At the very outset of his presidency, Thomas Jefferson faced a long-standing problem that was only getting worse. For nearly two decades, privateers supported by the Barbary States of the North African coast had preyed on American ships, seizing merchant vessels and cargo, holding crews for ransom and demanding tribute in exchange for ending their attacks. Following Jefferson's inauguration, the leader of one these states, Tripoli, stepped up these attacks and demanded more money. Long opposed to paying such tribute, President Jefferson acted quickly, deploying a squadron of U.S. Navy warships to the Mediterranean to protect American shipping. This seemingly out-of-character move by Jefferson set the stage for a bold act that would grab the world’s attention and established a precedent for executive authority that reaches to the present day.

In this episode of our In the Course of Human Events podcast, former U.S. Navy Captain and Monticello Guide David Thorson connects a sword hanging at the foot of Jefferson’s bed to events almost 220 years ago and nearly 5,000 miles away. Joining him for this episode are Monticello’s Director of Education and Visitor Programs, Steve Light, and its Web Content Developer, Beth Sawyer.

In 1824, an aging Marquis de Lafayette made a triumphant return to the young nation he fought for as a teenager, touring the growing United States from New England to New Orleans. Lafayette's travels included an emotional reunion at Monticello with fellow revolutionary Thomas Jefferson. His twelve-day visit, which was marked by dinners and celebrations, struck many as memorable at the time, including two men enslaved at Monticello for whom, even decades later, Lafayette's visit held special meaning.

In 1824, an aging Marquis de Lafayette made a triumphant return to the young nation he fought for as a teenager, touring the growing United States from New England to New Orleans. Lafayette's travels included an emotional reunion at Monticello with fellow revolutionary Thomas Jefferson. His twelve-day visit, which was marked by dinners and celebrations, struck many as memorable at the time, including two men enslaved at Monticello for whom, even decades later, Lafayette's visit held special meaning.

Music was an important part of daily and family life for the Jefferson and Randolph families at Monticello. In this episode, Monticello Guide Kyle Chattleton discusses the different instruments you could find throughout the house then, the many musical manuscripts owned by Thomas Jefferson, and what kinds of music the family enjoyed performing for themselves and one another.

Beer featued in most meals at Monticello, possibly served in small silver vessels known today as "Jefferson Cups." But where did the beer come from? What was it like? And who made it?

In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, Andrew Davenport, Monticello Public Historian and Manager of the Getting Word African American Oral History Project, shares how an English brewer's fraught sea voyage led to Peter Hemings—an enslaved Monticello cook of "great intelligence and diligence"—becoming an accomplished brewer whose beer was the envy of the neighborhood.

Joining him in this episode are Holly Haliniewski, a tour guide at Monticello, and Dr. J. Jackson-Beckham, Principal of Crafted for All, LLC, a professional development platform that helps craft beverage organizations become more inclusive, equitable, and just.

At Monticello, food culture and dining were significant parts of daily life. Though Jefferson's desire for French style food and his interest in gastronomical cultures influenced how food was prepared at Monticello, it was enslaved African Americans who were chiefly responsible for the "rich" and "elegant" cuisine, literally from farm to table.

Monticello Guide Sam Saunders looks at the life of enslaved personal servant Israel Gillette Jefferson and relates the momentous events in his life, such as the passing of Thomas Jefferson, his subsequent sale and separation from his first wife and children, and his move as free man to Ohio where he became a deacon and treasurer of Eden Baptist Church in Pike County.

Monticello Guide Olivia Brown looks at the life of Peter Jefferson, a Virginia planter, surveyor, county justice, member of the colonial legislature, loyal citizen of the British Empire, and father of the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Monticello Guide Laura-Michal Balderson discusses Cornelia Jefferson Randolph's relationship with her grandfather, Thomas Jefferson, and highlights her mechanical drawings of the University of Virginia and Monticello's first floor.(Rebroadcast from November 2020.)

Monticello Guide Olivia Brown looks at Jefferson's travels to several famed English pleasure gardens and their influence on the gardens he designed at Monticello.