"I think that's what Jefferson's attitude was: 'I'd rather not, but I'm probably the best person to do it.'"
— Clay
We return to our Jefferson 101 series this week with an episode about Jefferson’s road to the White House. Over the past few months, we've carried Jefferson from his birth in Virginia in 1743 right up to the brink of the time when he became the third president of the United States. We take for granted how our elections work. Back then, they didn't really have a blueprint: no conventions, no caucuses, no primaries, no debates. It was an informal system and we try to sort out how a reluctant person like Jefferson winds up being the president.
Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog.
Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.
"The question then became: Is a national bank constitutional? Did the Founding Fathers contemplate a national bank?"
— Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson
This week, we discuss the argument between Alexander Hamilton and Jefferson over the creation of a national bank of the United States. Hamilton believed a central banking system was essential to America's standing in the world. Jefferson disagreed, arguing that to take a single step beyond the powers of the constitution is to enter a field of boundless abuse. We speak with Jefferson about President Washington's support of Hamilton’s plan, a decision with ramifications that affect Americans to this day.
Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog.
Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.
"I never like to be rude, but sometimes one has to set the precedent for a society that will shock the world."
— Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson
This week, we discuss diplomacy and presidential decorum. When the British Ambassador Anthony Merry came to the White House, Jefferson went out of his way to be rude: to make it clear that the Revolution was won by us, not them.
In 1792, Jefferson wrote to George Washington: "No government ought to be without censors: and where the press is free, no one ever will. If virtuous, it need not fear the fair operation of attack and defence. Nature has given to man no other means of sifting out the truth either in religion, law, or politics."
Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog.
Learn more about Odyssey Tours and the summer 2017 Lewis & Clark adventure on odytours.net. There, you can also find the Lochsa Lodge retreats: one on Walden and another on Shakespeare.
Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.
"I was always happiest when I could direct the reading of a promising young man."
— Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson
Here at the Jefferson Hour, we love our listener mail. We try to answer as many letters as possible because they help us to open up new avenues of discourse. This week, we devote another episode to answering listener questions. Subjects covered include civil discourse, the virtues of France, Jefferson’s suggested reading of the classics and John Adam’s midnight appointments.
Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog.
Learn more about Odyssey Tours and the summer 2017 Lewis & Clark adventure on odytours.net. There, you can also find the Lochsa Lodge retreats: one on Walden and another on Shakespeare.
Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.