In 1950, Julian P. Boyd, Professor of history at Princeton University, published his first volume of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson. Boyd, like many others, felt that Jefferson had an unbelievable range and depth. This week Julian Boyd's ideas are presented to President Jefferson for his comment. In the out-of-character segment, Clay S. Jenkinson refers to Boyd's work and explain's his own view that Jefferson had a "particular form of genius; an infinite capacity for taking pains." Clay ends the program by reminding us that Jefferson said, "The fact of the book means that liberty is on the rise and tyranny is on the wane."
Further Reading
- Founders Online: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
- The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Vol 1, 1760-1776, edited by Julian P. Boyd
"The French ... thought it was an assassination, a war crime, that Washington was a murderer."
— Peter Stark
We speak with Peter Stark, author of Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America’s Founding Father.
We discuss George Washington’s formative years and character traits, his travels into the Ohio country, and his relationship with lieutenant governor Robert Dinwiddie. We talk about how Washington’s involvement in the Battle of Jumonville Glen touched off the French and Indian War.
"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.
Clay S. Jenkinson talks about an article written by Hugh Sidey and the Jefferson biographer Dumas Malone.
In 1950, Julian P. Boyd, Professor of history at Princeton University, published his first volume of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson. Boyd, like many others, felt that Jefferson had an unbelievable range and depth. This week Julian Boyd's ideas are presented to President Jefferson for his comment.