The Thomas Jefferson Hour

By The Thomas Jefferson Hour

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What's The Thomas Jefferson Hour about?

The Thomas Jefferson Hour features conversations with Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, as portrayed by the award-winning humanities scholar and author, Clay Jenkinson. The weekly discussion features Mr. Jefferson’s views on events of his time, contemporary issues facing America and answers to questions submitted by his many listeners. To ask President Jefferson a question visit his website at www.jeffersonhour.com

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#1393 Memorial Day

06.02.2020

This week Joseph Ellis and Clay S. Jenkinson share thoughts on Memorial Day and also answer listener questions. Mr. Ellis says that historians must put the past in the context of its own time and not judge it by the ...

The Thomas Jefferson Hour episodes:

06.02.2020 #1393 Memorial Day This week Joseph Ellis and Clay S. Jenkinson share thoughts on Memorial Day and also answer listener questions. Mr. Ellis says that historians must put the past in the context of its own time and not judge it by the ...
05.26.2020 #1392 Self-Reliance This week on The Thomas Jefferson Hour, the conversation is driven by our listeners who report in on how they are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. The conversation begins with the recognition of how important self-reliance is now, but that ...
05.19.2020 #1391 Jefferson-Adams Letters (Part Four) This week we present the fourth and final of four conversations between the author and historian Joseph J. Ellis and The Thomas Jefferson Hour creator Clay S. Jenkinson about the letters exchanged between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams from 1812 ...
05.13.2020 #1390 Jefferson-Adams Letters (Part Three) We present the third of four conversations between Joseph J. Ellis and Clay S. Jenkinson about the letters exchanged between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams from 1812 until the death of both men on July 4, 1826. In this third ...
05.06.2020 #1389 Jefferson-Adams Letters (Part Two) We present the second of four conversations between the author and historian Joseph J. Ellis and The Thomas Jefferson Hour creator Clay S. Jenkinson about the letters exchanged between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams from 1812 until the death of ...
04.29.2020 #1388 Jefferson-Adams Letters (Part One) We present the first of four conversations between Joseph Ellis and Clay about the letters exchanged between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams from 1812 until the death of both men on July 4, 1826. In this first episode, we discuss ...
04.22.2020 #1387 Leadership During Crisis Join us for a conversation with Joseph J. Ellis, an American historian whose work focuses on the founders of the United States of America. His books include American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson and Passionate Sage: The Character and ...
04.15.2020 #1386 Yellow Fever with Stephen Fried We are joined this week by Stephen Fried, the award-winning journalist and best-selling author who teaches at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. We discuss his biography of Doctor Benjamin Rush and his more recent article, “Yellow Fever Stalks ...
04.07.2020 #1385 Virtual Virus (Part Two) This week in the second of a two part program we hear from Jefferson Hour listeners from around the country about how the coronavirus is affecting them and their communities.
03.31.2020 #1384 Virtual Virus (Part One) This week in the first of a two part program we hear from Jefferson Hour listeners from around the country about how the coronavirus is affecting them and their communities. Included are reports from Clay’s daughter Catherine who finds herself ...
03.24.2020 #1383 Out of Tights On February 25, 2020, Clay Jenkinson appeared before a sold out crowd at the TCC Roper Performing Arts Center in Norfolk, Virginia for his new performance, “Talking out of Tights.”
03.17.2020 #1382 The Yellow Fever of 1793 We discuss the Philadelphia Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. Philadelphia's population at that time was approximately 50,000, and before it was over 1 in 10 died from the outbreak despite the best efforts of physicians of the time.
03.10.2020 #1381 No Kings, No Queens President Jefferson responds to questions submitted by listeners including inquiries about the rise of political parties during Jefferson’s time, Jefferson’s office space in the White House, his immediate family and how he feels about America’s fascination with the British royals.
03.03.2020 #1380 Cuba Libre Clay Jenkinson returns from his recent cultural tour to Cuba. He gives an in-depth report on the country, its history and people, and Thomas Jefferson’s thoughts on Cuba.
02.25.2020 #1379 Constituents Represented President Jefferson answers listener questions such as how representatives should react and vote when their own views differ from the constituents they represent. Another question looks at Jefferson’s relationship with John Adams.
02.18.2020 #1378 More TJ Please Prompted by a listener’s request to spend more time talking to Mister Jefferson, we devote this episode to presenting questions to Jefferson, such as whether it's necessary for congress to approve military actions, and if the founding fathers could have ...
02.11.2020 #1377 Naturalist in the Arena We're joined by Char Miller to discuss a new book, Theodore Roosevelt, Naturalist in the Arena. The book is a collection of noted essays by Roosevelt scholars and was edited by Miller and Clay Jenkinson. Char Miller is W. M. ...
02.04.2020 #1376 Historian's Perspective This week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Professor Ellis offers his unique perspective on the volatile times we are living through.
01.28.2020 #1375 Catherine's Story This week, we answer questions about Meriwether Lewis and the conspiracy theories attached to his death, along with discussion about Clay Jenkinson's annual Lewis and Clark trip. Later in the show we are joined by guest host Catherine Jenkinson who ...
01.21.2020 #1374 Double Cheese Please We have added a call in line at jeffersonhour.com/ask for listeners to leave questions they would like answered, and this week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour we listen to our listeners.
01.14.2020 #1373 Separation of Powers This week, we speak with President Jefferson about the separation of powers: the division of the legislative, executive, and judicial powers enumerated in our Constitution. Jefferson explains the responsibilities of these separate and independent bodies, and how they can limit ...
01.07.2020 #1372 Incarceration This week's guest host Catherine Jenkinson speaks with President Jefferson about incarceration policies in early and present day America. Jefferson was a reformist, and revised the entire law code of Virginia. Jefferson was enamored with the work of Cesare Beccaria.
01.01.2020 #1371 The New Year This week, we welcome back Catherine Jenkinson as guest host. She and Clay Jenkinson discuss the celebrations of the new year and how the calendar has changed over the course of several millennia. They also discuss new year's resolutions, and ...
12.24.2019 #1370 Jefferson's Impeachments We speak with President Thomas Jefferson about the impeachments that took place during his presidency. There were two impeachments of federal judges, Thomas Pickering and Samuel Chase. In the out-of-character segment, Jenkinson shares the story of Aaron Burr, who had ...
12.20.2019 Rewriting the Constitution "That's the point of a constitutional revision: to clarify." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson
12.17.2019 #1369 Four Scholars On December 4, 2019, four constitutional scholars gathered to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in public hearings. This week in an out of character program we listen to selected portions of that testimony. Clay Jenkinson responds and provides ...
12.10.2019 #1368 Benjamin Franklin's Puffy Rolls Benjamin Franklin was considered "the grand old man" of the American Revolution, and when questioned about what the men of the Constitutional Convention had delivered, he answered, "A republic, if you can keep it." This week, in an out-of-character program, ...
12.09.2019 1776 Club Preview: Working with Ken Burns "So he records in a barn? Where'd he get that?"
12.03.2019 #1367 Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson had an immense respect for Benjamin Franklin, who was nearly 37 years his senior. Franklin became one of the most respected Americans during the revolution and was, in a sense, pushed there by British arrogance.
11.26.2019 #1366 American Creation with Joseph Ellis We welcome historian Joseph Ellis to the program this week to talk about his book American Creation. In the book, Ellis notes a series of five contributions the founding fathers made and Clay Jenkinson asks how those contributions are holding ...
11.22.2019 1776 Club Preview: Storytelling Clay and David discuss storytelling, documentary film-making, and Clay's experiences being interviewed by Ken Burns.
11.19.2019 #1365 Back from France "Jefferson admits [to John] Adams, you were right and I was wrong about the French Revolution." — Joseph J. Ellis We welcome Clay Jenkinson back from his recent cultural tour to France, and speak with author Joseph Ellis about what ...
11.12.2019 #1364 Listener Questions In this week's out-of-character program, our conversation is spent answering and responding to listener questions. Subjects included are Catherine Jenkinson’s recent hosting of the show, hot air balloons during Jefferson’s time, Theodore Roosevelt, and the rights of women, the LGBTQ ...
11.05.2019 #1363 The Social Contract President Thomas Jefferson speaks about the formation of the government of the United States. Jefferson explains the social contract theory that when you are alone, you are sovereign, and when you join with others you have to negotiate what is ...
10.29.2019 #1362 Gardens to Miniatures We are joined this week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour by three of our favorite friends: Pat Brodowski, Beau Wright, and Brad Crisler.
10.22.2019 #1361 Constitution in Crisis We speak with President Jefferson about the role of government in the oversight of elected officials. He tells us that because of the times they lived in, the founding fathers had great concerns about foreign involvement and influence on our ...
10.15.2019 #1360 To Cuba We are joined again this week by Catherine Jenkinson acting as guest host for a delightful conversation about Cuba, Clay’s upcoming cultural tour to Cuba, Thomas Jefferson’s connection to Cuba, and Theodore Roosevelt’s time there. Catherine questions Clay as to ...
10.08.2019 #1359 To Oxford Clay is joined by his daughter Catherine who serves as this week’s guest host. Among the many topics discussed is Catherine's upcoming trip to England where she will become a student this fall at the University of Oxford.
10.01.2019 #1358 Robinson Crusoe We present another installment of the Jefferson Hour Book Club this week, and the selection is Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe and published in 1719. It is a book Thomas Jefferson had in his library and reportedly read twice.
09.24.2019 #1357 The Dempster Highway We are joined this week by the Lewis and Clark scholar David Nicandri. In a fascinating conversation, Nicandri tells us about the journey he and his son took on the Dempster Highway all the way to the arctic ocean.
09.17.2019 #1356 Considering Exceptionalism Prompted by a letter from a listener, President Thomas Jefferson shares his views on American exceptionalism and his hope that America will stand as a strong and good example for the rest of the world to follow.
09.10.2019 #1355 Inventive Behavior President Thomas Jefferson speaks to us this week about inventions and scientific discoveries of his time including some he was responsible for.
09.03.2019 #1354 In 1969 This week we speak with Thomas Jefferson briefly about Alexander von Humbolt, and then bring Jefferson closer to our time by informing him that 50 years ago America landed men on the moon, which he has a bit of trouble ...
08.27.2019 #1353 Humboldt and Jefferson We discuss Humboldt and Jefferson by Sandra Rebok, which explores the relationship between two fascinating personalities: the Prussian explorer, scientist, and geographer Alexander von Humboldt and Thomas Jefferson. They met in the spring of 1804 for just a few days, ...
08.20.2019 #1352 Clunky Adjectives In this week’s episode, President Thomas Jefferson answers listener questions, as does Thomas Jefferson Hour creator Clay S. Jenkinson. Subjects discussed include where the name “United States of America” comes from, the poet Phillis Wheatley and slavery in the Northwest ...
08.13.2019 #1351 Eight Objects Clay Jenkinson has returned from his annual Lewis and Clark trip in Montana and Idaho, and he gives us a report on the 2019 tour. Clay also offers a list of eight items Lewis and Clark would have certainly wished ...
08.06.2019 #1350 Diamonds and Dunghills This week, Clay takes a deeper look at Jefferson and religion.
07.30.2019 #1349 Jefferson's Soul On August 20th, 1814, Thomas Jefferson received a letter from Miles King expressing King’s concerns for Jefferson’s eternal soul.
07.23.2019 #1348 Tulip Poplars Jeff Huss of the Huss and Dalton Guitar Company in Staunton, Virginia talks about a very special project: the Jefferson Edition 00-SP Custom guitar which is crafted in part with wood from Monticello. Monticello’s head gardener Pat Brodowski tells us ...
07.16.2019 #1347 Chernow's Hamilton This week, we present another installment in the Jefferson Hour Book Club and discuss Alexander Hamilton by author Ron Chernow.

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