117 The Life and Ideas of Thomas Jefferson
46:18 Share

Thomas Jefferson wrote about liberty and freedom and yet owned over six hundred slaves during his lifetime.

He’s a founder who many of us have a hard time understanding.

This why we need an expert to lead us through his life, so we can better understand who Jefferson was and how he came to his seemingly paradoxical ideas about slavery and freedom.

Annette Gordon-Reed), a professor of history and legal history at Harvard University and the winner of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for her work on Thomas Jefferson and the Hemings Family, leads us on an exploration through the life and ideas of Thomas Jefferson.


Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/117)

Sponsor Links

• Cornell University Press)
• Margaret Newell, Brethren by Nature)

Helpful Show Links

• Help Support Ben Franklin's World Crowdfunding Campaign)
• Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page)
• Join the Ben Franklin's World Community)
• Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter)
• Ben Franklin's World iOS App)
• Ben Franklin's World Android App)

Complementary Episodes

• Episode 027: Lisa Wilson, A History of Stepfamilies in Early America)
• Episode 026: Robert Middlekauff, George Washington's Revolution)
• Episode 033: Douglas Bradburn, George Washington and His Library)
• Episode 061: Edward Larson, George Washington in Retirement)
• Episode 096: Nicholas Guyatt, The Origins of Racial Segregation in the United States)
• Episode 107: Mary Sarah Bilder, Madison's Hand)