Listening to America

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#1407 Our Perilous Contest Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

We speak with Thomas Jefferson about a letter he wrote to John Adams in October of 1813 in which Jefferson argues against Adam's support of aristocracy, writing, "It is probable that our difference of opinion may in some measure be produced by a difference of character in those among whom we live." Adams believed that aristocracy was inevitable, while Jefferson argued that it was merely a remnant of the "old world," and one which should be excluded from our new nation.

Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. 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 new merch. You can find Clay's publications 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.

#1406 Election of 1800 Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

This week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour Clay Jenkinson and Professor Joseph Ellis discuss what Ellis calls the "dirtiest election in American history; the presidential race between Jefferson and Adams in 1800. The election, sometimes referred to as the "Revolution of 1800", was the fourth presidential election held. Voting lasted from April to October, with the final outcome decided on December 3, 1800.

#1405 Monuments Response Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

In an earlier program, the Thomas Jefferson Hour presented a discussion between Clay Jenkinson and Professor Joseph Ellis about monuments and the potential removal of some, and how we as citizens can come to better understand this issue. This week we present thoughts on this subject received from our listeners.

#1404 Humor Me Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

Thomas Jefferson Hour creator Clay S. Jenkinson has returned from his annual Lewis and Clark tour, and gives us a report on the trip along with updates on his other projects. Also discussed is the poor state of humor and jokes during Jefferson's time and a discussion about whether or not Jefferson had a sense of humor.

Listen to Talking out of Tights: https://jeffersonhour.com/tights

#1403 Power and Dissent Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

We speak with President Thomas Jefferson (as portrayed by humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson) this week about public dissent and the powers of the presidency. Jefferson has a great deal to say about the right to dissent and to protest. He is famous for saying, "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical." In 1785, in his Notes of the State of Virginia, Jefferson wrote, "The time to guard against corruption and tyranny, is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered."

#1402 Monuments Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

This week, as Clay Jenkinson puts it, "a really difficult conversation about an essential subject." Jenkinson and Professor Joseph Ellis discuss their thoughts about which memorials, statues, place names, etc., should be taken down, which should be kept and, hopefully, how we can come to better understand this issue.

Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. 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 & retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our new merch. You can find Clay's publications on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

#1401 Match Recap with Joseph Ellis Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

Joseph Ellis and Clay Jenkinson revisit their debate about who the "Indispensable Man" of the American Revolution truly was. We share listener comments about the debate and answer additional questions sent in, including a request for discussion about the history of the women's rights movement, Jefferson's subpoena during the Burr trial and how slavery affected the economy of the southern states.

Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. 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 & retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our new merch. You can find Clay's publications on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

#1400 Prairie Woods Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

We enjoy three conversations this week with friends of the Jefferson Hour: luthier Kevin Muiderman, who announces a special guitar auction for the benefit of the Jefferson Hour, Virginia General Assembly member Jason S. Miyares, on the House Joint Resolution 663 recognizing Clay Jenkinson, and songwriter/artist Brad Crisler from Nashville who ends the program with some very insightful observances on the times we now live in.

Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. 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 & retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our new merch. You can find Clay's publications on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

#1399 The Cabinet with Lindsay M. Chervinsky Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

This week author and White House historian Lindsay M. Chervinsky discusses her new book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution. The US Constitution never established a presidential cabinet—the delegates to the Constitutional Convention explicitly rejected the idea. The book explores why George Washington created one. Author Jon Meacham calls the book an "important and illuminating study," one that "has given us an original angle of vision on the foundations and development of something we all take for granted: the president's Cabinet."

Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. 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 & retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our new merch. You can find Clay's publications on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

#1398 The Indispensable Man Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

This week in an interesting debate match, Clay Jenkinson and Joseph Ellis argue over who is the "Indispensable Man" of the American Revolution. Ellis argues for George Washington, while Jenkinson says it has to be Jefferson. A very wise listener suggests that they are both wrong: it's Benjamin Franklin.

Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. 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 & retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our new merch. You can find Clay's publications on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

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