“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 the Bill of Rights.”
We spend this week, as requested, responding to submitted questions and correcting some factual errors pointed out by our listeners.
President Jefferson joins us and answers many questions on the eve of Clay's annual trip to the Lewis & Clark trail in Montana and Idaho. We had a visitor who said, "More listener questions please," and we have done exactly that.
We've got a couple of questions about Jefferson and his ocean voyages, comparing John Adams' heroism on the high seas with Jefferson's timidity. Jefferson was only in a ship twice: once going and once coming from France. We also got some questions about how President Jefferson managed his time so successfully. Answer: discipline and organization. Never waste a single moment. He who never wastes a single moment will never complain of a want of time, said Jefferson. We got a number of corrections, including David's error: John Hancock was born in Massachusetts, not New York, as we erroneously said. Sorry about that.
"determine never to be idle. no person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. it is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing. and that you may be always doing good, my dear, is the ardent prayer of yours affectionately."
— Thomas Jefferson to Martha Jefferson Randolph, 1787
Further Reading
- Founders Online: From Thomas Jefferson to Maria Cosway, 12 October 1786
- Wikipedia: Naturalization Act of 1790
- Wikipedia: Naturalization Law of 1802
What Would Jefferson Do?
“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 writing every day at great length — would have been one of the classics of the literature of exploration.”
Tune in to your local public radio or join the 1776 Club to hear this episode of What Would Thomas Jefferson Do?
President Jefferson shares his core principles. During the out-of-character segment, Clay Jenkinson addresses some of the extreme contradictions between what Jefferson said he believed in and what he actually did.
This week, David speaks with President Thomas Jefferson as portrayed by humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson. Jefferson responds to listener questions about banning books, as well as citizens' rights and responsibilities.
We speak with President Jefferson about how the Articles of Confederation led to the creation of our constitution. Jefferson also answers questions from listeners about how money and credit worked during his time, and what the pursuit of happiness meant to him. Later in the show we hear from Lindsay Chervinsky and former ND Senator Heidi Heitkamp.
President Jefferson answers questions submitted by listeners on a wide range of topics including Monticello, West Point and the military, the three fifths clause, separation of church and state, and James Monroe.