In the Course of Human Events

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

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 t

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 1783 Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolution and established international recognition of the United States as a new nation. Monticello's Gaye W

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 letters at Banneker and Jefferson exchanged in 1791 and consider how the problem

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 Mo

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.

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

He challenged President Washington’s authority. He lied to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. He outfitted privateer ships in American ports and sent them to attack British shipping. He was a diplomat who was almost anything but diplomatic. Meet Edmound Charles Genet, the French envoy who nearly brought the young United States back into a war with Great Britain. In this episode

Late in life, on either side of his 80th birthday, Thomas Jefferson had two bad falls. Both were serious, and one was life-threatening. And both provide glimpses into Jefferson’s character and into the many roles his family, his friends, and his enslaved domestic servants played in his life. In this episode of our In the Course of Human Events podcast, Jeff Looney, the Daniel P.

At the very outset of his presidency, Thomas Jefferson faced a long-standing problem that was only getting worse. For nearly two decades, privateers supported by the Barbary States of the North African coast had preyed on American ships, seizing merchant vessels and cargo, holding crews for ransom and demanding tribute in exchange for ending their attacks. Following Jefferson's ina