The American Idea: Getting to Know Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the “author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom & Father of the University of Virginia,” or so his self-authored tombstone states. He was also the third President of the United States, our first Secretary of State, wartime governor of Virginia, and served in France before the Constitution was written. Jefferson casts a long shadow in our history, politics, and culture.

We’ve focused on Jefferson a few times on The American Idea podcast, and if you missed any of these episodes, here are direct links to help you get reacquainted with one of America’s Founding Fathers – a brilliant, complex, and often confounding individual whose ideas have inspired generations, whose personal and political life created controversy, and whose legacy is undeniable.

• Thomas Jefferson: Author of the Declaration of Independence
• Jefferson and John Adams – Controversy, Debate, and Friendship
• Jefferson and Race
• Jefferson’s Late-Life Letters and Reflections on the American Founding