Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton shares the story of one of the most memorable original objects found at Monticello, the polygraph. A copy machine from the early nineteenth century, Thomas Jefferson called it, “the finest invention of the present age,” and used it to write thousands of letters during the last twenty years of his life.

Have you ever wondered if your favorite books were the same as Thomas Jefferson’s? He had a passion for education and a love of books and reading throughout his entire life. In this episode, we explore what type of books he had and what some of his favorites may have been. Monticello Guide Olivia Brown and joined by Monticello’s Fiske and Marie Kimball Librarian, Endrina Tay to learn more.

The battle for Monticello was waged with pamphlets and letters. It was waged in Congress and in newspapers. It was even waged Good Housekeeping! It was a knock-down, drag-out, often dirty fight that ultimately ushered in a new era of how Americans preserved, honored, and examined their history. Join us for the first installment of "Sharing History: 100 Years of Telling American Stories at Monticello," a limited podcast series about the history of Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which was founded in 1923 to acquire Jefferson's mountaintop home and open it to the public.

In this episode of Mountaintop History, we explore the global legacy of the Declaration of American Independence and the many other declarations written since 1776.

Monticello guide Danna Kelley introduces us to Margaret Bayard Smith — writer, biographer, Washington socialite, political influencer, and friend of Thomas Jefferson. Smith's life closely aligned with the idea of Republican Motherhood, with its expanded opportunities for women's education, while also still placing limitations on how women could behave. She nevertheless fought against these limitations in her own way, and found Washington, D.C. to be a place where women were more equal to their male counterparts.

In this episode, we explore the relationship between John Locke's philosophical arguments and the American Revolution, specifically how Locke influenced the ideas of the Declaration of Independence.