Listening to America

#1316 James Madison (Part Two)

11 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"to the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over err...

#1315 James Madison (Part One)

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Mr. Madison made me look like a slacker.""Mr. Madison made me look like a slacker." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson President Thoma...

Poplar Forest

30 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"All the rooms are octagonal or semi-octagonal, except the main dining room, which is a perfect cube." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jeffers...

#1314 Our Friend Beau

27 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Whatever your politics are, to think that the country is being taken seriously by young men and women who want us to be a Jeffersonian republic is ju...

#1313 Gratitude and Thanks

20 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving from the Thomas Jefferson Hour. This week, we speak to four friends including Lisa Suhay, who tells us about her...

#1312 Elections Matter

13 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"You have a population of 330 million. This is a way that the whole system is designed to distill their will." — Clay S. Jenkinson The results of th...

Jamal Khashoggi

09 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"We need to protest firmly without any ambiguity whatsoever." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this episode, along with recommen...

#1311 Jefferson's Views

06 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"This is a French school of economics and social thinking that I subscribed to, at least in part, that says that wealth comes from the soil" — Clay ...

Voting

02 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Everyone in that public place would know which candidate he voted for." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this episode, along wi...

#1310 Valley Forge with Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

30 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"It's a very patriotic story in the best sense of the word … these were people who were fighting for a cause." — Tom Clavin Clay and David are joi...

Water

26 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I would hope the states would handle that and the government of the United States would only serve as a referee." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Th...

#1309 Water for a Dry Land with Char Miller

23 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Our technology that has unleashed such creativity has also unleashed the capacity for us to destroy the very things that we were creating." — Char ...

Ancient Rome's Influence

19 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"If you study this, you'll know what can go wrong, and maybe you'll be able to prevent it" — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this...

#1308 American Dialogue with Joseph Ellis

16 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Indeed, if I read the founders right, their greatest legacy is the recognition that argument itself is the answer." — Joseph J. Ellis We welcome ba...

Emancipation

12 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I realized that this was so deeply rooted in the American social, economic, and political life, that it was going to take an extraordinary movement t...

#1307 Live in Pittsburg, KS

09 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"You think I'm joking, but I wanted a square America." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson goes on the road this week t...

#1306 Ossian

02 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We speak with President Thomas Jefferson (as portrayed by humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson) about reading - one of his favorite pastimes. We also ...

#1305 Wine and Welshmen

25 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"We should always listen to science. Science is not political. Science is rational." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson President Thoma...

#1304 To France

18 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"This period was, in some ways, the most satisfying period of Jefferson's life, and in some ways it was the most radical." — Clay S. Jenkinson This ...

Other Explorations of the West

14 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Down in the southwest, two expeditions occurred during my presidency." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this episode, along wit...

#1303 Can We Talk?

11 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"He saw a nation that collapsed right in front of him and he thought, 'well, I wonder why nations collapse,' and I think that really led to some great...

Honoring John McCain

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"A statesman is one who always asks what is best for this country." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this episode, along with re...

#1302 Alarm Poll

04 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I'm like everyone else, I'm in the middle. I see some benefits on both edges of the spectrum, but I don't want either of them to prevail." — Clay S...

How to Handle Partisan Division

31 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I believe that each faction, each party, has a moral duty to reach over to the other and to try to find common ground, and that each party should tak...

#1301 Farewell Address

28 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"George Washington ... was as close to a perfect human being as we believed existed on Earth." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson This ...

Civil Discourse

24 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I think the American people are overwhelmingly good and decent." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this episode, along with reco...

#1300 Better Arguments

21 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Can we talk? Can we try to argue about where we are and where we're going and use the founders as a source of wisdom that might allow us to have a sa...

Enemy of the People

17 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Whatever's wrong with the press, we must defend it, because the alternative is tyranny." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this ...

#1299 Jefferson's Mistakes

14 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"He was part of the extension of slavery that made the Civil War inevitable, and that led to almost 800,000 deaths." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week P...

Traveling West

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I would have been able to produce an account of that tour — and I mean no self-aggrandizement in saying this, but just from the sheer discipline of...

#1298 As Requested

07 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"You have to wait 14 years under the naturalization law before you can become a full citizen of the United States. These were palpable violations of t...

#1297 While You Were Away

31 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Voltaire at the end of Candide says, just go home and cultivate your garden." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we catch up on our mail bag and also s...

Defending America in the World Arena

29 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"The duty of the President of the United States is to be the principal articulator of America's values." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jeffe...

#1296 Mil

24 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"When you die, your legacy is the effect you've had on people, and boy did my mother have an effect on people." — Clay S. Jenkinson Clay Jenkinson s...

Cartography

20 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I made a special devotion to collecting all of the maps that I could." — Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson Find this episode, along wit...

#1295 Too Né

17 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Too Né's data wound up in the journals and all of it is on the map, and the map deepens the journals, and the journals deepen the map." — Clay S. ...

Supreme Court Appointments

13 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"It is not a great privilege to name a Supreme Court justice." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson Find this episode, along with r...

#1294 Judicial Responsibility

10 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"You want people who are moderates, who are not passionate zealots in any particular direction." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkins...

The Declaration of Independence

06 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I played a small role. I was just the penman of this thing." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson Find this episode, along with re...

#1293 4th of July

03 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Mythology begins to creep in, and as historians we like to question some of that." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week on our annual 4th of July show, Th...

#1292 Common Sense

26 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we present another of our Jefferson Hour Book Club episodes and discuss Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Find this episode, along with recommen...

#1291 Circumstances

19 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"The debate in American history is not between Hamilton and Jefferson, the debate is between Adams and Jefferson." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we...

#1290 Adjustments

12 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"He's a bit of a Tea Party guy, he's a bit of a libertarian, he's certainly for small government." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week's episode is devote...

#1289 Jefferson's Vision

05 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Lightly governed, lightly taxed, highly educated, isolationist, farmer's paradise." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week, President Thomas Jefferson expla...

#1288 Truth Matters

29 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I think that an ideal citizen is a bit grumpy, is always concerned that government is up to no good." — Thomas Jefferson, Second Inaugural Address ...

#1287 The Hardest Job

22 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I don't think that it's very useful to compare the burden of the presidency of 1803 … with the burden of the presidency in your time." — Thomas J...

#1286 First Family (Part Two)

15 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I'm just thinking of your career, here." — Joseph Ellis We continue our conversation this week with the award-winning author Joseph Ellis, and we c...

#1285 First Family (Part One)

08 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Joining our conversation this week is the award-winning author Joseph Ellis. We discuss his book First Family: Abigail and John Adams in part one of t...

#1284 Foreign Policy

01 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none" — Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1801...

#1283 The General Welfare

24 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I would never consider [the Constitution] to be a sacred text." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson We present President Thomas J...

#1282 The Map

17 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We answer listener questions in response to episode #1277 Gerrymandering, and then turn to a discussion about an important discovery of an 1805 Lewis ...

#1281 Unanswered Questions

10 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"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 contradi...

#1280 Tomatoes

03 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"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 In...

#1279 The Art of the Letter

27 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Every letter has a basis and a purpose … I spent an enormous amount of time thinking about the recipient." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Cl...

#1278 Adams, Bees and Guns

20 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I believe that we have the right to revolution." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson President Jefferson answers listener questio...

#1277 Gerrymandering

13 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"You could redistrict so that you could maximize competitiveness. That would be my suggestion: maximize competitiveness." — Clay S. Jenkinson On thi...

#1276 Revolutionary Summer

06 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"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 America...

#1275 Joseph Ellis

27 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"There's a perfect alignment between Jefferson's own contradictions and the rest of American history." — Joseph J. Ellis Clay speaks with Dr. Joseph...

#1274 The Classics

20 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"You cannot understand the founding of this country without understanding the Founding Fathers' obsession with classical languages and literature." —...

#1273 Three Friends

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I'm just thrilled to see that people can still have intelligent and thoughtful conversations and walk away still feeling friends." — Rick Kennerly ...

#1272 Raleigh

06 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Catherine Jenkinson returns as host this week for an extended conversation with President Jefferson about Sir Walter Raleigh. Find this episode, along...

#1271 Current Events

30 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We speak with President Jefferson about current events including the government shutdown, philanthropy, and water shortages in Cape Town. Find this ep...

#1270 Total Extirpation

22 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"It really upsets me that Jefferson should be anti-canine, but there you are." — Clay S. Jenkinson This week, we answer listener questions about Jef...

#1269 Mrs. Smith

16 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret Bayard Smith was a friend of Thomas Jefferson. Her writings provided the content for the book The First Forty Years of Washington Society whi...

#1268 Peaceful Transition

09 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Most revolutions end with the establishment of a dictatorship." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson We speak with President Jeffe...

#1267 Fiction or Non

03 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"I had a canine appetite for reading." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson This week, President Jefferson shares his views on read...

#1266 Looking Back at 2017

26 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 20...

#1265 Christmas 2017

19 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest host Catherine Jenkinson speaks with President Jefferson about Christmas during Jefferson's time. Find this episode, along with recommen...

#1264 Representation

08 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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. Jenkinso...

#1263 Jefferson's Travels

05 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"I saw the future of the American experiment in the West." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson Catherine Jenkinson returns to host...

#1262 The Final Years (Part Three)

28 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 J...

#1261 Jefferson's Table

21 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Literally everyone in Washington, D.C. wanted invitations to my White House dinners." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson Catheri...

#1260 The Final Years (Part Two)

14 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 Jef...

#1259 The Final Years (Part One)

07 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"The last years of his life were increasingly characterized by debt and disillusionment." — Clay We return to Jefferson 101 with part one of the fin...

#1258 Dissent is Essential

31 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Anything that is non-violent is an acceptable form of protest in a Republic." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson President Jeffer...

#1257 Down from the Mountain

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Jefferson was a gentleman. Mountains weren't climbed in his time." — Clay This week, we speak with Clay about his recent mountain climbing experien...

#1256 Last Refuge

17 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." — Samuel Johnson We speak with President Thomas Jefferson about patriotism and Jefferson's concept o...

#1255 Show Mister Jefferson

10 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 tim...

#1254 Magic of the Word

03 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Nobody ever used the English language to greater effect than William Shakespeare." — Clay Clay discusses his new show, "Clay Jenkinson's Shakespear...

#1253 Second Term

26 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science by rendering them my supreme delight." — Thomas Jefferson We return to the Jefferson 101 bi...

#1252 Mildness & Amenity

19 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 P...

#1251 Checks & Balances

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"If the three federal branches can't stop themselves from doing appalling things, a fourth entity exists, and that's the states." — Thomas Jefferson...

#1250 Totality

06 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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....

#1249 Amor Patriae

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Responding to a flood of emails from listeners, this week an out-of-character program discussing the recent events at Charlottesville. Find this episo...

#1248 Private Thoughts

22 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 Th...

#1247 On My Doorstep

14 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 imp...

#1246 Special Places

07 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"The bureaucracy can actually serve a really valuable purpose." — Beau Wright, Director of Operations at United to Protect Democracy In an out-of-ch...

#1245 This Thing of Darkness

31 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"This thing of darkness, I acknowledge mine." — Prospero, The Tempest This week Clay Jenkinson speaks about Thomas Jefferson and slavery. Find this ...

#1244 A Free Nation

24 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"The Founding Fathers intended a free nation in which you could choose your religion." — Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Clay S. Jenkinson After a...

#1243 Mister President

18 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 J...

#1242 Inside the White House

11 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 Je...

#1241 4th of July

03 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 Americ...

#1240 Becoming President

27 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 s...

#1239 Original Argument

20 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"The question then became: Is a national bank constitutional? Did the Founding Fathers contemplate a national bank?" — Thomas Jefferson, as portraye...

#1238 Presidential Decorum

13 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 C...

#1237 More Listener Letters

06 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 ...

#1236 Listener Letters

30 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 substa...

#1235 American Character

23 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"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 hav...

#1234 Jefferson's Talents

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"[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...

#1233 Neither Wolf nor Dog

09 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Somewhere in Jefferson, something happened where the European mindset turned and started looking to the west. He started looking toward possibility i...