Listening to America

"The constitution ... is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist, and shape into any form they please." — Thomas Jefferson to Spencer Roane, 1819 Thomas Jefferson had a unique and slightly odd view of the proper place of the judicial branch in America. He thought of judicial independence as both a strength and a weakness of our system: you want judges that are indep...

"The Vice Presidency turned out to be just what Jefferson had predicted: 'philosophic evenings in winter' and summers at his beloved Monticello." — Clay This week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour, we return to "Jefferson 101", our biographical series. Reluctantly, Jefferson came out of retirement to serve as vice president for four years under his old friend John Adams. They were of different politica...

"Jefferson regarded the national debt as a national disgrace." This week, President Jefferson (as portrayed by humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson) explains his reasoning behind his federal budget and why he felt it was essential to pay down the national debt that he inherited. We also learn about some of the people who helped Jefferson develop the budget, including Secretary of the Treasury Albe...

"[Meriwether Lewis] kept promising copy and he never sent a single page. We don't know what, if anything, became of his manuscript. We have nothing. He wouldn't communicate with us." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson President Jefferson talks about the Lewis & Clark expedition and America's role as an "Empire of liberty". Jefferson, that Type A keeper of records, was disappoint...

"You can't understand Jefferson without understanding slavery; you can't understand the paradox of his life and the words that he wrote in the Declaration of Independence without understanding this historical connection with Sally Hemings and with the enslaved people in general at Monticello." — Niya Bates, Public Historian of Slavery and African American Life at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation A...

Our conversation this week is with the scholar, Charles Slack. Slack is the author of Liberty's First Crisis: Adams, Jefferson, and the Misfits Who Saved Free Speech. His book chronicles the tumultuous early years of the United States when dissent was so feared that those who dared to criticize the government were put in prison or deported through the Alien and Sedition Acts. Our discussion focuse...

  Today, listeners call us and ask questions directly to President Jefferson. The inquiries cover a broad collection of topics: Jefferson's relationship with the press, postage costs during his time, President Andrew Jackson, patents, banking, and a request for advice on getting involved with local government. Interested in appearing on a future call-in episode? Please submit your questions ! Find...

President Thomas Jefferson explains the Logan Act's origin, its possible uses and its connection to Alexander Hamilton. George Logan was a Quaker, doctor, farmer and state legislator from Pennsylvania who undertook, as a private citizen and at his own expense, a diplomatic mission to France in 1798 — and what was his reward? The Federalists and the Congress of the United States passed the Logan Ac...

We return to our "Jefferson 101" series with a continued discussion about Jefferson's period of retirement after his term as Secretary of State ended in 1793 and he returned to Monticello. Subjects include Jefferson's reasons for leaving Washington, the Jay treaty, slavery and a revealing letter Jefferson wrote to his daughter Maria. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on th...

Clay S. Jenkinson discusses Thomas Jefferson's election as President in 1801, his first 100 days in office, and notes the sometimes-uncanny parallels with our time. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog . Learn more about "John Steinbeck's California" , the Spring 2017 Tour & Retreat hosted by Odyssey Tours, a division of Bek, Inc. For more information, visit Odyss...

In this 16th installment of the Jefferson 101 Series, we discuss the period from 1794 to 1797 and Jefferson's return to Monticello after his tenure as Secretary of State. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog . Learn more about "John Steinbeck's California" Spring Book Retreat/Tour 2017 , hosted by Odyssey Tours, a div. of Bek, Inc. For more information, visit Odys...

President Thomas Jefferson is asked to provide context for presidential inaugurations. Clay & David discuss our third president's inaugural address — its content & its tone — while comparing it to the address of our forty-fifth president, Donald Trump. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading,  on the blog . From "The People's Friend", which was written & composed for the inaugura...

We speak with President Thomas Jefferson this week about the unexpected emergence of the two-party political system during his time. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading, on the blog . Learn more about "John Steinbeck's California" Spring Book Retreat/Tour 2017 , hosted by Odyssey Tours, a div. of Bek, Inc. For more information, visit Odyssey Tours online or contact Becky Cawl...

In the first of a new series of essays, Clay draws comparisons between the inaugurations of Presidents Donald Trump and Thomas Jefferson. The full essay can also be found on the blog . "By not acknowledging the fact of the opposition—and making some gesture of his desire to represent them too, to find a way to win their approval—Trump spoke about 'the People' in a way that is merely demagogic and...

This bonus episode is an excerpt from #752 Inaugural, originally published in January of 2009. Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson, discusses his inaugural address of March 4th, 1801. You can hear the original episode in full on the blog . Yale provides the full text of Jefferson's First Inaugural Address .

This week, we return with the 15th installment of the "Jefferson 101" series. In this second of two shows discussing Jefferson's time as the first Secretary of State, we learn more about Jefferson's vision of America and the strong disagreements he had with Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading,  on the blog .

This week, we return with the 14th installment of the "Jefferson 101" series. The program is the first of two shows discussing Jefferson's time as the first Secretary of State. It begins with the story of Jefferson's return from Europe and the effect his time in France had on his own political sentiments. Find this episode, along with further recommended reading,  on the blog .

Clay S. Jenkinson, the creator of the Thomas Jefferson Hour, shares stories about his 2016 trip to Rome. Clay talks about the effect Rome had on Jefferson, despite the fact that Jefferson never visited the city. Read more on the blog , where you can find images of the art and architecture discussed on this episode, along with additional recommended reading. "I think [Jefferson] would have been a l...

Clay & David recall and re-listen to some of the more memorable moments on the Thomas Jefferson Hour during the past year. Find this episode, along with recommended reading,  on the blog . Support the show by joining the  1776 Club  or by  donating  to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about our Cultural Tours & Retreats with Clay S. Jenkinson at  jeffersonhour.com/tours . Thomas...

Attempting to move President Jefferson into the Christmas Spirit is always a challenge, and this year is no different. This year, we present excerpts from past Jefferson Hour shows discussing Jefferson's feelings about the holiday and memories of his own Christmas experiences. Find this episode, along with recommended reading,  on the blog . Support the show by joining the  1776 Club  or by  donat...

In last week's show, we heard President Thomas Jefferson speak to an audience in Abingdon, Maryland, but many of the submitted questions were left unanswered. We attend to that this week by providing answers to the overflow of questions for President Jefferson.

This week's show comes from a recording made by WAMD 970 in Abingdon, Maryland for the Harford County Library Foundation . The program was recorded as part of a Constitution Day program and was hosted by Dr. William Allen.

Guest host Joe Lovell of Amarillo, Texas returns to speak with President Thomas Jefferson about revolution, public education and the need for true leadership.

Guest host Joe L. Lovell of Amarillo, Texas speaks with President Thomas Jefferson about the workings of America's legal system and the importance of each citizen's right to a fair judicial system.

Prompted by requests from many Jefferson Hour listeners, this week Clay Jenkinson discusses the outcome of the 2016 election.