“I believed, as a figure of the Enlightenment, that it’s simply too late in the world’s history to solve disputes through bloodshed.”
Tune in to your local public radio or join the 1776 Club to hear this episode of What Would Thomas Jefferson Do?
Diplomacy
David Swenson speaks with President Jefferson about the cost of the American Revolutionary War, the aid France provided to America, and Jefferson's position on aiding other nations in their struggles for freedom and liberty.
"I lusted for it, I must say."
— Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson
"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.
"This book reveals [Washington] as a man of emotion, raw emotion."
— Clay S. Jenkinson
In anticipation of our conversation next week with Peter Stark, the author of Young Washington, we speak with Jefferson about our first president. Jefferson also comments on the time change, and the importance of using available daylight.