mad after all" by Lindsay Chervinsky Clay will be performing live as Thomas Jefferson on May 14th in Newport News, Virginia at the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

David Swenson speaks with President Jefferson about the American character, both as citizens and as a nation. This program originally aired in May of 2017. Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay Jenkinson discuss Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence. Rush was the force behind the reconciliation correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams which began in 1812. Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Clay Jenkinson welcomes Yale Professor of History Joanne Freeman for a one on one conversation about her new book, The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War. In the book, Freeman writes about the physical violence on the floor of the US Congress in the decades before the Civil War. Legislative sessions were often punctuated by mortal threats, canings, flipped desks, and all-out slugfests. Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay Jenkinson discuss Benjamin Franklin. When Franklin was asked what the U.S. Constitution would provide, he answered, "A republic, if you can keep it." Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

This week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Clay Jenkinson welcomes the author Derek Baxter to discuss Baxter’s recently published book, In Pursuit of Jefferson: Traveling through Europe with the Most Perplexing Founding Father. To write the book, Baxter spent eight years doing research and traveling to sites in Europe that Jefferson visited. Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Clay Jenkinson and Lindsay Chervinsky discuss ten things about an event rather than an individual: the crossing of the Delaware River by George Washington and the Continental Army in a surprise attack on Christmas night, 1776. Mentioned on this episode. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours and retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our merch. You can find Clay's books on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.