"I often went to house parties during this period and engaged in the convivialities of youth."
— Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson
#1370 Jefferson's Impeachments
We speak with President Thomas Jefferson about the impeachments that took place during his presidency. There were two impeachments of federal judges, Thomas Pickering and Samuel Chase. In the out-of-character segment, Jenkinson shares the story of Aaron Burr, who had recently killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, presiding over the trial of Chase.
Rewriting the Constitution
#1369 Four Scholars
"I take absolutely no joy in any of this. This is a national catastrophe, a tragedy." — Clay S. Jenkinson
On December 4, 2019, four constitutional scholars gathered to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in public hearings. This week in an out of character program we listen to selected portions of that testimony. Clay Jenkinson responds and provides his unique insight.
Working with Ken Burns
#1368 Benjamin Franklin's Puffy Rolls
Fly Me to the Moon, Please
Domestic and Foreign Emoluments
#1367 Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson
"For Franklin, knowledge was important, but application of knowledge ... mattered to him as much as any pure science."
— Clay S. Jenkinson
Thomas Jefferson had an immense respect for Benjamin Franklin, who was nearly 37 years his senior. Franklin became one of the most respected Americans during the revolution and was, in a sense, pushed there by British arrogance.
The Illimitable Search for Truth
We must never stop reading and expanding and raising our consciousness. It was Benjamin Franklin’s final act of moral courage, when he was operating on a very thin fund of vitality, that made me turn my attention back to Jefferson, searching for parallels, and what I saw was complacency and self-interest, not moral courage.
Hamilton's Influence on Washington
#1366 American Creation with Joseph Ellis
"Understand him for his flaws as well as for his greatness."
— Joe Ellis
We welcome historian Joseph Ellis to the program this week to talk about his book American Creation. In the book, Ellis notes a series of five contributions the founding fathers made and Clay Jenkinson asks how those contributions are holding up during our time.
Storytelling
Ivanka Trump and Partisanship
#1365 Back from France
"Jefferson admits [to John] Adams, you were right and I was wrong about the French Revolution."
— Joseph J. Ellis
We welcome Clay Jenkinson back from his recent cultural tour to France, and speak with author Joseph Ellis about what Jefferson learned in France, and how it changed his outlook of the American dream.
Whose Idea Was This Anyway?
I bought a used pickup over the summer and a modest, used Steinbeck-like truck camper. Rocinante. I intended to winterize it over the weekend, then a blizzard appeared out of nowhere. By mid-afternoon, I would have sold that rig for ten cents on the dollar. I don’t deserve to pretend to be Thomas Jefferson.
Access to Information
Tune in to your local public radio or join the 1776 Club to hear this episode of What Would Thomas Jefferson Do?
Three Branches
The Incomprehensible Machine
#1363 The Social Contract
"Average people have a voice, and often left important records that we have systematically ignored until very recently."
— Clay S. Jenkinson
President Thomas Jefferson speaks about the formation of the government of the United States. Jefferson explains the social contract theory that when you are alone, you are sovereign, and when you join with others you have to negotiate what is for the commonwealth, and negotiate what natural rights you get to keep after adjustment by the government.