In the Course of Human Events

Thomas Jefferson Foundation

A storytelling podcast drawn from the worlds of Thomas Jefferson, the larger Monticello community, and the life of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

  1. 07/10/2024

    Robert Hemmings's Signature

    In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, historians from Monticello's Getting Word African American Oral History Project share the recent rediscovery of Robert Hemmings’s signature, a revelation confirming the literacy and the agency of the man that Thomas Jefferson enslaved as his valet. As a teenage boy, Hemmings was at Jefferson's side in Philadelphia when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, and later gained his own freedom, becoming the first of very few to be freed by Jefferson. Listen as Andrew Davenport, Auriana Woods, and Bernetiae Reed discuss this discovery and describe the life of Robert Hemmings whose story inspired “Descendants of Monticello,” a new exhibition that recently opened at Independence National Historical Park's Declaration House in Philadelphia, PA. By moving Hemmings to the center of this moment in history, this project explores the entangled legacies of freedom and enslavement at the core of our nation’s founding. Since 1993, the Getting Word African American Oral History Project has collected and preserved the oral histories of Monticello’s enslaved community and their descendants, creating an archive of freedom and a fuller story of Monticello and the United States. Getting Word and other staff from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation worked with Monument Lab, the National Park Service, and other organizations to present “Descendants of Monticello,” which was conceived and developed by artist Sonya Clark.

    24 min

  2. 04/06/2024

    The Life and "Happiness" of Martha Wayles Jefferson

    Years after her death, Thomas Jefferson described his marriage to his wife, Martha, as ten years spent "in unchequered happiness. And w hile the historical evidence draws a portrait of strong mutual affection, Martha Jefferson's life had its share of tribulation and tragedy. , In this episode of "In the Course of Human Events, we look at Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, a woman long viewed almost entirely through the lens of her husband, but was in reality a remarkable person in her own right.

    36 min

  3. 02/17/2024

    The Fantastic Tale of Selim the Algerian

    He captured the imagination of the Virginia elite on the eve of the American Revolution with a tale of education in Constantinople, capture by pirates, sale into slavery in New Orleans, escape into the Virginia wilderness, and conversion from Islam to Christianity. Listen as Martin Clagett, author of "Scientific Jefferson: Revealed," presents the oft-repeated—but sometimes hard to verify—story of Selim the Algerian and his difficult journeys back and forth between two continents. Co-hosts David Thorson and Jacqueline Langholtz join in and discuss themes of survival, culture, and identity highlighted through the lens of Selim's remarkable life.

    28 min

  4. 01/28/2024

    The Fiery Arch: Celebrating the Treaty of Paris

    It was meant to be a spectacle. And it was. But not in the way intended. In this episode, author and historian Eliga Gould tells the incredible story of Charles Willson Peale's Triumphal Arch, built to celebrate the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolution and established international recognition of the United States. Monticello's Gaye Wilson and Hannah Zimmerman join in for our look into this pivotal yet often forgotten moment in American history, where art, celebration, and tragedy intertwined.

    27 min

  5. 10/17/2023

    Benjamin Banneker Challenges Thomas Jefferson

    Who was Benjamin Banneker? Scientist, clockmaker, Assistant to the Surveyor of Washington, DC, creator of bestselling almanacs, and possibly the first African American to publicly challenge Jefferson on the topics of slavery, race, and equality. In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, we look at letters Banneker and Jefferson exchanged in 1791 and consider how the problem of slavery prevented two individuals with so much in common from forming a friendship.

    27 min

  6. 07/29/2023

    "That Evil Genius": Ellen Wayles Randolph

    It's a crossover episode! This time on "In the Course of Human Events" we highlight the work of an another remarkable podcast series, "Your Most Obedient and Humble Servant,” which showcases women’s letters from the 18th and early 19th-century that don’t always make it into the history books. In this installment former Monticello guide Kathryn Gehred is joined by long-time Monticello guide Danna Kelley for an entertaining look at Jefferson’s granddaughter Ellen Wayles Randolph. Their conversation centers on a letter she wrote to her mother, Martha Jefferson Randolph, while visiting Richmond, Virginia in 1819. In the letter, Ellen, then 23, describes herself as a person whose tongue “runs faster than is quite compatible with the comfort of my friends” and then proves the point with language that is often as withering as it is engaging. DnOXB8bwM9cl2wnTLWyd

    38 min

  7. 04/27/2023

    Edward Coles Challenges Thomas Jefferson on Slavery

    In this episode of our In the Course of Human Events podcast, we look at the fascinating story of Edward Coles and his effort to persuade one of America's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, to free his slaves. Rebuffed by the former president, Coles acted on his beliefs, taking 19 enslaved men, women, and children with him from Virginia to freedom and self-sufficiency in Illinois. Former Monticello Teacher Institute participant Robbie Marsden shares Coles’s remarkable journey, which spanned nearly 50 years and featured a surprise encounter with another giant of American history. Joining him for the trip are Monticello’s Justin Bates and Melanie Holland.

    22 min

  8. 12/27/2022

    A Washington Fish Tale

    Was it a relaxing retreat? A working vacation? Or a merely intriguing story that it is really more about how we like to view U.S. history than what actually happened? In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, Frank Cogliano, a professor of American history at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, shares an oft-repeated story about a fishing trip taken by George Washington the summer of 1790, possibly with Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Helping him break it down are Kate Brown, assistant professor of American history at Western Kentucky University, and Jim Ambuske, of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

    24 min
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4.5
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

A storytelling podcast drawn from the worlds of Thomas Jefferson, the larger Monticello community, and the life of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Information

  • Creator
    Thomas Jefferson Foundation
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc. 2020-2024
  • Show Website
    In the Course of Human Events