Recently we welcomed journalist Martin Di Caro to our new digital studio to record an episode of The Washington Times' "History As It Happens” podcast. Joining him in conversation were Brandon Dillard, Monticello’s Director of Historic Interpretation and Audience Engagement, and Alan Taylor, a Pulitzer-winning author and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Chair of the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia.

In this excerpt, Di Caro, Dillard, and Taylor discuss Jefferson's interest in religion and religious freedom. To listen to the full episode go to monticello.org/haih, which redirects to the "History As It Happens" website, where you can also find part 2 of their talk.