we all know about the younger jefferson, we will probably know something about jefferson as an older man when he was president. it gave me a chance to explore, middle aged in the 1780's, jefferson was going into his 40s. he almost did not travel to france at all, he had been asked twice to go over there to be ambassador for the united states and declined it both times. there were two traumatic events that really changed his mind and changed his whole life. in the early 1780's, that led him to take his trip. one was he was governor of virginia for two years during the revolutionary war. it wound up being a very difficult time, jefferson, he is a brilliant guy but he was not a good wartime governor. there were many challenges, he had trouble calling the militia. the british wound up over running the state. jefferson, himself, was almost captured at monticello. the dragoons charged up the mountain and came within a few minutes of catching him. jefferson left office and was fiercely criticized by this incident, he was very strong by criticism. he was bit of a sensitive guy, he swore that

this different side of jefferson. it was in his when he was middle age in the 1780s. so jefferson was just going into his 40s, and he almost didn't travel to france at all. he had been asked twice to go over there to be ambassador from the united states and a declined it both times. but there were there were two events two traumatic events that really changed his mind and changed his whole life in the early 1780s that led him to take this trip. so one was he was governor of virginia for two years during the revolutionary war and it wound up being a very difficult time jefferson, you know, he's a brilliant guy, but he was not a good wartime governor. there are many challenges. he had trouble calling the militia up and the british wound up over running the state and jefferson himself was was almost captured at monticello. the dragon's charged up the mountain and came within a few minutes of of catching him. and jefferson left office and he was fiercely criticized by this incident and he was really stung by criticism. he

but jefferson died in 1826. peter was only 11 and all of a sudden his life completely changed families were broken up 130 people were auctioned after jefferson's death. joseph was actually one of the people that were that were freed, but but peter was not he was sold to a master a very cruel master who forbade him to read who whipped him, you know, it was a very is a time of suffering for that for this young man who left monticello. he tried to escape and was caught and brought back. eventually joseph foster joseph fawcett rather with the help of some friends was able to buy his son's freedom and they all the whole family moved to ohio peter fawcett became a reverend. he became a caterer had a successful business. he worked with the underground railroad. and years later it was in 1900. he was 85 at this time. he was invited back to monticello. so by this time, you know, the jeffersons had long since lost the house the levy family a jewish family. that was very inspired by jefferson's commitment to religious free

so jefferson, being a jefferson, you know, the ultimate overachiever, he didn't just give, you know, if you names here and there, you should go here and you know, check this out. instead he wrote a 5000 word letter to these two twentysomething guys. and he even gave it a title, he called it, hints to americans traveling in europe. so, he sketched out this itinerary, and for them to follow and give them a lot of ideas to go off of things to do. he also had a lot of insight from his english trip that he could share about things to do over there. and he thought that it was important though that these young men not just go over europe and have a good time, although hopefully would enjoy the trip, it was really about learning. he gave them homework. and jefferson set out what he called 8 objects of attention that he thought were particularly important for americans to learn about. things like agriculture and landscape gardens and architecture and royal courts. so i have a question for you. here in the crowd, which of these different subject if, you can see them there, do you think that je

to explore the different side of jefferson he was middle aged in the 1780s, jefferson was going into his 40s and almost didn't travel to france at all, he'd been asked twice to go over to be ambassador from the unitedte states and declined it both times but thereer were two traumatic events that changed his mind and life in the early 1780s that led him to take this trip. one was he was governor of virginia for two years during the revolutionary war and wound up being a difficult time. jefferson, a brilliant guy but not a good wartime governor,ll many challenges, he had trouble calling the militia up against the british wound up overrunning the state and jefferson was talmost captured and charged up the mountain and came with it a few minutes of catching him and jefferson left office and criticized by this incident and was stung by criticism from a bit of a sensitive guy and he was done with politics, he wrote that he retired to his farm and his family and field and nothing would separate them from them again but the next year, the next event happened, his wife martha died, unchartere

it was one that jefferson didn't have a good answer for he didn't like confrontation jefferson didn't he was a wonderful. he's a magnificent letter writer. they're almost like poetry and he was a wonderful conversation list, but he was certainly shy away from one-on-one confrontation on so adams in a way let jefferson off the hook. he didn't push him on slavery in the correspondence on and jefferson didn't act in his later years some some others did including edward coles a younger a younger slave owner in virginia who was an admirer of jefferson who did actually free his slaves and bring them bring them into freedom. so so he had he was able to take his convictions. you know that way jefferson had so many reasons. he rationalized to himself debt. what have you that that he didn't follow suit and he didn't resolve that contradiction, but he did leave us these words that obviously we're trying to live up to even today. so if you really think that his travels. through europe that you've documented really impacted and led him in his politics and just changed our politics here today proba

jefferson's most was the attack upon him? and the accusations of being a radical of being an atheist claims that he would make everyone sing the car came president the entrancement french revolution. um, he bitterly resented these attacks and some of the worst attacks actually came from presidents of northern universities who were all so at the same time clerics absolutely still spoken was timothy the president of yale. and he went far in 1802 as telling his students that they should take it over never vote for jefferson. ah he thought it was a real problem for the republic to be dominated by physical opponents because he believed only his party was gonna save america and save the true tradition of 1776. he thought that the federalists were gonna turn the place into a monarchy that they reintroduced real aristocracy. they make britain. they make america just satellite of britain. so we're all hereditary aristocracy. yes or whatever. and so the house of words, of course at that time and in fact until 1999 astonishingly was a h

basin is the jefferson memorial. the stately and beautiful tribute paid to jefferson by the american people for whom he did so much. inspired words of jefferson proudly carved here on the walls of this shrine. birds that will never die but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain their opinions and matters of religion. god who gave us life gave us liberty. not an advocate for when changes and laws and constitutions but laws and institutions must go hand and hand with the progress of the human mind. thomas jefferson the great genius who gave us our heritage the declaration of independence jefferson team 26 50 years to the day. most to the hour that he willness our legacy thomas jefferson lives forever in the hearts of freedom hey goes there trace and that's what could you make a trees a little quieter people start to stop and stare not mike treason our house of burgesses is on

so the real work fell to adams and jefferson. adams much more experience in the senior of the two, said to jefferson, you should draft this document. jefferson declined modestly. i'll give you three reasons, said adams. reason the first, you are a virginian, and a virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. reason second, i am controversial and unpopular. you are very much otherwise. and reason third, you can write ten times better than i can. that settled it. young thomas jefferson wasec elected. shortly, his talented and settle to the task. we can imagine this sensitive young man, angry and resentful of the king, yet mature enough and wise enough to hold himself in check. he writes.s. he scratches out. he talks with franklin. he talks with adams and he writes some more. and slowly word by word, thought by thought, there evolves unknowable, majestic majestic music of the declaration of independence. when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have conne

so the work fell to adams and jefferson. adams much i more experienced, e senior of the two said you should draft this document. jefferso' declined modestly. i will give you the reasons. you are a virginian that ought to appear at the head of this business. reason second, i am controversial land on the popular. you were very much otherwise. reason thoroughly, you could write ten times better than i can. that settled it. thomas jefferson was elected shortly as settled to the task. we could imagine this sensitive young man angry and resentful wise enough to hold himself in check. he h writes and talks with franklin and talks with adams and writes some more and slowly word by word evolves the noble majestic union of independence when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to decide the political bands which have connected them with another into and a gathers momentumlike an eo the vastness of the sky. then this tremendous statement we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal

malone has spent 50 years writing about jefferson and said jefferson the 17 '90s i don't really understand what he is doing. it's been 50 years we don't understand what is doing. what he's doing is lying it is a treasonable. he is stabbing washington in the back. i might be wrong, kevin tell me, i have often said to students and i hope i was right, jefferson wrote to martha when he became president he was close to mount vernon, can i come see you? she never answered i don't think. she said that washington said i never want that man on my property. >> is right after washington's death in particular martha has a very powerful statement for jefferson. let me bring up a little more at language here were going to talk about union quite a bit. it is all through this address the word union appears so much he will think you are reading for abraham lincoln. it's all through this address unity and union which constitutes is also known due to the word now jumps out at me. it's the edifice for the real independence for your tranquility at home of peace abroad of safety, of prosperity and the very libe

many volumes have been written about jefferson and slavery. but in short it is worth keeping in mind the following that jefferson himself wrote in notes on the state of virginia. in which he spoke about the corrupting influence of slavery. there must doubtless be an unhappy influence on the manners of our people produced by the existence of slavery among us. the whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions? the most unrelenting despotism on the one part and degrading submissions on the other. the man must be a prodigy who can retain his manners and morals underpraved by such circumstances. jefferson had written that in 1785. he knew well the cost of slavery. he knew well the corrupting influence of slavery yet. he never worked to end it. and here at the end of his life in the 1820s. he knew. that it was absolutely central to the success of his institution. in fact, it was part of his reason for founding the university of virginia. he wrote that in its founding the university. he was hoping to

what they were thinking and jefferson writes about this "afterwards", i think jefferson wrote washington's speech in annapolis as a matter of fact, i can't prove that but jefferson says one man saved us that follows most republics. they were thinking of, well, think of napoleon, castro, we can think of a variety of them. i won't mention one that might still be alive and american politics but the president said, the way lindsay put it, it's often discussed as the two-term president ratified as constitutional limit in 1951, i believe. the president is all leaders, no matter how indispensable are disposable, you do not die in office like a monarch. i'll complete here and get on but the dominant thing we need d to remember is this was not delivered as an address. both off our commoners no, we haven't mentioned it, it wasn't the speech, it was an open letter to the american people who first appeared i think in a philadelphia paper and i think it's new hampshire paper beginning with the title, the pfarewell address but the initl reaction t was oh my god, he cat leave us. the american effort had

but he also brought in thomas jefferson. a fellow virginian who had been an absolute disaster as a wartime governor, basically saying, i cannot do this, and abandoned the stage at the worst of times. but also a brilliant man. this is the guy who wrote the declaration of independence. he had spent the last five years as minister to france. so what he thought -- he had not participated in the constitution convention, but his good friend james madison had, and he was a supporter of it. he actually worked in concert with hamilton. in promoting the constitution. so, washington decides, you know, he brings in hamilton, but he also reaches out to thomas jefferson. whom he'd had a bit of a prickly relationship with during the revolution. but he recognized these gifts. in typical fashion, jefferson takes a while to respond, he's responding from france. it wasn't until march, almost a year after washington's inauguration, that he becomes a part of washington's cabinet. and from the start, he is very skeptical about what is going on. h

washington overheard, this was recorded in jefferson -- jefferson right to down saying at some point in his presidency if slavery should divide the country, i will go with the northern part. that is a statement from a virginian. there are 300 and enslaved people, half are owned by washington at half by the state of martha's did deceased husband and become the property of grandchildren. responsible for all this. washington decided he's going to free his slaves. their these accounts of washington at the fireside with his family at mount vernon, is not there looking back with a benign smile on his face. his lips, his wrestling with what do i do when it comes to slavery? didn't want create a situation for martha, it was so complicated. i think he recognized this would be the biggest challenge, his involvement with slavery. one of the things i did people to get from this book is a sense of how far washington travels not in terms of miles across the country but as a human being. he is almost born into the institution of slavery. he comes to doubt the assumptions of his childhood. but he's

jefferson said you can't pay for peace. he sensed the attacks would continue and the price would only go up. in this case jefferson was right. >> it costs 20% of the national budget but the attacks continued. brian: the president when he took office would commission the building of four ships with copper bottoms, solid oak side, they were fast, strong, and they were built to fight. they wouldn't be ready for the washington administration. adams refused to use them during this administration. but jefferson knew he was going to take on the barberry nations. the hope was to stop commerce coming in and out and strangle the tripoli economy. however the blockade was in effect. the tripoli knew how to get through. they had the guile, the knowledge and the guns to take on the navy. but that would change with this. the confrontations would begin. >> they were brave and brash. they confronted the pirates, harassed their ships and took them back. soon the navy sealed the harbor. day after day their cannons would found the coast. the n

we'll have the update on a previous jefferson award winner after this. 68 years old. i do motivational speaking in addition to the substitute teaching. i honestly feel that that's my calling-- to give back to younger people. i think most adults will start realizing that they don't recall things as quickly as they used to or they don't remember things as vividly as they once did. i've been taking prevagen for about three years now. people say to me periodically, "man, you've got a memory like an elephant." it's really, really helped me tremendously. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. seen this ad? it's not paid for by california tribes. it's paid for by the out of state gambling corporations that wrote prop 27. it doesn't tell you 90% of the profits go to the out of state corporations. a tiny share goes to the homeless, and even less to tribes. and a big loophole says, costs to promote betting reduce money for the tribes, so they get less. hidden agendas. fine print. loopholes. prop 27. they didn't write it for the tribes or the homeless. they wrote it for themsel

and jefferson wants to just become friends with adams. medicine is so exacting it says don't commit yourself to it yet. we do not know where this is going to go. but also there such great personal friends. i'm played pivotal rolls in keeping each on the trajectory to their greatness. for example when jefferson is basically run out of the governorship in 1781 and then undergoes a friendly trial of sorts to see if he advocated his responsibilities openly vindicated paired but he is demoralized and his first wife died. he just wants to get out of politics. he is done. he just wants to stay and live in agrarian life. but madison says no part you cannot give up your public life. you are too important to this new nation. he is the one who goes to the confederate congress and says you've got to get back in the game. he really gets him to paris by 1783. and that kind of a dynamic place throughout. when they lived together in philadelphia's in the confederate congress and jefferson is over too paris. jefferson notice madison his phone for a 15-yea

he kept telling me you won the jefferson award, the gold. and i kept saying to myself, no, no, this cannot be true. >> reporter: she won the jacqueline kennedy onassis award for her service to local communities. the jefferson awards's organization made the announcement in indiana at its national celebration of service. >> i was really shocked and honored to be recognized for something that i love so much to do. >> reporter: she cofounded moms against poverty in 2008 to provide education, health, and orphan care, plus basic needs like food, water and hygiene products. the burlingame based nonprofit has served nearly two million people, mostly poor children in the u.s., iran, the senegal and 12 other countries. it's built more than 60 schools and supported more than 30 orphan care centers. its food baskets have gone to children from asia to more than 27,000 afghans at the boarder who fled the taliban. >> so in front of the dormitory -- >> reporter: her recent trip to her native iran shows the skyrocketing need in the pandemic. she shared a hea

. >> i don't think it's the influence madison had on jefferson but it i think the influence jefferson had on medicine. it was a great collaboration. it was also a great friendship. to expand on your question it wasn't just during his presidency that you see it played out. it is really played out from the first meeting in 1776 until jefferson's death in 1826, a 50 a 50 year friendship that encompasses 1250 letters that were exchanged between the two men. but i think they were so different both in body and in personality and temperament. jefferson was six to, 6'3" mac. madison was five for. madison was very shy and timid. but yet they work together beautifully. i think madison needed jefferson's large personality and idealism, and jefferson needed madison exacting mind and its practical nature. i think he said played out in things as small as how they approached the alien sedition act or how they approached how he is going to deal with john adams when jefferson comes in as his vice president in 1797. and jefferson wants to just become friends with adams. madison is so calculating, he sa

well bill, washington and jefferson and lincoln are dead. they began our democracy, but they knew the job would have to be finished by those who lived after them. and they knew that this democracy would last only as long as its citizens were willing to keep working on it. it's our government bill. from here on it's up to us. my name is andrew, i'm the director of the international of the jefferson. it is my pleasure to introduce kevin who will be discussing his new book, the complete victory saratoga and the american revolution published by oxford university. i'm splendid, splendid addition with color, illustrations and an excellent map. very useful.

jefferson was the guy you wanted no. finally and there was the 35th voter so that congress decided by one vote to elect thomas jefferson the third president of the united states when they did that. they showed the power the purpose the promise of a federal umpire. what better representatives what better umpires could be desired than people in congress to decide the fate of the country in making this decision. they probably preserve the union by the way, john adams at this time thought that there would be a civil war. in fact many people. i'm sure at the back up here slightly. this was after by the way, the federalists had totally tortured alexander hamilton for like a decade. he was i'm sorry to say unfaithful to his wife. they leaked the news the press this was his wife a beautiful wonderful woman eliza hamilton the man who probably did that dirty deed was james monroe a later president of the united states. a situation partisans were shipped was so bad that the eldest son of alexander. hamilton was killed three years b

thomas jefferson was a genius but he was also racist. that is rather blunt, but that is the reality. he owned slaves, he thought blacks were closer to orangutans than white men and thought they had no place in american society. acknowledging that is not degrading to thomas jefferson, it is simply acknowledging reality. there are a lot of people who don't want to accept it. they want to make the civil war into something that it was not, which it was over slavery but rather states rights. this tendency in southern states to stop teaching about race at all. banned books, ban beloved which was based on a true story. host: your book comes out today, the publishing date today. "race and reckoning." . any concerns on your part about your book not being taught or being banned in some jurisdictions? guest: i think it is possible that it will be and that is the place where we are. the book is also an analysis of that phenomenon and why we seem compelled, at least some of us to want to do this and bury this history. my argument is, if you bury this

virginia to jefferson is my country. if you think in those terms you can understand the articles it is a treaty which is the basis for the eu. in 1776 nobody in the wildest dreams i mean no one even conceived of a strong national government of a kind that we finally got ten years later. nobody thinks about it and nobody throws it out as a possibility is not in anyone's consciousness. something awful had to happen in those ten years to change people's minds in order for them to create a federal government it ran against all the experience that a distant government that was trying to dictate. why would they create another long distant government. in the theory at the time said republics have to be small and homogeneous in size they cannot be large. why would they create this national government. you don't want to think of the national government or the articles as an early version of the national government, it is a treaty they throw out the articles and create a new government. much to the shock and amazement of the popul

jefferson was quite the political operator. barack obama is a great politician in addition to being a great rhetoric speaker all knew that. i am calling for more intellectual honesty about the question of partisanship. i would take two cheers for partisanship. let's acknowledge what they do for us, because political parties are a sign of freedom. they exist because of the first amendment. because of the freedom of speech. the freedom of association. the freedom of us. political competition and open elections. that is what happens when people are allowed to run for things. they disagree, and that is not just a former political level. that is true in school boards and faculty meetings. anytime you get groups together, people factional lights. that is human nature. they accepted that. it was a reality. it is something we should accept and also we should acknowledge the positive role that they play. they educate people. date can organize people. they can organize public agendas that elected officials can translate, once they are in

jefferson, with madison's help was a very big part. i certainly don't want to talk. people here are far more knowledgeable about the development of this university system. you for from uva. it was, for me a lot of fun to discover the depth of this friendship are. >> the presidency airs saturday and available to watch any time at c-span.org/history my name : : and ceo of the veteran's strategiespu inc. and indiana based public relations washington 2010. robert served in the united states army from 1987 to 1990 after receiving an honorable discharge, robert earned a masters degree in history from indiana university. he also served as deputy chief of staff and communications director for indianapolis. in 2019 he launched the leaders and legends podcast he and his list of guests include george f well, randall and david who stuart and many more. let's give the guest a virtual round of applause. [applause] thank you, morgan. mr. randall, thank you for your time this evening to tell us about your new book and taking some questions. the latest book is the founder's fortune,

and jefferson tries to abolish slavery. he puts forth a bill and gets defeated but they don't wipe jefferson out. he becomes still a major figure in the states and a lot of people are thinking about getting rid ofslavery . what changes things is the rebellion in haiti. that's scares the jesus out of the southerners and from that moment on there's a reaction and by the early 19th century, the southerners are scared to death slave rebellion all hope of reforming thesouth is gone . >> thank you so much for that. you say at the beginning of the book it will give comfort to partisans of no size as history never does and the complexity of the story is radical in its freshness and it spreads so much like friends, it's 7:45. my one job at the constitution center justice roberts is to end the shows on time so we're going to give gordon would last word we will continue this conversation . all of our phenomenal panelists are great friends at the center will continue this conversation on constitution 101 and throughout the year and for

. >>> plus, how this week's jefferson's awards winner is helping cancer patients f on the oregon coast. my husband, sam, we've been married 53 years. we love to walk on the beach. i have two daughters and then two granddaughters. i noticed that memories were not there like they were when i was much younger. since taking prevagen, my memory has gotten better and it's like the puzzle pieces have all been [click] put together. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. >>> some sad news to report. oscar-winning actor james caan has died at 82 years old. he's best known for his work in films like "the godfather" and "elf." he could be versatile in movies like "misery." the cause of caan's death has not been released yet. he will surely be missed. >>> let's take a look at our big board now in this noon hour. dow is up in the green about 350 points. hackers have the ability to turn the high tech gad gets in your home against you, but you can be smart about protecting your smart home devices. here's juan fernandez. >> reporter: siri turn all the lights on. evan king is a smart stuff fanatic. in