recently published his latest book on thomas jefferson. once a darling of the left he now should his socialist passing though he still holds to keep some sections on marxism. however his forsaken his liberal friends, describing them as to righteous, boring and have been for us. as views then is not to be pigeonholed. maybe that word contrary and best describes him. latest in judgment, please welcome christopher hitchens. [applause] >> first of all thank you very much ladies and joan were comin coming. thank you for that very handsome introduction. it's nice to meet someone for whom i could've been separated from epworth. [laughter] i am told ladies and judge of mobile have three quarters of an hour together. so it's an hour okay that's goo good. was going to say i would take it when people like yourselves come to events like this in order to speak as well as to be spoken to. so will try to be is sparing with my share of the time as they can be. but bear in mind that mr. jefferson was in power almost continuously one way or another for cordova century. quite a difficult life to compress into one book. i thought it would speak about him on four headings enlightenment, board revolution, nationbuilding, and slavery. jefferson was slightly prone to self-pity. often say the burden was too great. the appreciation of his efforts was insufficient. the bitterness of politics was to foul. who counselors they would much rather be back home in my farm in monticello. he would have now said to spend more time with my family and we would be able to add more time with his two families. but as it happens, he could easily have elected to something other than politics. and have been perhaps not as well-known. but equally successful in the chosen fields. he could have been an excellent lawyer party was a very good lawyer. he took some quite early cases about emancipation. he could have been extremely good librarian. his private library became the core of what is now the library of congress. he designed a plow which dug a deeper for rural and the soil. he could and would have been a good farmer. he would not have been a good wine grow pretty never got virginia winds up to snuff. in fact they still rather like but i think they're better than the connecticut chardonnay. [laughter] he -- when he had to set or a minor point in question about the rights of whaling of whalers in the moby dick sense , between his country, our country and others he decided have to write a special treaty on it to study the whole matter properly before he gave his report. he was a genuine man in the city of philadelphia that time what might have been the equivalence of fits century athens, was becoming, had become a magnet city for that kind of talents, scientific, medical, philosophical obviously the best known to us is benjamin franklin who is a reasonable claim to have the workings of electricity and its connection with lightning. for example when joseph priestly who i think we can rightly call the discover of oxygen most of his life, was a brilliant scientist. and after it had been smashed broken out by a mob shouting for the church and the king. not all that was polite polite or polished as mr. burr was. mr. prissy decided to take his remaining instruments and knowledge across the atlantic and bring them to philadelphia with a new he would be welcomed. it was a distinguished physician also one of the founders of the antislavery society. thomas paine came across there with introduction not just in order to exert his skills as a public speaker but also the hope of designing but it never been tried before an iron bridge. a bridge that would span it wouldn't crack don't go one way to achievements to this atmosphere to the authors books on crimes and punishment began to revolutionize thinking in europe, up until then executions, torture the most barbaric kinds are very commonplace. when jefferson became governor of the state of virginia, he produced an almost mottled statute didn't actually succeed in abolishing the death penalty i'm sad to say. but him attempting less retributive and rehabilitating, more humane and more scientific penal system. that would be one what i would call enlightenment achievement and set precedent across united states. but the most important one i believe, probably the major subject of conversation in philadelphia that time was this, or is this. once they had begun to realize that the world was not flat, the son did not revolve around it, the diseases were not caused by devils or by sin, and various other quite striking of the kind for the also began to think as it were inevitably there might be another explanation and creation for the way the world was. and though there might be a designer deism is very common among this group. they believe the effects the order of nature show there must've been a god or lease a starter. but it did not look as if this personal force to get a direct interest in human affairs. did not intervene. did not answer or listen to prayers. it was not. [inaudible] it was probably necessary to have a separation in society and government between the church and the state. no other government before or since has ever deliberated on this point and resulted in this way. extremely revolutionary idea the time. probably the fact that the british crown had had its own private church, sometimes called the church of england or the episcopal church, which are volute was going to be disestablished in america. the crown is not one halves on church anymore may have made it easier. it was proposed on talking again about deliberations in the assembly by patrick henry and others, lettuce and said to have support of all churches for everyone should be tied to the support of all churches. there was to that proposition in the context only one reply which was the government said support notes church. on together, mr. jefferson and his close lifelong friend, mr. madison evolved to the virginia statues on religious freedom. how many people here been to charlottesville to marcello to see the house? that's excellent. then you know, just for those watching us and wishing they were as knowledgeable as we were. [laughter] you may not know them when mr. jefferson designed his own memorial which takes no religious form by the way. there's no cross or anything like that. he did not having the attending priest at his death either. he only mentions very small number of achievements. he should be remembered as founder of the university of virginia, also the declaration of independence. as author of the virginia statue on religious freedom. i didn't think it worth mentioning you can president twice in vice president secretary of state and ambassador to france. so we can well see the failures he put on this. and because he was in france, he wasn't present at the deliberations of philadelphia that resulted in the constitutional convention. i think it is obvious when you look at this studied on religious freedom that outranks if you like all the others which it can't be guaranteed is a secular state. and also guarantees the right of free expression. the extraordinary luck of having somebody who could come up part of the intellectual ferment, of philadelphia taken into politics and then into the law into a drafting committee and from their constitution is something i think would be certainly thin itself. so that's not all he want to say about that. i'll come back to buy another route. but the second area where he was preeminent was that of war revolution in the first place he dropped the manifesto. most of it in a rates. fails to get a clause condemning slavery from being adopted. fails to get it adopted. probably because of the pressure of the carolinas and georgia delegation. but also the number of slave traders, not holders. also in new york. but without terrible initial defeat, conceded he announces he like the first democratic revolution. so in that time democratic was generally used as an insult. as the greeks might assist auto product or mob a sure model ruled to be accused of being a democrat was be accused of favoring mob rule. sean adams would continue using it in that way for most of his life. the word democracy evolves as a non- majority. it was out of the work of thomas jefferson. and in my opinion declaration, thomas paine is the subject of my next book. the crucial thing is, popular sovereignty. for the first time the idea that rights are innate in humans. not in monarchs. not in bishops. and not to derived from the heavens though a creator is mentioned is not specified that they are common proxy. this idea which i believe is still the most revolutionary idea was at that time extraordinarily so. when mr. jefferson finally becomes president, the very first thing he does is to declare war. he does it without consulting congress. and he sends the american fleet with the marine corps way out, too far from land. too far gone in time for them to be recalled when he finally does tell congress he sent them. this is because he wanted to make absolutely sure this war was a success. the word declared is known to us as the barbary war. likely forgot now i think in our history extremely important. not just america's first work, but as a war of liberation. the war was against as i say of the barbary states, since more properly described as the states of the audubon empire in north africa. what we would now call algeria , morocco, and libya. tripoli then would be libya now in other words. they commanded entrance to the mediterranean from the atlantic the straits of gibraltar. they were in an extraordinary position to impose their will on navigation. it is calculated now by the best historians, a lot of it is quite recent work between 1750, say about (501)715-1820, about half europeans and americans were kidnapped by these powers, taken from their ships and pressed into slavery. you could avoid this if you paid a tribute to the bay or sultan, which most european powers tended to do. there was a tariff for it. but the united states was an eight week position at that point to pay the tribute. in the british crown which had up until then with the american shipping was rather been addictive. probably in fact with the barbary states in order they would particularly pick up on american ships them what they had lost by using me losing the protection. the situation was pretty desperate. the ships were pretty powerful too. they supported that almost the entire, i'm not making this is a liberal pitch. because i'm in annapolis free but the entire town of baltimore in ireland was carried off, the entire population one night about slavers. never seen again. they reach that far north and. jefferson had tried very hard to negotiate with the ambassador, he would to lend it to see him. he said by what right do you do this? we did not say part of the crusades. we did not take part in the reconquest. we are not a christian country. there is a tree that still extends with the law of the land in this country. the treaty of truth tripoli which among other things states the forcible's of congress and state in the united states is in no description a christian country worth remembering you here fights some blowhards. but he replied this was irrelevant. the any non- muslim could be taken into slavery and other infidels were to be punished for it if they didn't want to pay the special tax they could expect to be treated as chattel. it was decided to not be spoken to in this voice. the fleet set sail and after a fairly long bombardment, he won't play the whole story, very heroic operations now associated with the names of steven decatur in particular. a change of policy was imposed. the practice was given up of piracy and enslavement. it is the reason why the first line of the marine from the halls of montezuma to the shores of tripoli is the line it is. that is the first time the american flag under flag was planted in war. this is a very brisk start to mr. jefferson's presidential life. and he meant it i think, i know, strongly in my book to show the american revolution was not for americans alone. that the ideas it embodied where he hopes capable of universal emulation for it he hoped they would spread. he believed they'd spread to france for he had been disappointed by the defeat of his friend, the marquis of lafayette within the french revolution prayed nonetheless he believed the american revolution would export itself and could be exported if necessary or negate negated. i mentioned because among other things we can say that at least partially cancels the shame of the exclusion of the antislavery clause from the declaration of 1776 but at least mr. jefferson in his lifetime did put down one slave trade. i'm coming back to that slave issue two. enlightenment, nationbuilding in order for the united states to be a revolution that could be emulated and extorted it had to be a serious continental power. mr. jefferson's main occupation throughout his life. he had various principles, sometimes fetters, sometimes anti- federal sometimes a republic sometimes not for any of his prince it again territory or trade or power or influence in the united states. when this country began, we were gathered in annapolis which was the capital, it would still be in it if it remained the way it was. but the way it was, to this continent the northern continent is what chile is long ribbon like country trapped between the ocean and the mountains. julia very charming too. you see how easily they might fall prey to any review of violence between britain, spain and france it was very tenuous existence. for jefferson the absolute critical thing was to gain control of the mississippi. when we do that we can become a real continental power. so the united states of america originally coined was disputed pretty think it was true by thomas paine away we very much thought should be staged. he was always looking for expansion first the fact was he had always been in favor of the french revolution. never neutral the pro- french affection. he wrote to the french government and said, we want you to sell new orleans. we must have it and mississippi at all costs bird b understand you are willing to sell. again the idea had been given by thomas pain. i think they would sell us louisiana. jefferson said if you don't do it, if you don't accept our offer, we can gain control the mississippi and willing to make a naval and military alliance with great britain, something that would've been unthinkable for him to say. and napoleon's chief politician, had to admit they were so broke that he would give them every french territory in north america. it wasn't even quite sure the full extent of it. their given lot for the fall in price which comes down to, if you take henry adams beautiful formulation, doubling the size the united states in one day. at the cost of 10 cents. acre. the most extraordinary land deal in history. almost manifest destiny. [laughter] specially when you think, this is a digression but a few years later the lincoln secretary of state, talking to his russian counterpart scissor got this boring extension of siberia on the states. instead of cable see what what i got on me. [laughter] maybes on the side of the united states after all. for in a way critical thing. and this is a bit i like. i make it a crux point. i don't believe in anything like that even that mr. jefferson and i have the same birthday. the birthday the night stays, the fourth of july is also the date at which the louisiana purchase is announced. it's in washington. and happier still, later the afternoon that day at lewis and clarke received the disease ructions to depart from pittsburgh and go west. and jefferson is able to tell them not to meet with in treatment indian nations. he urges on them always to truth the greatest of respect. ask them to enter into negotiations with washington. he's able to tell them what they can now tell these indian leaders, which is gentlemen, you are to live in the united state states. the rate of the emperor of france is over and will never come back. the spanish and not coming back either, you are americans already. so on that fourth of july sable is sent off the greatest enlightenment expedition ever founded. there is a word for orientalism the way napoleon had around the same time had all kinds of artists and scientists and geographers and seismologists. botanists and anthropologists to egypt. we called it orientalism. occidental's is what mr. jefferson was practicing. he made sure they went to philadelphia, the great city of enlightenment. for a long course and astronomy to guide themselves by the stars through navigation. the curing of cholera not of cholera of smallpox. a big apartment. not the digression here. jefferson vaccinated everyone on his estate including the people of property against smallpox. he was a great partisan even the message i wish it could be kept cool. not liz's foursome is transported. losing its purpose. he discovered keeping it cold, with water or ice it could be taken quite a long distance. so was taught how to administer smallpox junctions which was a small compensation for the what was done to smallpox to the new world by the colonists. timothy dwight, famous of the time was known as the founder of gail, took the view that fox nation get smallpox was an interference of god's design should not be practiced. i suppose he would have to be right because it would be guarded to smallpox in the first place. it was a creationist. so, in all of these other ways trained in all these matters, navigation, agriculture given seeds to take with them. on how to keep cuttings and bring back specimens of bottoming on return produced genuinely a scientific expedition. of course by the time it was over could be safely said that the united states would one day extend as far as california and oregon. which of course it eventually did. mr. lincoln's greatest ambition was to go to california. even he as president never got to do. of course mr. jefferson desha by the time the jefferson presidency was done we know there's going to major country for the united states of america. and everyone else in the world knows cannot be messed around with militarily. and it has a revolutionary manifesto. somewhere about the person and now constitution. the whole wheel of history returns and enormously in the jefferson years. i left slavery to the last because i had to. it also touches all the other it's a threat throughout the whole thing. jefferson tried when he was a young member under british rule to have at least the right of manumission as it was called for the right of slave owners to say liberate another slave. that's something you allowed to do. weren't able to set that example for that. you know to have a clause included that would ban, not just the trade but the trade in slaves or the beholding of slaves. did not get that written in. the constitutional convention did succeed in having slavery prevented in the northwest territories. tried their best to do so pass the relevant -- in his notes on the state of virginia, which i strongly recommend that you rea read, good abolitionist pros who don't really need to even read frederick douglass of maryland. all of the arguments against slavery are in there already. not just the degrading it has upon the slaves themselves, which is so to speak taking advantage of. but the extremely degrading and dehumanizing effects and has on those who profit from it, hold other people as property. probably not being put any better. we can add, with pride, that the slave trader the barbary states put down by american force. good. but when the united states is doubled in size by the louisiana purchase, and when a whole new world another chance for whole new start is presented, thomas paine and joe barlow, two of his closest friends go to the president. do not