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>> we do lots of the events here each year 25300 and assigning all the time over all shot reso welcome back of his interfirst time is great to meet you and i hope you'll consider setting up for our newsletter that is at the counter where you could purchase copies after the event were also visit on lined to find out what we're doing that way. i just want to say a couple words first about the book jefferson john is a professor of history and a former editor of the journal of southern history he has been interested in jefferson

for some time since a 1964 when as an undergraduate he began to study jefferson and was fascinated with him in the new comprehensive biography "jefferson" is the result of his decade-long fascination and a complete sheet -- a completion of the arc of his own life and in the review of the new book publishers weekly wrote the accomplished scholar well sourced paints the picture as jefferson knew it not confusing understanding with excusing we are very excited to have him here this evening, john boles. [applause]. >> thanks for coming.

it is true it took me very long time to finish this.

and one thing led to another. and then over 30 years but never having gone back to thomas jefferson. and i retired from editing the journal of southern history and i thought if i ever steady jefferson by better get with it because almost 50 years has passed. that does not mean i have not been interested all those years i was on the jefferson scholarship and i read the biographies but i didn't force myself to just steady him so i found out a lot of things had changed since 651st ribby a much

narrower scope of the book that that time was widely acclaimed to see the father of democracy and jefferson was practically were shipped in to be an american history but things change and in the late '60s and '70s there was the incredible renaissance or revolution and maybe the most important work of the '70s and '80s was the discovery of the work on slavery that completely changed how we thought and also the civil rights movement that took race relations at the beginning of the forefront of everybody's mind in everybody began to explore

sutherland in thence other religions. that by the 1980's military different than 1965 manage jefferson looked very different so now he was seen as the of racist white slave owner and the man who supposedly had a long affair with a black woman named sally have rings that was the underground story and that became mainstream in 74. so by the time i got around to wit in 2013 jefferson had 25 years of critical scholarly work.

he was still longer considered a great american. many people say they wish they could blow his face-off of mount rushmore. or the jefferson memorial in washington d.c.. and by the 1990's they don't know anything other than a name and a hypocrite. so basically they knew nothing of the rest of his life. to be shrunk down to those two things but what struck me is while we could be disappointed and angry that he never freed the slaves but not to look at the other person but then with the

hamilton craze but now jefferson is a caricature of not a real person so i thought it has taken me 50 years to get around to it i have the benefit of 50 years of wonderful scholarship in dozens of books on every aspect but i can put this in a more sophisticated context so to look away from slavery but the account of the south that took race relations seriously and religion seriously so i just thought looked at jefferson who was sickly and the whole person and put him into historical context to a understand him

and make the point that doesn't mean you approve of what they did but to come to terms with the decisions that a person made in 1794. not that if it would not have been morally correct to have the same opinion but it is very easy sometimes for people to say i would be a strong opponent of slavery so assuming it would be that way in 1776. so i had the benefit of so much scholarship better be historians did not have. so when there is a great biography of jefferson, of

petersen had in his hand 17 volumes of correspondents of thomas jefferson i had 53 volumes. there is an amazing amount of scholarship on jefferson i had the benefit of so much scholarship in with live through two generations of historiography but on the one hand and felt i waited until death's door to start the process. [laughter] may be waiting so long i could take that benefit of the scholarship that existed

in one of the things i was frustrated about so for jefferson and the hypocrite but not to see much else so will get this person's career. and a very early age elected to the in the legislature of colonial virginia minute age 33 the primary author of the declaration of independence. two years before he rode a summary view of the rights of british americans to write out the logical origin of the revolution then he was the legislature then wrote the laws of virginia then elected governor when the revolution is over he becomes a member of the

congress of the articles of confederation to develop the idea but also on the committee to determine what to do of the land west of the appellation rivers he and his report said no slavery should exist in any territory after 1800. think about that if that had been accepted there would not be slippery in mississippi or alabama and change the course of american history. of course, that failed by one vote in the congress then it is revisited to outlaw slavery north of the river but originally jefferson had other views. >> he was a diplomat to

france and when franklin returns ben jefferson becomes the american ambassador in service five years in france the beginning of the french revolution so now just think of this person who loves books and good food and wine but never heard thus of the sea -- so busy -- symphony orchestra in virginia. had not seen wonderful architecture but in paris and france he loved the experience. but he also was amazed with the fertile soil and a

decent people he found desperation and poverty on the faces of those people in those nobility that lived in those houses he saw the key never side and 99 percent of the people live data level of poverty worse than america he said it is to be explained by bad government. a good soil and good climate than the rulers believe the purpose of government is only to benefit the rulers they believe that power comes from god to jefferson believed the power of government comes from people in the purpose of government is to serve the people said he has a reminder of what happens with that type of

government so with prussia and russia and the hon period empire in france and england what they saw firsthand how the monarchy hurts the people so when he comes back from france he has a much appreciated you my eight grandchildren think he introduced macaroni and cheese. [laughter] but what most frustrated him was the evidence of poor government ended up hurting people. said he was the extremely strong proponent and a ferocious opponents of anything that smacks of monarchy. said he comes back for a few months but the moment his ship arrives he says he was

appointed in the senate approved his being secretary of state so the day before he left for paris washington had taken his nomination to jefferson. he was not asked in the first jefferson does not want to. he loves to be ambassador to france but it is on the eve of the french revolution the medicine in washington pressure him and he could not turn down washington's and he becomes the first secretary of state that was not a good experience because they think jefferson was ferocious of anything that was a hint of monarchy

and then to call the president his royal highness and he thought hamilton wants to make everything like britain and then later of course, jefferson will have a huge fight so that mickey mouse bites that we see in washington today that these were world defining issues so after three years he resigned in frustration and is convinced this is the end of his political career he said over and over he did not like politics he liked his family and friends in the garden and books and monticelloand science was his first calling and living in tumultuous times he said

he had his druthers to be with his family and would be doing science at monticello. so he returns to monticello thinking his political career is over. but then he is sucked back into politics and in 1796 he doesn't want to be in politics but his friends and supporters like madison were pushing him he gave no speech but then when the votes were cast jefferson discovered he was elected vice president. totally accidental. he said the president was a splendid misery. but then again he is caught

up in politics now hamilton is out of office and there is a split in the federalist party. so hamilton and adams dislike each other more but now this is the beginning of the party system is without meaning to he becomes the head of the jeffersonian party. so that election was very very complicated in that diary is with the supposed said vice president aaron burr. so then the hamiltonian federalist say we all like jefferson and so have her elected then hamilton came to his senses and absolutely despised aaron burr so there

is the total energy behind jefferson. said jefferson is elected president in february and takes office two weeks later than realizes it is a very hateful political campaign year. so he tries to restore harmony so he gives a very eloquent presidential address so he tries to say to tone down the opposition every difference of opinion is not crucial but then after he calms the water is an amazing address about 2,000 words long. he could not talk very loud.

even those inside the hall could not hear him. and then to hand out copies of his address. so the first term goes very well. but the second term does not go as well. there is a trial of aaron burr in the impeachment of a supreme court justice and then the disputes between england and france over commerce and jefferson said we will lot send the ships out so that hurts the shipping industry so he is

unhappy so finally it is over then in march jefferson finally believes he is done for good he had been renovating monticello since 1794 he loves architecture he was america's first architect there was the uninspired two-story palladium manchin. and then to celebrate architecture with that last great urban powless. that is one of those shares

at the palace. and that with a short flat dome. so he decided when he came back to monticello to start over the course gets back to washington d.c. and is in the state department city stars to renovate monticello and that goes on and tell 89. there were several years when you're falling through the floor because the planks were not nailed down is unbelievable they were still doing an 89 but now he is back in monticello that he concentrates on his friends and family said he is

interested of indian languages, a big animals, a philosophy, he had a falling out with john adams but in 1814 they had a new friendship in the final years they exchanged dozens and dozens of letters. letters of friendship in american history. but as a direct contribution to american literature. with another lifelong project he wrote it and talked about higher education and the founder of the library of congress and

now his life's great crusade as the great modern university of virginia so finely that opens in 1825 jefferson had a family penutian of his life he gets sicker with terrible arthritis he could not walk or ride horseback he died on the fourth of july 1826 the same day john adams dies in massachusetts. he said it did get on his tombstone he wanted the words here lies at thomas jefferson, the virginia statute of religious freedom and the father of the university of virginia and the author of the declaration of independence

he wanted to be known for those three ideas so with that constant latifah of his life he said the freedom of the human mind the virginia statute of religious freedom in called the university of virginia freedom from ignorance saw as a politician and governor and diplomats those three things as what he asked to be put to on his tombstone but if you ask what people know about jefferson they say he is a hypocrite. and that since the story we are impoverishing your own understanding if we let that to be seen that narrow.

the der deal with the fact that he did write all men are created equal and what complicates the problem is more than any other founding father he spoke against slavery. one of the first cases as a young lawyer was to defend the rights of the indentured servant and talk about their inherent rights and was so upset bin to stop the trial right there but then the next year he tried to change the laws in virginia to make easier for slave owners to retreat their slaves so that introduced a huge uproar so jefferson had a long such an

to attack the slave trade about the men and women in africa and the congress cut that out and he was very upset about that if that would have stayed in there that would have aided other abolitionists the african people did have the same rights as everybody else then in 1783 he heard the an undue constitutional convention now unfortunately they did not be said of slavery will end in virginia so even the state's of the north that started to pass laws at the age of 30 after

the 20 year period would have totally changed. but jefferson got so much opposition to speaking out against slavery i mentioned the articles of confederation. he finally decided he could not trust this generation to end slavery. it was too pervasive. but he had great hopes of the men who would be controlling politics of the future. the so you could hope that he begins to put all of his hopes from the new generation so he had no way when he said that with a cotton gin to be more solidly implanted in the

south so his hopes of the new generation will be squashed but he never gave the pope he was not quite sure that slavery would end but he had principles to conflict with one another easily slavery was wrong with the democratic republic when they were made on the basis of elections just like a dictator that is just like imposing your thoughts on the people and those key decisions had to be through those electoral decisions so that the new generation could be educated jefferson also personally finds

himself entangled in slavery and does not see how he can escape so shortly after he is married his father-in-law dies now of a sudden he was a large slave owner jefferson never gets out beyond the death -- and that he will die in that but the complication is 7093 if a person is in debt and freeze their slaves they could help to repay the debt but jefferson by being in debt was hamstrung by that law then in 18 '06 virginia

passed a law anybody that freed their slaves within one year had to leave the state. he had no way to set them up city could not read them and they would have to leave with no place to make a living. also jefferson had a huge family with children and grandchildren and a dance and uncles their 25 dependents living at monticello and he felt it was his duty as the patriarch to take care of his family then he realized he should support his dependents and declare slavery wrong but as complected.

but his entire life to send the resolution to pass a resolution the international slave trade is over. but they don't know why it ended it did not say in 20 years that jefferson could foresee there was a new legislature coming in in the slave trade. so nobody knew how to do

and. ended the results is the civil war. with 750,000 deaths. but if anything he knows it is wrong he doesn't see have the patriarch of his own family and doesn't know how he can solve the problem george washington never spoke out publicly but when his wife died washington had no biological dependents.

because that 18 '06 law so washington did so this is a way to defend jefferson believes he is doing right but somehow cannot end that. still looking at that context. does that prevents him from what he was to do? to a understand any person the locale, gender, status of life but to be a person

illicitly to said they are only one thing to bed to have all kinds of conflicting motivation. and has to try to understand people we come to terms and then that changes drastically overtime. so then he began changing his mind. as a separate moral teacher but not define.

so this seems so contradictory. as the writers of antiquity to be so contradictory that any person who believes exactly what they believe and i will show a person who is brain-dead. [laughter] he read his entire life on nearly every issue under the sun. he wrote of what with practically every issue to trace the evolution of his police but his curiosity is capacious as an archaeologist and historian

and linguist he had a carnivorous curiosity of things in the world city is a complicated and in during person one of the most poignant of the tenures of the checkered happiness with his wife then he had a wonderful relationship with his two daughters were they grow and devolve and then he becomes a grandfather he is unbelievable it is hard to imagine him playing with a two year-old but he did that

jefferson as father and grandfather so yes we have to come to terms sadly he could not see a way to free the slaves but he does have a long relationship with sally having some there was a book called the headings of monticello but the sophisticated way by not planning that had an extremely affectionate relationship with one another in a monogamous relationship she looked a

great deal like his wife with long straight hair. in to say that is creepy. and with the girl that is 17 but the ben accustomed to the wives dying in a free burying -- remarrying but clark names are referred said judith river after a young girl whose name was julia. they got engaged when she was 12. that seems odd to was that that was their world.

so they thought that relationship humanize him. but to have human instincts nor other relationships says to that degree that is the most surprising it was consensual you could say she was a slave woman but she spoke french and she was in france all she had do was go to the authorities to say i want to be free but she did not. she decides to come back to virginia with him and basically he agrees to take care of her and free her children and eventually he does. he could not marry her

because technically she was his slave even though she was like complected there was a law that said a man cannot marry the sister of the wife he also promised his wife he would never remarry. so it is a situation i hesitate to say they fell in love but they fell into close affection but jefferson gives us complications. he lived in the 18th century the 18th century white virginians who was a slave owner he was not the 20th century person they do not think as we think. but to be honest you cannot

expect everybody in the past to meet our standards. just as the person who is endlessly fascinating, complex and deserves our attention who writes so eloquently and has such a capacious interest in the world it just seems to me we have to get beyond the bumper sticker to understand what a complex person he is. you can spend 50 years doing that or read one book. [laughter] [applause]

do you have questions?. >> what were the financial ramifications to free your slaves for jefferson?. >> if you freed the slaves for most people that was the biggest asset then he would have a massive asset and could not run the plantation on his own. but if you were in debt you could free the slaves if they left ben you defraud your debtors. so he was legally bound not to free them.

could you ever had the money? i don't go. -- and though. people say he lived extravagantly. he did not drive and a fancy carriage the furniture restorer replaced but he bought a lot of books. and a lot of wine. he once said he suffered terribly from a the maliki of biblical to the odd -- bibliomania. so why does he buy books? and oddly even a with very detailed accounts if he was

traveling even putting a freeze on the axle of his carriage or revise a mountain or a ticket to a play every expenditure is recorded for his entire life you will see he will record every cent they never seemed to have added that all up. [laughter] but he is so deeply in debt. >> sometimes that is a 20th century problem. >> he was in keeping track of it that much so when he went to the american minister of france he thought he would live on his salary and everything made

at monticello would pay for his debt but then congress cut his salary so they don't give him any money for his house of what we would call the embassy so dealing with aristocrats with diplomats from spain so he rents the house no drapes or anything said he had to buy everything including the cooking utensils and out of his pocket when he feels i representing the new nation i cannot live under a bridge if i have diplomats in my house for dinner i don't

want to and various the nation so he says i will pay for it by myself. and that is for patriotic reasons. so he wrote to congress i need money to set it up and they said tough it out. so now going deeper into debt where he is sacrificing maybe we would not make that decision. >> so talking about his personal religious beliefs he said of bit about it.

>> he had ties in the church lois gives money to the list local episcopal church and has children baptized rather relatives died they pay the minister to preached the sermon to his wife and she does in fact, to the episcopal church and was educated in the homes of several anglican ministers. you don't have to believe

anything. but you should have a rational understanding that they're the most prestigious -- prestigious professor and the professor of law is a quiet rationalist the person that he admired so jefferson is reading his he has that as commonplace. and then to buy books pretty regularly and those who

bought the book so with every book that jefferson buys to read that citation you can begin to see how his mind can create because he cannot accept the treaty that does not make sense. so as a college student moving into a rationalist. so does the do is begin to revolve so with that british minister and is quite taken

by his views. and with those miracles and then everything that overly complicated religion suggest to read that simple unadulterated is the greatest thing he ever written. you don't have to believe the increase but just what he wrote. it what they stuck and. as they translated. and then to figure out so he

begins to think hard and he buys two copies in reads through them to cut out those verses that he thinks if you cut one verse out and then to see those two bibles. so that will be his private book. so with that table of contents to replace what he thought. and then decides to read do that. with that english and french version with those authentic words of jesus is that

parallel version to be in chronological order so to create his version of a rationalist in the minimalist but this'll be the private devotional book so he said jesus does not divide so there is one god that was usand we should obey god to teach that jesus is supreme and if done

correctly will end up in heaven. a very watered-down version of christianity. so to realize it is not all religions in never tries to persuade anybody that is solely to the individual. >>. >> i wonder if day corresponded upon the

developments of the french revolution?. >> he writes a great deal about it when he is there. said he thinks it is a good chance they will work out halfway between the british iran and the american government. with the authoritarian bureaucrats they head in that direction but we can never quite deal with that. said to be fixated. >> i guess jefferson is the

third president? probably a loosely structured job select type of marketing make of the presidency? but he really changes the role had washington and adams see that they did not have the agenda. so the president becomes the leader and then tries to push through congress. not just the figurehead but it is the leader so i have to say but a fantastic conversationalist some

jefferson has a french chef it is part of a tiny village most of the congress may ambiances the boarding houses. . .

[laughter] so jefferson uses his conversation skills in his kitchen as a method and says people often disagree because they don't know each other. if we get peoples of different parties sitting down understanding each other as people they will begin to understand their issues and resolve them in a more civil way. can you believe that? jefferson is a shy person who turned out to be an effective politician and changed the role of the president.

>> c. doesn't have the kind of television personality. he's not an orator. jefferson is widest. it's unbelievably well read and given everything with that disqualify him. he thought that it would be crass to ask somebody to vote for him, he just says what he believes and that is the idea of what we call retail politics.

but he was ironically a very effective political leader. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone. what a privilege and what an honor it is to welcome everyone to the sixth annual prize for literary excellence and history writing in addition to our special guest and his extended family, of