thomas jefferson was furious. he said this treaty is far too cozy with the british whom we just beat in a war. jefferson thought it was shocking to promise to repay debt to your enemy, to repay prewar debt after having beaten that enemy in a war. in the cities and the countryside, country settlers burned jay in effigy. hamilton was giving a speech in favor of the treaty and was pelted with rocks and came away bloody. people accused the federalist s and the jay treaty of selling out republicanism, the american revolution. they got it passed just barely 20-10 in the senate. the treaty required 2/3 to pass.

thomas jefferson and hamilton argue a great deal over this. see it in the musical hamilton, of course, you would've seen a more resounding rendition of this argument then i will give in this lecture today. but i will just give you a couple of quotations from jefferson and from hamilton to illustrate this disagreement. thomas jefferson wrote, it is better to carry provisions and materials to workman in europe, not to industrialized, then to bring them to the provisions and materials, and with them their manners and principles. be lost by the transportation of commodities across the atlantic will be made up in happiness and permanence of government. the moms of great cities had so much to the support of pure government, as source due to the strength of the human body. it is the manners in spirit of the people which preserve our republic. a degeneracy in these is a conquer which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution. so jefferson believes, along with many americans at the time, that industrialization will create a permanent working

thomas jefferson was furious. he said this treaty is far too cozy with the british whom we just beat in a war. and jefferson thought it was shocking to promise to repay debts to your enemy, to repay prewar debts after having beaten that enemy in a war. in the cities, crowds and also in the countryside, settlers burned jay in effigy. hamilton was giving a speech and was pelted with rocks and came away bloody. people accused the federalists and the jay treaty of selling out the american revolution. but federalists got it through congress. they got it passed 20-10 in the senate which -- and the treaty required two-thirds to pass. just barely passed. beginning in 1791 an even scarer revolution broke out and that was the haitian revolution. enslaved people drew on the rhetoric of the american and french revolutions. and they successfully threw off the french empire parallel to how american revolutionaries threw off the british empire. and some americans noticed this parallel with their own struggle for liberty and they

thomas jefferson said this is unconstitutional. nothing in the constitution gives the federal government the power to charter a bank. thomas jefferson, who opposed the constitution, has become a strict reader of the constitution, a strict interpreter of the constitution because he says the federal government cannot take any powers not already outlined in the constitution. hamilton says no, it is in the constitution. i see it here. it is right here in article one, section eight where it says , congress can make all laws that shall be necessary and proper to carry out the constitution. well, that is kind of a loose reading, but that is what hamilton argues. this is part of what is within the powers of congress and the powers of the national government. congress agrees. congress passes the bank charter in 1791. george washington signed it, and thomas jefferson resigned as secretary of state. the third piece of alexander's plan had to do with taxes and in 1792 congress passed hamilton's tax plan. it included increased tariffs on foreig

thomas jefferson and john marshall were cousins and they despise each other. not for personal reasons for , political reasons. they had very different views of government. so we have gotten a sense of john marshall as a soldier, is a state legislator in virginia, supporting the constitution, in congress. finally we get to john marshall as chief justice. the image we are most familiar with. what is amazing to think about is, john marshall is nominated i adams in adams had just lost the 1801. election to the democratic republicans. jefferson is getting ready to take over as president. the chief justice is oliver ellsworth of connecticut and he is ill. adams is rushing to try to replace him before jeffersonians take over the presidency and congress. so he initially asked john jay to take the position of chief justice. he was our first chief justice and an important early federalist. but he looked at the supreme court and said, no, i do not want to go back there. the institution does not have energy or influence. early justices have to go on horseback, hearing cas

thomas jefferson was furious. tooaid this treaty is far cozy with the british whom we just beat in a war. thought it was shocking to promise to repay debt to your enemy, to repay prewar debt after having beaten that enemy in a war. in the cities and the countryside -- country settlers burned jay in effigy. accused the federalist and the jay treaty of selling out republicanism, the american revolution. they got it past just barely 20-10 in the senate. the treaty required 2/3 to pass. in 1790 one, and even scarier revolution broke out in the eyes of leaders of a slaveholding republic, which the united states was, and that was the patient revolution. sugarcaneeople in the plantations drawing among rhetoric and the french revolution successfully through off the french empire. parallel to how you could say american revolutionaries through off the british empire. some americans noticed this parallel with their own struggle for liberty and they supported it. one member of the pennsylvania legislature in 1791 was opposing

howard: i think his primary concern was thomas jefferson was his mentor. and if madison held wilkinson accountable for things that jefferson should have, it would make jefferson look bad. i think that's the overwhelming reason why madison decided to go along with this, but he did not want bad feelings about thomas jefferson. and not just jefferson president , adams, president washington also, he wanted to bicycle they knew what was going on, and they felt nothing was appropriate to do. i felt the same. shuan: mary asks, was he able to get away with this because of his constant movement? howard: he did move around a lot. he was all over the east and the west. i don't think that allowed him to evade what was going on, because he ticked people off everyplace he went. by moving around a lot, he just created more enemies. but as long as the guy at the top said he was my guy, his butt was covered. shuan: edward asks, were there any rules that forbade the jurors from serving as witnesses? howard: no, there were no rules that specifically forbade them from serving

into the rooms were thomas jefferson, henry clay, and daniel webster walked.o the very beginning of the capitol history. >> aiden hundred to -- 1800 to 1802 they met in these rooms. after 1802 it was the library of congress. from 1806 to 1808 they came back in. from 1800 to 1810 this was the heart and soul of government. i should mention front of that window where the speaker's chair was in 1801 it was thomas jefferson and aaron burr standing on either side of the window. the speaker was in the middle and this decision of who would become president was made. 36 consecutive vote because this was the house of representatives. one was going to be president and the other vice president. 36 votes later thomas jefferson became president right in front of that window. pretty remarkable. >> with his election in the house. host: again, the documentary airing today at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. eastern. question, what would the founders think of our public? couple of comments on twitter. richard says, "they would think it was time for another revolution. they should have a

and then we have an artifact that is a letter from thomas jefferson to john marshall. it is 1798. marshall is coming back from france and is a hero for standing up to the french government. this is a short letter from jefferson to marshall, apologizing for not making it to the dinner in his honor. they are actually cousins. but they despise each other. but only for political reasons. they have very different views and we will get to this next exhibit case here. we have gotten a sense of john marshall the soldier, john marshall in virginia, the state legislator and lawyer supporting the constitution, john marshall in congress and early secretary of state, and finally in this case, we get to john marshall as chief justice, the image we as americans are most familiar with. is amazing to think about it that john marshall is nominated by adams in 1801. where were we then? adams had just lost the election to the democratic republicans. jefferson is getting ready to take over as president. the chief justice is oliver ellsworth of connecticut. he is ill and adams is rushing to replace him

>> thomas jefferson was his mentor. nd if madison held wilkinson accountable, it would make jefferson look bad. i think that's the overwhelming reason why madison decided to go along with this, but he did not want bad feelings about thomas president adams, president washington also had not taken action here. three other presidents knew what was going on and they felt the same. >> mary asks, was he able to get away with this because of his constant movement? lot. did move around a i am not sure that it would avoid -- if you move around a lot, you just create more enemies. his but was covered. butt was covered. >> where there any rules that as --e them from serving the jurors from serving as witnesses? were no rules that specifically forbade them from serving as witnesses. the army was so small at the time if they were forbade from being witnesses, there would not be court-martialed at all -- court-martials at all. >> what happened to wilkinson's wife and children? >> it is a sad thing in his memoirs. 2000 pages, he never

thomas jefferson's legacy is seen everywhere, when we look at what is part of the capitol. ♪ jeffersonifelong love for this culture. he was responsible for bringing the first italian sculptors to america to undertake the allegorical and architectural statuary that embellishes the building. that planted the seed that continues to this very day. but the building is something beyond just shelter. it tries through its artwork to record history, to appeal to our instincts for allegorical representation. ♪ the impact of jefferson is most clearly seen in statuary hall. >> with the south wing completed during jefferson's presidency, the house moved out of its temporary quarters in the north part of the building and into their new chamber in 1807. >> and in that room, you see allegorical statuary, you see the wonderful corinthian columns. when the house was first used in october of 1807, it was generally acclaimed to be one of the most beautiful rooms -- the most beautiful room in america. imagine being a congressman in 18 oh seven, most congressmen came from rural districts, and you come to th

imagine when they brought in that statue of thomas jefferson. >> lincoln said statue -- the first statue the government commissioned of abraham lincoln. when people look at that statue of lincoln, i like to point out it was done by a teenage girl. she was an orphan. she allowed mr. look -- mr. lincoln allowed her to sketch him. she made a plaster model, brought it to the rotunda, and members of the senate came out to decide whether a woman could do a great work of art. someone said it, it was not a very handsome likeness. someone else said it, he was not a very handsome man. james garfield perhaps does not live up to the stature of lincoln or washington, but there is some connection. garfield was a martyr president the way lincoln was. the only president of the u.s. from march until september, a very short period, did not accomplish much, but his death shocked the nation, just as lincoln's did. >> when i walk into the rotunda and see the bust of martin luther king, junior standing there among the busts of some of our founding fathers and other p

the university of virginia was founded by thomas jefferson. man who was notable for his steadfast belief in individualism, natural freedom, and the free use of human intellect and the search for truth. jefferson helped lay the foundation for a government under which every american could pursue happiness as a freely choosing individual. he founded an academic institution with fostering a community of lifelong learners. people who inquire about the world and search for truth. he hoped uva would strengthen the country by teaching a lesson of history. most of all, he wanted americans to study the history of liberty and how freedom can sometimes be pushed aside by tearing. the university still lives and it fosters innovation and progress to this day. however, some progress we seed academia is rather regressive. instead of freely exploring different points of view, which is what college should encourage, honest debate is sometimes shut down. labels given for being on the wrong side are based on this simplistic binary of being good or bad as a person

to george washington, thomas jefferson, abraham lincoln.y where beneath the classic don't of the capital, a nation's law makers, a cities where young and old greet a man about to take the highest office in the land. to watch the pageantry and color of a memorable event. and to share, as americans, in that proud moment when a president is inaugurated. four months there has been intensive preparations for this great day. hundreds of workman saad and hammered and painted to make ready the stands to accommodate expected thousands. at last, the great moment is near. the empty calorie at the steps of the capital sun is crowded as the world's ranking diplomats, the members of the supreme court, the presidents cabinet arrived. ♪ ♪ ♪ the president and vice president approached the podium platform. >> the president and the vice president of the united states, all needed wisdom, help and strength. chief justice vincent greats president truman, who then steps forward to repeat with moving simplicity and dignity. >> i, harry truman do solemnly swear, th

he was called the greatest horseman of the age by thomas jefferson.being a gentleman farmer in virginia and being able to not only buy and sell horses but have great knowledge of horse flesh was an important part of being -- of filling that role. and washington, you know, was very knowing about horses themselves. he stopped gambling at horse races around the time that he and martha got married. i think he did a few more, you know, efforts after that. i don't think he won very often. i think that she reined him in a little bit. but that was pretty confident for the virginia planter class and colonial period. gambling and horse races were always part of their country days. meetings in williamsburg when house of burgess came together, there were horse races associated with that. that's kind of where we see washington. the other great sports he was part of in his age was fox hunting. fox hunting, of course, was imported from great britain. he was really led into it by lord fairfax, thomas lord fairfax who lived in the shenandoah valley but also the fairfa

he had the secretary of state, thomas jefferson. and then he had alexander hamilton as the secretary of treasury. and then edmond randolph, who was the attorney general at the time, also. interestingly, john adams, who was the vice president, he was not a member of the cabinet. he was kept out essentially. i mean washington saw him, since he was president pro tem of the senate, he saw him as a legislator and he didn't want to have the executive and the legislative branch mixed like that together. this is kind of interesting as well, because the constitution sort of implies that the senate is going to be the consulting body of the president. like the treaty-making power. the president is supposed to get advice and consent to get a treaty ratified in the senate, so they share the power to make treaties. but in point of fact, the senate was something that was too political for it to be a very good consulting body for george washington. first of all, he couldn't get rid of senators. you know, he had no control over their appointment. th

come to pay homage of the shrines that are dedicated to the nation's greats, george washington, thomas jeffersonham lincoln. the city where beneath the classic home of the capital, a nation lawmakers meet. a city where young and old pause for one glorious sundry and stay in january to greet the man who spoke to take office. watch the pageantry and color of a memorable event and share as americans in their proud moments when a president is inaugurated. four months there has been intensive preparations for this great day. hundreds of workman saad and hammered and painted to accommodate the expected thousands. ♪ ♪ ♪ at last a great moment is near. the empty gallery at the steps of the capital, crowded as the world ranking diplomats, members of the supreme court, the presidents cabinet all arrive. ♪ ♪ ♪ the president and vice president approach the front of the platform and the doctor steps forward to as the blessings of the almighty. >> the president and vice president of the united states, all needed wisdom, health and strength. >> chief justice vincent greats hairy s two men to repeat with moving

who come to pay homage to the shrines dedicated to the nation's greats, to george washington, thomas jeffersonham lincoln. a city where, beneath the dome of the capitol, a nation's lawmakers meet. a city where young and old pause for one glorious day in january to greet a man about to take the highest office in the land, to watch the pageantry of an inauguration, to share in the proud moment when a president is inaugurated. ♪ for months there have been intensive preparations for this great day. hundreds of workmen sawed and hammered and painted to make ready the stands to accommodate the expected thousands. ♪ ♪ at last, the great moment is here. the empty gallery at the steps of the capitol as the world's ranking diplomats, as the members of the supreme court, and the president's cabinet arrive. ♪ ["hail to the chief" playing] the president and vice president approach the platform and the doctor asks the blessings of the almighty. >> granted to the servants this , president and the vice president of the united states, all needed wisdom, help, and strength. >> the chief justice greets president

what do we do with thomas jefferson?who penned these during words of the declaration of independence will equality, well keeping people enslaved and in bondage, having a controversial then and controversial now relationship with his dead wife's half sister, who he also enslaved. the fact that you have landing carter, thomas jefferson, these men in some cases are the most horrifying thing about them is they are not unusual in a sense. this is, in some ways, a very american story. i think that is something to be wrestled with. i think there is a land and carter story that you could tell in colonial williamsburg, but i hope they are also making an effort to give you the flip side of that. i think that's the conundrum with places like byrd park. you just go and if you learn anything about it, you can do your own research on this and check it out on the internet. it's mentioned that it's named after william byrd, one of the founders of richmond. he owned a lot of property on which it was established, the city. nothing is ment

arch-similar to the one owned by that great seventh in the united states, the third president thomas jeffersone is deliberately wrapping us into his narrative. in fact, one of my favorite anecdotes is when jefferson right to the artist john trumbull, saying i really want you to take a detour come to natural bridge before some european artist comes here in bungles it. he's clearly looking for american artists to end up creating the icon for an american landmark. for niagara falls, 800 miles away in upstate new york, the cataract is an impressive sight. it becomes a pilgrimage site shortly after visit. when he talks about the -- in columbia, will reference niagara so you understand that tech adama is a vertical fall, and niagara is a horizontal fall. he will compare the cubic feet of water that will be going over the rim at any given moment. again bringing us into parallel with the other wonders around the world. specifically in the americas. how do we know that these two features become the next avatars of american ambition? in 1825, henry as tan or creates the map that uses information, all th

arch similar to the one owned by that great savant in the united states, that third president, thomas jeffersone is deliberately wrapping us into his narrative. in fact, one of my favorite anecdotes is when jefferson writes to the artist john trumble and says, i really want you to take a detour. come to the natural bridge before some artist comes here and bungles it. he's clearly looking for american artists to end up creating the icon for an american landmark. for niagara falls 800 miles away in upstate new york, the cataract is an impressive site. it becomes a pilgrim site after his visit. when he writes about the bogota river, he references niagara so you understand that niagara is a vertical fall, but he calculates the rim, again, bringing us the parallel of the other wonders around the world, specifically in the americas. how do we know that these two features become the next avatars of american ambition? in 1825, henry s. tanner creates the map that uses humboldt's information, all of this detailed information way down into mexico, but it's the cartuche. cartuches on maps is kind of the c

but thomas jefferson is a important symbol of this. what do we do with thomas jefferson, the man who wrote about man's equality while holding people enslaved in bondage and having a controversial then and controversial now relationship with his his wife sally hemmings was enslaved. you have william byrd the second, landon carter and thomas jefferson. these men are in some cases the most horrifying thing about them is they are not unusual. this is a very american story, which i think is something to be wrestled with. again, i think there is a landon carter story that you tell them colonial williamsburg, but i hope that they also make an effort to give you the flipside of that. that i think is the conundrum with places like byrd park. you just go, and if you learn anything about it, then you can do your own research and check it out on the internet, but it's named for william byrd the second, who was one of the founders of richmond, and the fact that he owned a lot of the property upon which it was established, the city, nothing is menti

to george washington, thomas jefferson, abraham lincoln. a city where beneath the classic dome of the capitol a nation's lawmakers meet. a city where young and old pause for one glorious sun drenched day in january to greet a man about to take the highest office of the land, to watch the pageantry and color of a memberable event and share in that proud moment when a president is inaugurated. for months there has been intensive preparations for this great day. hundreds of workmen sawed and hammered and painted to make ready the stands to accommodate the expected thousands. at last the great moment is near. the empty gallery at the steps of the capitol soon is crowded as the world's ranking diplomats, the members of the supreme court, the president's cabinet arrive. ♪♪ the president and vice president approach the front of the platform. and steps forward to ask the blessings of the all mighty. >> grant to thy servants the president and the vice president of the united states, all needed wisdom, health and strength. >> chief justice vincent gr

. -- in this first inaugural address, thomas jefferson spoke about entangling alliances. in our times, america cannot and must not disentangle itself in the world. if we want the world to embody our shared values, we must assume a shared responsibility. if the wars of the 20th century, especially the recent ones in kosovo and bosnia have taught us anything, it is that we achieve our aims by defending our values and leading the forces of freedom and peace. we must embrace and our common humanity. we must work harder to overcome our differences, in our hearts and in our laws. we must treat all our people with fairness and dignity. regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of when they arrived in our country. always moving toward the more perfect union of our founders dreams. hillary, chelsea and i joined all americans in wishing our very best to the next president george w. bush, to his family and his administration, in meeting these challenges, and then leading freedom's march in this new century. as for me, i leave the presidency mo

one of the great friendships that perhaps is forgotten in american history, and it's that of thomas jefferson and benjamin henry latrobe. jefferson, like samuel fox, the quaker who was head of the board of the bank of pennsylvania, appreciated latrobe's genius and appointed him surveyor of buildings which gave him control over what we called then the president's house and, of course, the u.s. capitol. the two most important pieces of civic architecture in the early nation. this was the, a view of latrobe's vision of our capitol. you will see that it replicates his neo-classism. there are the domes, there's the portico, there's the balanced symmetry and the idea of a harmonious building where everything or fits together. i believe -- and, of course, this is speculation, latrobe is long dead -- that he would have hated the huge dome that so many americans celebrate over our capitol today. in any case, he and jefferson collaborated. and there were times when they both were at odds over how to light, whether there would be lanterns in the turrets or would there be skylights. and they had a fallin

listen to president thomas jefferson in 1802: "we act not for ourselves alone, but for the whole human race." we had a spiritual quality then which caught the imagination of millions of people in the world. today, when we are the richest and strongest nation in the world, let it not be recorded that we lack the moral and spiritual idealism which made us the hope of the world at the time of our birth. the demands of us in 1976 are even greater than in 1776. it is no longer enough to live and let live. now we must live and help live. we need a fresh climate in america, one in which a person can breathe freely and breathe in freedom. our recognition of the truth that wealth and happiness are not the same thing requires us to measure success or failure by new criteria. even more than the programs i have described today, what this nation needs is an example from its elected leaders in providing the spiritual and moral leadership which no programs for material progress can satisfy. above all, let us inspire young americans with a sense of excitement, a sense of destiny, a sense of involvemen

thomas jefferson was furious.he said, this treaty is far too cozy with the british, who we just beat in a war. and jefferson thought it was shocking to promise to repay debts to your enemy, to repay pre-war debts after having beaten that enemy in a war. in the city's crowds and also the country side, that country settlers burned jay in ep gee. hamilton was given a speech in favor of the jay treaty and was pelted with rocks and came away bloody. people accused the federalists and the jay treaty of selling out republicanism, selling out the american revolution. but federalists got it through congress. they got it passed just barely, passed 20-10 in the senate, which the treaty -- it requires two-thirds to pass. so, just barely passed. beginning in 1791, an even scarier revolution broke out in the eyes of leaders of a slave holding republic, which the united states was. and that was the haitian revolution. enslaved people in the sugar plantations of haiti drew on the rhetoric of the american and french revolutions, a

incidentally, thomas jefferson is not a great speaker. great writer, he is a phenomenal thinker, he is not the best at public oratory. so that may also have had something to do with him ending this tradition. but traditions of george washington don't die easily, because the two-term tradition that ends up being written into the constitution, nevertheless jefferson is able to end this tradition. when he stops appearing before congress, it will be well over 100 years before another president will appear before congress to deliver the state of the union. now here, presidents are freed from the burden of oral delivery, and as a result they become much more verbose. jefferson's first state of the union had just over 3000 words. this would swell to over 10,000 under millard fillmore, who appears from time to time, irregularly in this class. it would average about 19,000 under the progressive theodore roosevelt, and hit a high of 22,614 words under the conservative william howard taft. our most loquacious modern president is bill clinton and his

he follows thomas jefferson.braham lincoln, whose name stands as a symbol of compassion and humanity. from their home in nearby georgetown on this day, january 20, 1961, mr. kennedy and his wife, jacqueline, come to the white house where they are greeted by president eisenhower. ♪ vice president nixon, vice president elect johnson and their wives were guests of the white house. for many weeks, the outgoing and incoming administrations have worked together to ensure the orderly transfer of government. mr. eisenhower and mr. kennedy ride to the capital for the inaugural ceremony. the completion of this transition. undaunted by the unusually cold weather, the crowd began gathering early in the morning. here beneath the gleaning dome of the capitol, honored guests are assembling to take their places on the portico. members of congress. ♪ former president harry truman and family. poets robert frost and marion anderson. two of many guests representing the arts in america. members of the kennedy family. justices of the

but we wanted you to see his friends, thomas jefferson.e people who admired him, frederick douglass, the people who were inspired by him, karl sagan, rachel carson, teddy roosevelt, john muir, an active homage to a man who was one of the most widely admired men of the 19th century. he wrote over 30 books, he corresponded with over 20,000 individuals. he said he slept four hours a night. he called coffee concentrated sun beams and he came up with a radical idea that all of nature was interconnected, that what happens in the alps could predict what you saw in the andes and what you might see in the rocky mountains that climate was global and not local, and that where you found plants and what altitude you found them could tell you a lot about the local ecosystem. what does any of this is to do with american art and culture? well in 1804 after spending five years traveling through south america and mexico humbolt was on his way home and he made a pit stop in cuba in order to assemble all of his belongings and the american consul said you love

beginning with george washington , and continuing through thomas jefferson, abraham lincoln, theodore, woodrow wilson, dwight eisenhower, and lyndon johnson. in discharging the powers of his office, the president works closely with congress. to gain congressional approval and support, the president exercises his right and duty to propose legislation. each year, he outlines in general terms and proposals in a speech before congress that has come to be known as the president's state of the union message. later, congress will receive the president's annual budget message which outlines expected federal revenues and expenditures and details how the money will be allocated among government departments and agencies. the president proposes, but congress enacts, fulfilling the fundamental principle of checks and balances. another of the intertwining relationships between congress and the president is the conduct of foreign affairs. the president may propose international treaties, but the final pact must be approved by a two-thirds vote. however, in conducting our relations with other countri

president thomas jefferson once wrote, i like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. as i leave the house he occupied two centuries ago, i share that optimism. america is a young country, full of vitality, constantly growing and renewing itself. even in the toughest times, we lift our eyes to the broad horizon ahead. i have confidence in the promise of america because i know the character of our people. this is a nation that inspires immigrants to rest -- risk everything for the dream of freedom. this is a nation where citizens show calm in times of danger and compassion in the face of suffering. we see examples of america's character all around us. and laura and i have invited some of them to join us in the white house this evening. we see america's character in dr. tony recasner, a principal who opened a new charter school from the ruins of hurricane katrina. we see it in julio medina, a former inmate who leads a faith-based program to help prisoners returning to society. we see it in staff sergeant aubrey mcdade, who charged into an ambush in iraq and rescued

within it, not only washington but also thomas jefferson, james mattis and james monroe were born. moved to manhood and made their home. from this small expanse of land on the north american continent came four of the nation's first five presidents. dynasties whose members lead in securing independence, create in the, and building the republic. what a great way to start a book. i spent most of last night reading it and it is a wonderful chronicle of four major leaders and the interconnected network that tied them together the founding of the century. it is a story that evokes with historian bill mclean called spirit of hope and perseverance that runs straight through the american experience. doctor cheney is a longtime member of ai's faculty. i want to take a moment to acknowledge how much we appreciate her scholarship and intellectual contributions to ai, not to mention the service she has done for our country. this is the latest in the series of several works by doctor cheney to examine our country's history with consideration and rigor. her last book james mattis a life reconsid