Episode 151: Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson’s Image in His Own Time (with Robert McDonald)
Robert McDonald joins us for a discussion about the life of author, musician, inventor, architect, philosopher and statesman Thomas Jefferson.
Why are Americans so fascinated with our third President? What did Jefferson’s contemporaries think of him?
Show Notes and Further Reading
McDonald’s book is Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson’s Image in His Own Time (2016).
There is a conception that politics was more civil at the turn of the 19th century; this Reason.tv video proves otherwise.
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Institutions Confronting the Legacy of Slavery (October 19, 2017)
This panel discussion took place on October 19th, 2017 as part of the symposium Universities, Slavery, Public Memory, & the Built Landscape, hosted by the University of Virginia President's Commission on Slavery and the University and the Slave Dwelling Project.
Patrick Henry | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Patrick Henry
00:02:27 1 Early life and struggles (1736–1759)
00:06:55 2 Revolutionary lawyer and politician (1760–1775)
00:07:09 2.1 Parson's Cause
00:10:16 2.2 Stamp Act
00:15:51 2.3 Lawyer and landowner (1766–1773)
00:19:47 2.4 Renewed involvement and First Continental Congress (1773–1775)
00:26:40 2.5 Liberty or Death (1775)
00:30:09 2.6 Gunpowder incident
00:34:39 3 Independence and first time as governor
00:43:17 4 Leatherwood and the House of Delegates (1779–1784)
00:49:10 5 Second period as governor (1784–1786)
00:52:41 6 Opponent of the Constitution (1787–1790)
01:00:07 7 Later years
01:05:33 8 Monuments and memorials
01:08:47 9 Legacy and historical view
01:14:17 10 See also
01:14:30 11 Notes
01:14:39 11.1 Source bibliography
01:17:10 12 Further reading
01:18:02 12.1 Primary sources
01:18:23 13 External links
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, and orator well known for his declaration to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): Give me liberty, or give me death! A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786.
Henry was born in Hanover County, Virginia, and was for the most part educated at home. After an unsuccessful venture running a store, and assisting his father-in-law at Hanover Tavern, Henry became a lawyer through self-study. Beginning his practice in 1760, he soon became prominent through his victory in the Parson's Cause against the Anglican clergy. Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he quickly became notable for his inflammatory rhetoric against the Stamp Act of 1765.
In 1774 and 1775, Henry served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, but did not prove particularly influential. He gained further popularity among the people of Virginia, both through his oratory at the convention and by marching troops towards the colonial capital of Williamsburg after the Gunpowder Incident until the munitions seized by the royal government were paid for. Henry urged independence, and when the Fifth Virginia Convention endorsed this in 1776, served on the committee charged with drafting the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the original Virginia Constitution. Henry was promptly elected governor under the new charter, and served a total of five one-year terms.
After leaving the governorship in 1779, Henry served in the Virginia House of Delegates until he began his last two terms as governor in 1784. The actions of the national government under the Articles of Confederation made Henry fear a strong federal government and he declined appointment as a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He actively opposed the ratification of the Constitution, a fight which has marred his historical image. He returned to the practice of law in his final years, declining several offices under the federal government. A slaveholder throughout his adult life, he hoped to see the institution end, but had no plan for that beyond ending the importation of slaves. Henry is remembered for his oratory, and as an enthusiastic promoter of the fight for independence.
Thomas Jefferson | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Thomas Jefferson
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, [O.S. April 2] 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and later served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Previously, he had been elected the second Vice President of the United States, serving under John Adams from 1797 to 1801. He was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights motivating American colonists to break from Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national level.
Jefferson was mainly of English ancestry, born and educated in colonial Virginia. He graduated from the College of William & Mary and briefly practiced law, with the largest number of his cases concerning land ownership claims. During the American Revolution, he represented Virginia in the Continental Congress that adopted the Declaration, drafted the law for religious freedom as a Virginia legislator, and served as a wartime governor (1779–1781). He became the United States Minister to France in May 1785, and subsequently the nation's first Secretary of State in 1790–1793 under President George Washington. Jefferson and James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party during the formation of the First Party System. With Madison, he anonymously wrote the controversial Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions in 1798–1799, which sought to strengthen states' rights by nullifying the federal Alien and Sedition Acts.
As President, Jefferson pursued the nation's shipping and trade interests against Barbary pirates and aggressive British trade policies. He also organized the Louisiana Purchase, almost doubling the country's territory. As a result of peace negotiations with France, his administration reduced military forces. He was reelected in 1804. Jefferson's second term was beset with difficulties at home, including the trial of former Vice President Aaron Burr. American foreign trade was diminished when Jefferson implemented the Embargo Act of 1807, responding to British threats to U.S. shipping. In 1803, Jefferson began a controversial process of Indian tribe removal to the newly organized Louisiana Territory, and he signed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves in 1807.
Jefferson, while primarily a planter, lawyer and politician, mastered many disciplines, which ranged from surveying and mathematics to horticulture and mechanics. He was an architect in the classical tradition. Jefferson's keen interest in religion and philosophy led to his presidency of the American Philosophical Society; he shunned organized religion but was influenced by both Christianity and deism. A philologist, Jefferson knew several languages. He was a prolific letter writer and corresponded with many prominent people. His only full-length book is Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), considered perhaps the most important American book published before 1800. After retiring from public office, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia.
Although regarded as a leading spokesman for democracy and republicanism in the era of the Enlightenment, Jefferson's historical legacy is mixed. Some modern scholarship has been critical of Jefferson's private life, pointing out the contradiction between his ownership of the large numbers of slaves that worked his plantations and his famous declaration that all men are created equal. Another point of controversy stems from the evidence that after his wife Martha died in 1782, Jefferson fathered children with Martha's half-sister, Sally Hemings, who was his slave. Nonetheless, presidential scholars and historians generally praise his public achievements, including his advocacy of religious freedom and tolerance in Virginia. Jefferson continues to rank highly among U.S. presidents.
College of William & Mary | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
College of William & Mary
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The College of William & Mary (also known as William & Mary, W&M, and officially the College of William and Mary in Virginia) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, after Harvard University.
William & Mary educated American Presidents Thomas Jefferson (third), James Monroe (fifth), and John Tyler (tenth) as well as other key figures important to the development of the nation, including the fourth U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall of Virginia, Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry Clay of Kentucky, sixteen members of the Continental Congress, and four signers of the Declaration of Independence, earning it the nickname the Alma Mater of the Nation. A young George Washington (1732–1799) also received his surveyor's license through the college. W&M students founded the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society in 1776 and W&M was the first school of higher education in the United States to install an honor code of conduct for students. The establishment of graduate programs in law and medicine in 1779 makes it one of the earliest higher level universities in the United States.
In addition to its undergraduate program (which includes an international joint degree program with the University of St Andrews in Scotland and a joint engineering program with Columbia University in New York City), W&M is home to several graduate programs (including computer science, public policy, physics, and colonial history) and four professional schools (law, business, education, and marine science). In his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities, Richard Moll categorized William & Mary as one of eight Public Ivies.
John Adams (miniseries) | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
John Adams (miniseries)
00:00:44 1 Plot summary
00:00:53 1.1 Part I: iJoin or Die (1770–1774)/i
00:02:29 1.2 Part II: iIndependence (1774–1776)/i
00:04:12 1.3 Part III: iDon't Tread on Me (1777–1781)/i
00:06:00 1.4 Part IV: iReunion (1781–1789)/i
00:07:41 1.5 Part V: iUnite or Die (1788–1797)/i
00:08:51 1.6 Part VI: iUnnecessary War (1797–1801)/i
00:10:08 1.7 Part VII: iPeacefield (1803–1826)/i
00:10:54 2 Cast
00:11:03 3 Shooting locations
00:13:19 4 Soundtrack
00:14:00 5 Critical reception
00:16:24 6 Historical inaccuracies
00:16:41 6.1 Part I
00:20:49 6.2 Part II
00:22:55 6.3 Part III
00:23:56 6.4 Part IV
00:24:54 6.5 Part V
00:27:44 6.6 Part VI
00:28:25 6.7 Part VII
00:30:47 7 Awards and nominations
00:30:56 7.1 Primetime Emmy Awards
00:31:20 7.2 Golden Globe Awards
00:31:36 7.3 Screen Actors Guild Awards
00:31:52 7.4 Other awards
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
John Adams is a 2008 American television miniseries chronicling most of U.S. President John Adams's political life and his role in the founding of the United States. Paul Giamatti portrays John Adams. The miniseries was directed by Tom Hooper. Kirk Ellis wrote the screenplay based on the book John Adams by David McCullough. The biopic of John Adams and the story of the first 50 years of the United States was broadcast in seven parts by HBO between March 16 and April 20, 2008. John Adams received widespread critical acclaim and many prestigious awards. The show won four Golden Globe awards and 13 Emmy awards, more than any other miniseries in history.
University of Virginia | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
University of Virginia
00:02:26 1 History
00:02:34 1.1 1800s
00:09:46 1.2 1900s
00:15:20 1.3 2000s
00:18:02 2 Grounds
00:18:28 2.1 Academical Village
00:23:44 2.2 Libraries
00:25:21 2.3 Other areas
00:27:26 2.4 Student housing
00:29:08 3 Organization and administration
00:32:26 4 Academics
00:33:33 4.1 Research
00:36:13 4.2 Innovation
00:37:42 4.3 Rankings
00:39:17 4.4 Other recognition
00:40:38 4.5 Admissions and financial aid
00:42:46 5 Student life
00:43:18 5.1 Student-faculty interaction and connections
00:44:59 5.2 Global citizenship initiatives
00:46:54 5.3 Student leadership opportunities
00:47:52 5.4 Secret societies
00:48:26 5.5 Honor system
00:49:37 5.6 Student activities
00:52:36 5.7 Greek life
00:53:50 5.8 Transportation
00:55:00 6 Athletics
00:57:20 6.1 Championships
00:58:37 6.2 Rivalries
01:01:47 6.3 Sponsorship
01:02:03 7 People
01:02:12 7.1 Faculty
01:04:12 7.2 Alumni
01:07:39 8 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The University of Virginia (U.Va. or UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. The flagship university of Virginia, it is also a World Heritage site of the United States. It was founded in 1819 by Declaration of Independence author and former President Thomas Jefferson. UVA is known for its historic foundations, student-run honor code, and secret societies.
The original governing Board of Visitors included Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Monroe was the sitting President of the United States at the time of its foundation and earlier Presidents Jefferson and Madison were UVA's first two rectors. Jefferson conceived and designed the original courses of study and Academical Village. As the first elected member to the research-driven Association of American Universities in the American South, since 1904, it remains the only AAU member in Virginia. The university is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the Carnegie Foundation. Its recent research efforts have been recognized by such scientific media as the journal Science, which credited UVA faculty with two of the top ten global breakthroughs of 2015. UVA faculty and alumni have also founded a large number of companies, such as Reddit, that produce more than $1.6 trillion in annual revenue, equivalent to the 10th-largest economy in the world.UVA offers 121 majors across the eight undergraduate and three professional schools. The historic 1,682-acre (2.6 sq mi; 680.7 ha) campus is internationally protected by UNESCO and has been ranked as one of the most beautiful collegiate grounds in the country. UVA additionally maintains 2,913 acres southeast of the city, at Morven Farm. The university also manages the College at Wise in Southwest Virginia, and until 1972 operated George Mason University and the University of Mary Washington in Northern Virginia.
Virginia student athletes compete in 27 collegiate sports and the Cavaliers lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in men's team NCAA championships with 18, additionally placing second in women's national titles with seven. UVA was awarded the men's Capital One Cup in 2015 after fielding the top overall men's athletics program in the nation.