Listening to America

"I would never consider [the Constitution] to be a sacred text." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson We present President Thomas Jefferson with a listener question about what the phrase "promote the general welfare," found in the Constitution, actually means. We answer letters from Richard Tucker and Rich Nieves. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

We answer listener questions in response to episode #1277 Gerrymandering, and then turn to a discussion about an important discovery of an 1805 Lewis & Clark related map. It was found after being stored for 200 years in a French archive. The map and its background story appear in this month's issue of We Proceeded On, published by the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. The letters discussed are from Stephen Mishkin, Joe Lovell, Kellen DeAlba, James Kenyon, and Sidney Sjoquist. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"History is like a picture puzzle and half of the pieces or more are missing. There is something about Jefferson that makes us want to expose contradiction." — Clay S. Jenkinson Our show this week revolves around a question from listener Gino Cukale about the purported relationship between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. We discuss the historical record and look to first-hand accounts in an attempt to answer this question. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"That is one of the most fun things that I try to do, reacquaint people with the joyous flavor of the tomato that they crave." — Craig LeHoullier Inspired by a letter from Alison Hagan, we talk with three tomato experts: Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes; Harry J. Klee, Ph.D. from the University of Florida; and Pat Brodowski, Head Gardener at Monticello. They speak about the best-tasting tomatoes, how to grow them, where to get seeds, why commercial varieties have lost their flavor, and how Jefferson is connected to all this. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Every letter has a basis and a purpose … I spent an enormous amount of time thinking about the recipient." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson We speak this week with President Jefferson about the art of letter writing. Prompted by a letter from a listener, Jefferson shares his insights on the process. The exact number of letters Jefferson wrote is not known, but it is safe to say he wrote in excess of 20,000. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I believe that we have the right to revolution." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson President Jefferson answers listener questions about his relationship with John Adams, replacing the Constitution once every generation, bees at Monticello, and the Second Amendment. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"You could redistrict so that you could maximize competitiveness. That would be my suggestion: maximize competitiveness." — Clay S. Jenkinson On this week's Thomas Jefferson Hour, we discuss gerrymandering, its origin, how it works in American politics today, and the potential effects it has on our democracy. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I feel an Awe upon my Mind, which is not easily described." — John Adams Clay and David discuss the book Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence, referred to as "a distinctive portrait of the crescendo moment in American history from the Pulitzer-winning American historian, Joseph Ellis." The book chronicles the events of the summer of 1776 as America's war for independence began, and how America was nearly defeated by the British. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"There's a perfect alignment between Jefferson's own contradictions and the rest of American history." — Joseph J. Ellis Clay speaks with Dr. Joseph J. Ellis, author of more than ten books, including American Sphinx, Passionate Sage, and Revolutionary Summer. His forthcoming book is American Dialogue: The Founders and Us. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"You cannot understand the founding of this country without understanding the Founding Fathers' obsession with classical languages and literature." — Clay S. Jenkinson Guest host Catherine Jenkinson has an extended conversation with President Jefferson about the classics, and Jefferson's understanding and support of the classics. Find this episode on the blog, along with 15 Greek and Latin Classics recommended by Clay and Catherine. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I'm just thrilled to see that people can still have intelligent and thoughtful conversations and walk away still feeling friends." — Rick Kennerly We speak with three friends of the Jefferson Hour this week: Rick Kennerly, who talks tomatoes and why they don't taste as good as they used to, Pat Brodowski, Head Gardener at Monticello who speaks about the gardens and upcoming events at Monticello, and Beau Wright, Director of Operations at Protect Democracy. In this week's podcast intro, we discuss Keeping All the Pieces, the new documentary film from Badlands Conservation Alliance, produced with David Swenson at Makoche Studios. You can watch the film in its entirety at BadlandsConservationAlliance.org. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Catherine Jenkinson returns as host this week for an extended conversation with President Jefferson about Sir Walter Raleigh. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

We speak with President Jefferson about current events including the government shutdown, philanthropy, and water shortages in Cape Town. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"It really upsets me that Jefferson should be anti-canine, but there you are." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we answer listener questions about Jefferson's personality traits, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, the State of Jefferson, the Hamilton Soundtrack, fashion during Jefferson's time, touring Monticello, and Jefferson's distaste for dogs. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Margaret Bayard Smith was a friend of Thomas Jefferson. Her writings provided the content for the book The First Forty Years of Washington Society which includes first hand accounts of her interactions with Jefferson. This week we speak with Mister Jefferson about Mrs. Smith. He shares his recollections of their relationship. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Most revolutions end with the establishment of a dictatorship." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson We speak with President Jefferson this week about America's tradition of the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I had a canine appetite for reading." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson This week, President Jefferson shares his views on reading fiction versus non-fiction and recommends works of fiction from his time. On this episode, Jefferson recommends five books: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

This week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour, we look back at the conversations we had with President Jefferson and the many subjects we discussed during 2017. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Special guest host Catherine Jenkinson speaks with President Jefferson about Christmas during Jefferson's time. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"It's so hard for me to think that one citizen, for whatever reason, would commit such mayhem." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson President Jefferson answers listener questions this week. He is asked about District of Columbia citizens being deprived of the right to vote, the future of the American experiment of self rule, and the Second Amendment. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I saw the future of the American experiment in the West." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson Catherine Jenkinson returns to host a conversation with President Jefferson about his travels in France, Europe and the United States. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Two seraphs await me long shrouded in death; I will bear them your love on my last parting breath." — Thomas Jefferson, July 1826 We conclude our Jefferson 101 biographical series by discussing his final days at Monticello, his legacy, and the deaths of both Jefferson and John Adams on July 4th, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Literally everyone in Washington, D.C. wanted invitations to my White House dinners." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson Catherine Jenkinson returns as guest host this week to speak with President Jefferson about all things food and to wish all our listeners a happy Thanksgiving. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"at best it is but the life of a mill-horse, who sees no end to his circle but in death. to such a life that of a cabbage is paradise." — Thomas Jefferson, 27 June 1822 This week, we return with part two of the last three shows of the Jefferson 101 biography series, and continue our discussion of Jefferson's final years in retirement at Monticello. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"The last years of his life were increasingly characterized by debt and disillusionment." — Clay We return to Jefferson 101 with part one of the final three shows of the Jefferson biography series to discuss Jefferson's years in retirement at Monticello. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Anything that is non-violent is an acceptable form of protest in a Republic." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson President Jefferson shares his view on what he calls an essential need for citizens to speak out about issues they disagree with and he explains why dissent is necessary for the health of American democracy. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Jefferson was a gentleman. Mountains weren't climbed in his time." — Clay This week, we speak with Clay about his recent mountain climbing experience and answer listener questions. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Learn about Clay's upcoming cultural tours and humanities retreats by visiting Odyssey Tours. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." — Samuel Johnson We speak with President Thomas Jefferson about patriotism and Jefferson's concept of what it is to be truly free. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Prompted by a listener letter, Clay answers the question, "If Thomas Jefferson appeared before you today, what would you want to show him from our time?" Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Nobody ever used the English language to greater effect than William Shakespeare." — Clay Clay discusses his new show, "Clay Jenkinson's Shakespeare the Magic of the Word" — which held its world premiere in Norfolk, VA in September — and shares Jefferson's thoughts and regard for the work of William Shakespeare. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science by rendering them my supreme delight." — Thomas Jefferson We return to the Jefferson 101 biographical series and explore Jefferson's second term as President. We discuss the many difficulties he had, including the Burr conspiracy and the Embargo Act of 1807 to 1809. This is Jefferson 121. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I am more candid in your era than I ever would have been in mine." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we speak with President Jefferson about his hospitality and good manners. In her book, The First Forty Years of Washington Society Margaret Bayard Smith quotes federalist Supreme Court Justice William Paterson's opinion of Thomas Jefferson. Of Jefferson he said, "No man can be personally acquainted with Mr. Jefferson and remain his personal enemy." Clay Jenkinson's "Shakespeare and the Magic of the Word" will premiere in Norfolk, VA, Friday, September 22 at 8 PM. You can purchase tickets at the TCC Roper Performing Arts Center one hour before the show, in advance by calling: 757-822-1450 or order online. Don't forget to RSVP on Facebook! Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"If the three federal branches can't stop themselves from doing appalling things, a fourth entity exists, and that's the states." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson We discuss the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, states' rights, and the need for checks and balances within the federal government. Clay Jenkinson's "Shakespeare the Magic of the Word" will premiere in Norfolk, VA, Friday, September 22 at 8 PM. You can purchase tickets at the TCC Roper Performing Arts Center one hour before the show, in advance by calling: 757-822-1450 or order online. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"How can you call yourself a Jeffersonian if you don't go see [the eclipse]?" — Clay Clay takes us on a road trip to Wyoming to witness the eclipse. Later in the episode, David Nicandri phones in to report on his experience. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Responding to a flood of emails from listeners, this week an out-of-character program discussing the recent events at Charlottesville. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I'm trying to explain to you and to your listeners what makes for a happy life." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson President Thomas Jefferson speaks about Monticello, his private and daily habits, his compulsiveness and how his Virginian hospitality cost him a personal fortune. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Of all of the people of this era, there is one and only one huge paradox, and it's Thomas Jefferson." — Clay S. Jenkinson Clay shares his first impressions of John B. Boles' new book, Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty. Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"The bureaucracy can actually serve a really valuable purpose." — Beau Wright, Director of Operations at United to Protect Democracy In an out-of-character program, Clay reports on this year's Lewis & Clark cultural tour. Later, we're joined by Beau Wright who reports on his recent visits to Jefferson's Poplar Forest home and the Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"This thing of darkness, I acknowledge mine." — Prospero, The Tempest This week Clay Jenkinson speaks about Thomas Jefferson and slavery. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"The Founding Fathers intended a free nation in which you could choose your religion." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson After a short discussion about weather, President Jefferson addresses a question about his ownership of a copy of the Quran. Jefferson goes on to explain his views on the importance of religious freedom. In the out-of-character portion of the show, Clay and David are joined by Brad Crisler. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Really? You don't think Jefferson has a geopolitical plan here?" — Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we return to the Jefferson 101 series and discuss Jefferson's first term as President. In particular, we discuss the Barbary pirates, the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark expedition. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"You can object to anybody's politics, but I firmly believe that you can't object to President Obama's character." — Beau Wright President Thomas Jefferson speaks about the White House — during his time and ours — with this week's special guest, Beau Wright. Wright spent over five years serving in the White House, nearly two years of that time as Senior Deputy Director of White House Operations and Director for Finance. Beau Wright is currently Director of Operations for United to Protect Democracy. Find this episode on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

We speak with President Jefferson this week in our annual 4th of July Show. Jefferson shares his thoughts on why the holiday is so important to Americans and recalls how it was celebrated during his time. We also speak to Gaye Wilson, the Shannon Senior Historian at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies and Pat Brodowski, specialty gardener at Monticello who tell us about the celebrations being held at Monticello. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I think that's what Jefferson's attitude was: 'I'd rather not, but I'm probably the best person to do it.'" — Clay We return to our Jefferson 101 series this week with an episode about Jefferson's road to the White House. Over the past few months, we've carried Jefferson from his birth in Virginia in 1743 right up to the brink of the time when he became the third president of the United States. We take for granted how our elections work. Back then, they didn't really have a blueprint: no conventions, no caucuses, no primaries, no debates. It was an informal system and we try to sort out how a reluctant person like Jefferson winds up being the president. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"The question then became: Is a national bank constitutional? Did the Founding Fathers contemplate a national bank?" — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we discuss the argument between Alexander Hamilton and Jefferson over the creation of a national bank of the United States. Hamilton believed a central banking system was essential to America's standing in the world. Jefferson disagreed, arguing that to take a single step beyond the powers of the constitution is to enter a field of boundless abuse. We speak with Jefferson about President Washington's support of Hamilton's plan, a decision with ramifications that affect Americans to this day. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I never like to be rude, but sometimes one has to set the precedent for a society that will shock the world." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we discuss diplomacy and presidential decorum. When the British Ambassador Anthony Merry came to the White House, Jefferson went out of his way to be rude: to make it clear that the Revolution was won by us, not them. In 1792, Jefferson wrote to George Washington: "No government ought to be without censors: and where the press is free, no one ever will. If virtuous, it need not fear the fair operation of attack and defence. Nature has given to man no other means of sifting out the truth either in religion, law, or politics." Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Learn more about Odyssey Tours and the summer 2017 Lewis & Clark adventure on odytours.net. There, you can also find the Lochsa Lodge retreats: one on Walden and another on Shakespeare. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"I was always happiest when I could direct the reading of a promising young man." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson Here at the Jefferson Hour, we love our listener mail. We try to answer as many letters as possible because they help us to open up new avenues of discourse. This week, we devote another episode to answering listener questions. Subjects covered include civil discourse, the virtues of France, Jefferson's suggested reading of the classics and John Adam's midnight appointments. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Learn more about Odyssey Tours and the summer 2017 Lewis & Clark adventure on odytours.net. There, you can also find the Lochsa Lodge retreats: one on Walden and another on Shakespeare. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people, whose breasts he has made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue. It is the focus in which he keeps alive that sacred fire, which otherwise might escape from the face of the earth." — Thomas Jefferson This week, the entire episode — well, almost the entire episode — is devoted to answering letters from listeners. Questions received include the story of Jefferson's many talents, whether or not Jefferson had a bust of Alexander Hamilton at Monticello, and how to re-create experiments from Jefferson's age. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Learn more about Odyssey Tours and the summer 2017 Lewis & Clark adventure on odytours.net. There, you can also find the Lochsa Lodge retreats: one on Walden and another on Shakespeare. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"We have now a goodly field before us, & I have no wish superior to that of seeing it judiciously cultivated; that every Man, especially those who have labored to prepare it, may reap a fruitful Harvest" — George Washington, 1784 Nearly 50 years later, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that, "As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in?" This week we discuss the American character with President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson believed that the American character would be the best in the history of the world: because of our agrarianism, our distance from the havoc of the Old World, our public education, and our resourcefulness that we needed to develop because there were no outside experts. While Adams felt that without a strong American character, "the strongest Cords of our Constitution [would be broken] as a Whale goes through a Net." John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were dear friends; they disagreed about many things. One thing they agreed upon was that this experiment would only work if we had unique character. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Learn more about Odyssey Tours and the summer 2017 Lewis & Clark adventure on odytours.net. There, you can also find the Lochsa Lodge retreats: one on Walden and another on Shakespeare. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

"[Thomas Jefferson] could calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, dance a minuet, and play a violin." — James Parton, 1874 This week, we ask President Jefferson to confirm or deny these reported talents. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog. Learn more about Odyssey Tours and the summer 2017 Lewis & Clark adventure on odytours.net. There, you can also find the Lochsa Lodge retreats: one on Walden and another on Shakespeare. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.