i was here at monticello, and i started on my way to williamsburg. from williamsburg, i was then going to journey to philadelphia for the second continental congress. well, i had been very much, at that time, in the spring of 1775, considering to remain an englishman. i was proud of it. i did not care for independency. i desired to continue dependency. great britain provided a safety and defense, particularly on the frontier. but it was that day in april of 1775 which i will never forget. cut all the sense and concerns for reconciliation, and in its place, caused a frenzy of revenge, which was seized by all ranks of the people. that was the day, if you will, that i decided to cross the rubicon. and i think so many of us as well decided here in virginia we would ally ourselves further with massachusetts bay. your next question, mr. light? >> yeah, mr. president, some may not realize that more than a year passed between the opening shots of the revolution at lexington and concord and the adoption of the declaration of independence. why did it take so l

that is actually a course that i serve at the table at monticello. i understand it is called a "salad course." when i grew up, we knew nothing of a salad course. it was in france that i learned of it. i have enjoyed ever since i returned, and yes, tomatoes are used extensively. of the roots, i enjoy carrots and beets, and of the leaves, i enjoy lettuce and cabbages. in fact, i purchased most of my cabbages from the enslaved on my farms. they enjoy and cultivate it in their own gardens, and i procure it from them for a price. in fact, we had a question about whether or not it was all vegetables on your plate and other questions asking if you like tomatoes. would you care to comment? mr. jefferson: you ask me amongst all things in the gardens, what are my favorite vegetables, whether i am fond of tomatoes. i would like to say i am very much in favor of fruits and roots and leaves. the fruits, i do consider the tomatoes and the leaves, and yes, i enjoy the tomatoes to be prepared. that is actually a course that i serve at the table at monticello. i unde

what a pleasure to greet you once more here on our mountain here at monticello.sure to be out of doors here amongst the wonders of nature, particularly that we can stand together underneath this live oak, one of

this video is courtesy of thomas jefferson's monticello in charlottesville, virginia. i have finished. and good afternoon indeed, mr. light, and to all of our friends, welcome once again here to our house, to monticello. mr. light, as you refer of course to patriots' day, so we have heard it now referred to ourselves in virginia, nothing

if you visit monticello now you'll take a turn and learn as much about slave life in monticello as youerson himself. on any given day at monticello, and he moved there after leaving the presidency, there were about 125 slice of and one white guy, him, and -- and sometimes his daughter and grandson would visit but generally it was thomas jefferson and his slaves. now they get that history. they have uncovered sally hemmings' bedroom which is a cave-like structure under one of the wings of monticello. my brother and i used to play in that room when we were boys, and they put it on display as part of the history of mont chillo. this is where sal hedges lived. this is the woman who had six of jefferson's children lived, and you can take tours that -- that just explore slave life, so i think that it gives a picture of jefferson in full with his flaws and his greatness intact. >> your argument is the jefferson memorial should come down because it doesn't do that. let me bring in shannon monaire. this is you dressed like your great great great grandfather, and you say they owned people and i'

us growing up here in monticello, we were saying these slave families mattered to this property when right now the movement is black lives matter >> reporter: brenda believes jefferson was a hypocrite. >> i just don't think that he really truly believes that all men are created equal. >> reporter: jefferson declared slavery a moral depravity and a hideous blot but was often silent when it came to personal or political action. >> people like to say jefferson built this house no enslaved people built this house. children helped build this house. and if you look closely, you can see the fingerprints, the theyk indentations that the children made when they were making bricks >> reporter: gayle is a descendant of hemmings and jefferson. >> i get emotional when i think about the work we do i would argue the people enslaved here are just important to america as thomas jefferson >> reporter: well spaced visitors are welcome at monticello the simmons family came from washington, d.c. dad warren says -- >> we teach our daughters that exposure is the key to life. >> reporter: and mom lisa adds,

and reading about her and the history of her life at monticello is so fascinating. and it was controversial for years the claims after sally hemming and thomas jefferson and only recently in history the descendants have been officially honored and remembered. and i think it is something important for all of us to do this july 4th and look back at our history and from a new light. >> absolutely, liz. so fascinating. thanks for bringing that to light for sure. as we look at high temperatures today. you will be enjoying the warmth in our inland valleys, maybe the pool in concord at 93. 90 in livermore. 70 in the city. the accuweather seven day forecast, the sea breeze today. just confined to the shoreline. little more so tomorrow and then a cooling trend throughout the week. happy 4th. >> perfect weather just in time for the weekend. thanks lisa. thanks for joining us here on "abc7 mornings" on this holiday. abc7 news continues at 5:00 p.m. have a great july 4th. stay safe. announcer: jack hanna's wild countdown is sponsored by nationwide. jack: hi, everybody. i'm jack

and she'll be included in monticello's virtual commemoration online starting at 8:00. she'll be in oakland celebrating with her family today. we wish her a very happy 100th birthday. reading about sally hemmings is so fascinating. it was really controversial for a long time. people didn't really believe these descendants and it was only in recent history sally hemmings descendants was officially recognized. and there's an exhibit on sally hemmings at monticello people can go visit. >> that is fascinating and happy birthday to them. good morning, everyone. a beautiful day today with not only warmer temperatures inland but around the bay as well. 84 around the delta, mid-80s in san jose. 60s at the coast with breezy winds. low 90s are returning to the north bay around santa rosa. the accuweather seven day forecast the warmest day out of the next seven today the fourth of july. patchy fog at the shoreline, few degrees cooler tomorrow with the sea breeze but the main cooling gets under way next week with numbers coming way down into the 80s inland. >> the weather is so nic

pretty parts of monticello? do we have to talk about slavery? can we just skip that? the answer is no. you're not allowed to skip that history anymore. so the argument the president made tonight, the train may have already kind of left the station on that. the larger question may be with these founding fathers, with these monuments that we don't want to forget, what do we do with them? maybe they don't stand in the town square, but should they stand anywhere? should we demolish them? that's the next phase of the question. the president may be answering an old argument, which is already over with. >> errin, josh, and trymaine because i'm over time, i thank each of you for being a part of our coverage. i'm ari melber signing off. my colleague nicolle wallace picks up after this. >>> what we've seen is the positive rate, the positivity rate which is the percent of tests that come back positive is continuing to grow. it's now up to just under 25%. that's one in four. there may still be a bias in who's going to get t

pretty part of monticello? do we have to talk about slavery? can we just skip that? the answer is no. you're not allowed to skip that history anymore. so the argument the president made tonight, the train may have already kind of left the station on that. the larger question may be with these founding fathers, with these monuments that we don't want to forget, what do we do with them? maybe they don't stand in the town square, but should they stand anywhere? should we demolish them? that's the next phase of the question. the president may be answering an old argument, which is already over with. >> errin, josh, and trymaine because i'm over time, i thank each of you for being a part of our coverage. i'm ari melber signing off. my colleague nicolle wallace picks up after this. [ thunder rumbles ] [ engine rumbling ] [ beeping ] [ engine revs ] uh, you know there's a 30-minute limit, right? tell that to the rain. [ beeping ] for those who were born to ride, there's progressive. >>> what we've seen is the positive

williams will be included in monticello's virtual independence day commemoration starting online at 80 this morning. so you can tune in for that. she'll e she will be in oakland celebrating with her family today. we wish her a very happy 100th birthday on this july fourth. another full hour of abc 7 mornings ahead. the secret firework shows turning dangerous overnight. not one, not two but several fires started by fires in the bay area. a look at the new way law enforcement is recruiting every day neighbors to help patrol. >>> plus, will july fourth crowds be any smaller as coronavirus spikes across the >>> fourth of july from a distance. independence day this year may seem like there's less freedoms with no beach barbecues or main street parades but it's in the face of surging coronavirus cases and deaths in the bay area and across the country. health experts urging all of us to stay at home. good morning, everyone, and happy july fourth. crime liz kreutz. let's start with a look at your holiday forecast. good morning, lisa and happy july fourth. >> thank, liz. good morning to you an

she is quite a great american, and worthy of that kind of honor. >> harris: so, monticello would be the according to that relative. gillian turner, what do you make of it? >> gillian: i don't understand, harris, why it needs to be in either/or. i don't think -- >> harris: that's my question. >> gillian: the nation's capital space for monuments is not at a premium. we don't have to choose between honoring thomas jefferson and honoring harriet tubman. i think having a statue of her anywhere in the nation's capital would be a tremendous, tremendous attribute. i think it would draw in lots of people. i think it would be a great teaching experiment. i'm very in favor of that but i don't understand why we must tear down a monument that has existed for decades already. i think we could add one. a few years ago they added a monument honoring martin luther king jr. here in the nation's capital on the national mall a few years before that it was the world war ii memorial. i don't know that having that kind of a choice is necessarily productive, but i am all in favor of having war memorials honori

monticello tells the founders real story more revealing than all.y write that the story of monticello these days will tell you it was designed by jefferson and built by the people he enslaved. it would point out joinery and other furniture built by john hemmings, displays of rebuild cabins and barns where those enslaved lived and worked. at monticello you will in the history of jefferson, the man who was president and wrote the declaration of independence and you learn the history of jefferson the slaveowner. monticello is no most perfect memorial because it reveals him with his moral failings and fall , and imperfect man, if flawed founder. that's why we don't need the jefferson memorial to celebrate him. he should not beyond with a bronze statue 19 feet tall, surrounded by a colonnade of white marble. the time to honor the slaveowning founders of our imperfect union is passed. the ground, which should have moved long ago, has at last shifted beneath it. duane is next up in seattle, washington. caller: my name is duane. host: you are on the air. ca

recovery of the world economy and trade has been very difficult domestically the recovery have to monticello the pressures of stabilizing enterprises and safeguarding residential employment a huge katrina you has more from beijing on how the government explains its economic turnaround. well the chinese government has attributed it to being able to control the corona virus outbreak now we did have a new cluster in beijing at the end of may beginning of june that was very concerning so many neighborhoods put back into lockdown but since then some draconian measures put in place by the government seem to worked and now we're back to single digits in terms of no local transmissions in the last few weeks also the government has been ramping up their spending of infrastructure as well we've seen new rail projects of the building projects subway stations built in beijing and other major cities and the government has also been making it easier for businesses to borrow money from banks to invest in their businesses so these a the reasons that the government is stating that we've seen this 3.2 percent

with two historians, the author of "the hemmings of monticello." and professor reed, let me ask you, are you hopesful this time it's different, or that this time it's different than some of the past cases? when you look back at history, do you feel there's been many moments where there's a kind of attempt to reckon with the past, and then it dissipates? >> well, yes, there have been those moments. i'm hopeful about this moment, you're absolutely right, there's something different about this. polls show that large numbers of americans think there should be some reckoning, some sort of changes in attitude about policing, about voters suppression, all of those things. i'm a hopeful person generally. i have to be, but i do know that unless concrete actions are, you know, follow that hope, follow the starts that have been made, we will fall back into the problems that we've seen for so many years. >> tim, what strikes me is there's not been a white backlash to many of the things that have happened. i measure that in one simple way. i think it's fair to

recovery of the world economy and trade has been very difficult domestically the recovery have to monticello the pressures of stabilizing enterprises and safeguarding residential employment a huge our let's bring in katrina you in beijing for is so good trina growth slightly better in china much better compared to the rest of the world what is it been driven by that's right so we had 3.2 percent g.d.p. growth that's much more than analysts predicted they were predicting more along the 2 in 2 and a half percent mark and really i think it seems to be consumer generally people are confident that the corona virus outbreak does seem to be in hand and we had this last cluster in beijing where we had a number of cases at the end of may beginning of june and that was a big cause of concern a few late neighborhoods are put into lockdown and 11000000 people in the city were tested but the government measures seem to have worked and now we're seeing 0 local transmissions in the last few days and because of that that perhaps that has contributed to this worth in g.d.p. certainly a chinese state media ha

does not rise to the level of tearing down the jefferson memorial or monticello, the presidential homeutside charlottesville. there is room for meaningful conversation. i do not believe ever mobs should be tearing down statues or anything else >> welcome. thank you for tuning and we are looking at the timing and accessible work titled grandstanding

jefferson retired at the end of 1793 and went home to monticello and swore he was done with politics. everyone knew that wasn't quite so. but he never said anything about wanting to be president but at the same time it was important to remember you couldn't appear to want to be president because that could make you ambitious in a bad way. you have to appear to be this and arrested and called to duty and honor so jefferson really tried to sort of put that image out that he didn't want to serve the president. he wanted to stay home. >> now we've come to the last question and it's a good one. why is it called a cabinet and why not a council? >> the term comes from the british like so many things in the american political system and culture so initially there had been a council that they came to meet with to discuss issues and get their advice and they met in a very large chamber and when they got too big to be efficient, then they started pulling them into a small little room off to the side and that was the description at the time so they became known as the kings cabinet council and a

think of what they have done for instance with thomas jefferson and monticello. what they have done and dove headlong through the complexity of the american experiment and now i think what we are seeing is that people atertempts to grapple with the figures. the quote/unquote discovery of the new world and december mags of native americans and people already there and i think people want to hear a better story and tired of the way that the histories have been told. >> when we talk about this while you're also seeing a number of the confederate memorials that are either taken down or cities have elected to take them down, you know, you have spoken so prelivically about how while the south lost the war it still won in a way by being able to later erect -- and why this collective movement is so profound right now. so it is your argument as well as that of so many who are saying this does not symbolize erasing history but instead putting relics of history in its proper place. would you say that would be museums? >> right. history is as much about forgetting as remembe

the jefferson memorial, for example, the replica of monticello and uva combined there with the jeffersontatue in the middle is a way to conte conte contextualize jefferson. but also having a section to talk about he was a slave owner, to talk about what that meant with his attitudes about race and those things as well. i think with the founders, there's a way to commemorate them, but at the same time you have to tell the truth about their lives. they're not people, i don't think, that can be put away. >> so, tim, annette seems to be saying commemorate people for the achievements they had despite their having been slave owners, unlike confederate generals, who were being commemorated, presumably, for mutiny in the united states to support slavery. but what do we do about woodrow wilson? the principal just renamed the school. it seems to me wilson was being honored for things that did not have anything to do with his racist views. so how to think about that? >> wilson is a very interesting case, because he was being honored for his views about international engagement, international peace,

it could be said that you are, sir, straight out of monticello, if you know what i mean. >> i think i do. yeah. >> and later tonight, we have someone straight out of compton. and we are going to have you two together so i'm thrilled you agreed to do that. we tried different types of summits and you'll join us later on "the beat." >> yes. it's a telemetry. >> yes. we're still learning that. michael cohen now out of prison today because a judge ruled against bill barr and rebuked trump for retaliation. we have that story. another ruling brushing back federal agents in portland. a call for a new probe of bill barr. over one hundred days before the election, donald trump under pressure for many things including the economic issues. michelle goldberg is here for that special discussion. then as mentioned, guess what happens tonight, the rap icon, ice cube straight out of compton on "the beat" telling us about his proposals for police reform. stay tuned. ay tuned this is my body of proof. proof i can fight moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. proof i can fight psoriatic arthritis... ...

agreeing to the concept, lived a very different life on his plantation at -- not mount vernon, monticello. victor, speak to the red-blue state division here. what's the historical precedent that you see? >> you know, this is july 4th and abraham lincoln in 1861, right when the civil war was unfolding, he called for unity but he knew that people -- >> raymond: i just want the audience to know, victor, president trump and melania trump taking the stage at the amphitheater here at mount vernon. greening the thousands assembled here at mount rushmore. i'm sorry about that. i keep defaulting to mount vernon, the other great historical site. president trump, this is of course the moment that he relished. this was planned long before the protests, the pulling down of statues, all of this that we saw. this is the national anthem. will let you listen. the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ through the perilous fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night

should we go burn monticello down tomorrow?n believed in white supremacy. >> cooper: you're saying this is a slippery slope? >> prof. cooper: that's a very slippery slope. >> hayter: i would say the difference, the critical difference between washington and jefferson and lee, and men like lee, is that while washington and jefferson were complicated individuals-- and by our standards, thouht about ideas in an entirely anachronistic way, they also baked in the constitution the components that allowed people to dismantle the slave system. they built as much as they destroyed. i cannot say the same thing for the confederacy. >> cooper: professor hayter was appointed by richmond's mayor to the commission that's going to make recommendations on what should happen on monument avenue. >> hayter: there are 75 million people in the south who are the descendants of confederate soldiers. and who i am to tell them that they cannot celebrate their ancestor in a particular way? but i also have ancestors who were the victims of the slave syste

there is a high in the eyes of the country but it is amazing example to go to mount vernon or monticellond here grown-up visitors say they are surprised to find neither jefferson nor george washington had indoor coming or electricity. and so when you come into a room like this, people might say what they have two fireplaces. and that would open up the realities of that earlier time. we forget how much more difficult life was then. and how much more inconvenient and comfortable closer to the vagaries and hardships of living in a rough climate such as maine. because where so insulated from the facts of life as they knew them as they were insulated from the cold in the heat where we are protected by wonderful drugs and medicines. we don't have to worry much about epidemic diseases about like the way they did. we don't have to give up a 5:00 o'clock in the morning to start fire to make the breakfast. and we don't have to blot to cure of things. plan have to the premises for the call of nature. where softies compared to the people that time. just to get through the day peacetime. one of the b

valid historical point that doesn't rise to the level of tearing down the jefferson memorial or monticello presidential home. i think there's roo there is roa meaningful conversation but i do not believe ever we should be tearing down statues or anything else. i would guess that if i sat down with my. it might be a microcosm. >> host: >> caller: i am a korean war veteran and as the admiral knows, the army is in the process of contemplating name changing. i'm thinking about one that the navy might consider. i wonder often how often the trailers on the ship, particularly the black ones have any knowledge of where their ship was made. john became a senator from mississippi in 1947 and served in the senate until 1989 and they voted innumerable times against civil rights legislation and also voted against a proposition to doctor martin luther king's birthday to be a national holiday. he had a ship named after him not because he was a strict segregationist but because he was the head of an appropriations committee and when the navy would show up with requests for the coming year he was happy to

points to me it does not rise to the level of tearing down the jefferson memorial or tearing downn monticello presidential home outside of charlottesville. i doo not believe should not be tearing down statues or anything else. steven is calling in from bremerton washington. that's a navy town is in it? >> caller: it sure is. as a matter fact the subject i want toal talk about periodically comes in here to be refit. i am a korean war veteran. as the admiral knows the armies in the process of contemplating name changing. i am thinking about one the navy should consider. i wonder often, how often the sailors on that ship especially the black ones have any knowledge for whom there ship is named he came and served in the senate until 1989. he voted in times against all civil rights legislation. and he also voted against a proposition for doctor martin luther king's birthday to be a national holiday. he got a ship named after him not because he was a strict segregationist, but because he was head of the appropriations committee and when ever the navy would show up in front of him with their request

valid historical points.d it's not al level of tearing don the jefferson memorial were tearing down monticello, a presidential home outside of charlottesville. i think there isi room for meaningful conversation, i do not believe ever they should tear down statues or anything else. i would guess if i sat down with my brother officer, we could have a meaningful conversation about his concerns, my concerns and it might be the kind of conversation the nation should be having. >> stephen is calling in from washington, stephen, that is a navy town, isn't it? >> it sure is. the subject i want to talk about is the uss dennis which comes in periodically. i'm a korean war veteran and as the admiral knows, the army is in the process of contemplating name changing. i'm thinking about one the navy might consider and that's the uss finish. i wonder often, how often the sailors on that ship, particularly the black ones have any for whom the ship is named. john became senator from mississippi in 1947 and served in the senate until 1989. he voted innumerable times on rights legislation and he also voted agains

. >> leroy is watching us in monticello, kentucky. hi, leroy. you have a question? >> caller: yes, ma'am. were the bush family -- were they a bible-reading people? did they go by their scriptures? did they go to church and -- >> right, thank you for your question. later on, if you watch until the end, we do have a clip where barbara bush talks about her faith. but were they church people? and how did it influence them? >> they always had very strong faith. i can't really attest to how much church attendance was part of their lives, but i believe that it was considerable. >> they did go to church. but president bush during his time as president did give one remarkably revealing speech about his own spirituality, where he said, i am a person of faith, but, you know, i'm an episcopalian and we don't talk about those things. and this is during a time when there's tremendous religious fervor, especially coming throughout the republican party, coming up from the south, of new evangelicalism, where people are designed to speak about that type of faith, and that's just some

to me it does not rise to the level of tearing down the jefferson memorials or tearing down monticello, as presidential home outside of charlottesville were my daughter, christina, went to university. i think there is for meaningful conversation here i do not believe ever mobs should be tearing down statues or tearing down anything else. i would guess that if i set down with my brother officer we could have a meaningful conversation about his concerns, my concerns it could be a microcosm conversation the nation should be having. >> : : : i want to talk about is the uss stennis which periodically comes in here to be reshipped. i'm a korean war veteran, and as the admiral knows, the army is in the process of contemplating name changing. and i'm thinking about one that the navy might consider, and that's the uss stennis. i've wondered often -- [inaudible] any knowledge for whom the ship is named. john stennis became a u.s. senator from mississippi in 1947 and served in the senate until 1989. and he voted innumerable times against all civil rights legislation, and he also voted against a p

to me it does not rise to the level of tearing down the jefferson memorial are tearing down monticello, his presidential heart home outside charlottesville where my daughter christina went to university. there is room for meaningful conversation. i do not believe ever mobs should be tearing down statues or tearing down anything else. i would guess if i sat down with my brother officer we could have a meaningful conversation about his concerns, my concerns and it might be a microcosm of the conversation the nation should be having. >> host: stephen is calling from bremerton, washington, that is a navy town, isn't it? >> caller: it sure is. excuse me. as a matter of fact the subject i want to talk about is the refit, i am a korean war veteran and as the admiral knows the army is in the process of contemplating name changes. i am thinking about one the navy might consider, the uss dennis. i wonder how often the sailors on that ship particularly the black ones have any knowledge of the man for which their ship is named. johnston us became a us senator from mississippi in 1947 and served in

then they got married and moved to ryan's hometown in monticello, illinois and are raising their two daughter, vivian and alice. greta joined us from sugar grove, illinois. a tough, no-nonsense legislative director. i once called her my kraken that i would unleash. how did i ever come up with that? now a d.c. operative she's still a tough public policy operative. all but one of my l.d.'s were from illinois. what a great credit to the state. but i am from southern illinois so it has been with great pride to have a local boy from my neck of the woods as my legislative director the last couple of years. brian luzier is from an area between staunton and mount oolive. he came from the office of senator kirk and specializes in health care. he was also recently takingen over the telecom portfolio. he's decided to go down with the ship and stay with me until the end. that loyalty should be applauded and is emblematic of all my staff in d.c. mr. speaker, in the bustle and hustle of d.c. activity, people come and go all the time. the individuals who work with and for us should be thanked. we a

my mother, a medicare beneficiary living in mont monticello, mississippi, faced $ 454.50, right there, out of pocket costs for her prescription eye drops earlier this year. a tiny bottle of eye drops, $ 454.50. the drug restasis has been on the market well over a decade, more than enough time for alorgon to recoup its investment, yet they have increased the price 250% in ten years. almost unbelievable when my mom called me and told me what she paid for eye drops. this case went all the way to the united states supreme court because alegon had undertaken one of the most blatantly anticompetitive schemes, fearing competition after his restasis patent expired, they transferred it to a native american tribe to use the sovereign immunity to shield alergon from lower-priced generic alternatives. as i said, this case went all the way to the supreme court in 2008. even though the supreme court ultimately ruled this scheme was illegal, the company's underhanded ploy successfully delayed competition while it continued to reap outrageous benefits from restasis costing the u.s. health care system

this video is courtesy of thomas jefferson's monticello in charlottesville, virginia. thomas jefferson: oh, my, well, i have finished. and good afternoon indeed, mr. light, and to all of our friends, welcome once again here to our house, to monticello. mr. light, as you refer of course to patriots' day, so we have heard it now referred to ourselves in virginia, nothing could please us more in virginia to be reminded, if you will, about our initial associations with massachusetts. yes, patriots' day is something that we are happy to be reminded

massachusetts state holiday commemorating the battles of lexington, concord, and menotomy in april of 1775, monticello hosts a conversation with president thomas jefferson, portrayed by bill barker. he recounts the events from the time of the battles to july,