Every saturday, we document americas story and book tv brings you the latest nonfiction books and authors. Funding comes from these Television Companies and more. Hi, everybody. Afternoon. Im john obrien from the department of english and im happy to kick things off. Supporting ycspan 2 as a publ service. Hi, everybody. Good afternoon. Im john obrien from the department of english and im happy to kick things off todays lecture is part of a lecture series known as the Peter Rushton seminars, a series going back to 915 1950. Today we are happy to welcome fred kaplan to the rotunda to speak on his designer Thomas Jefferson. Professor of english at Queens College and Graduate Center of the City University of new york. He has become best known as one of the most distinguished biographers of our era. Covers thomas carlyle, mark twain, henry james, charles dickens, john quincy adams, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. He offers a biography of Thomas Jefferson by giving them english professors kind of attention to jeffersons written words. He only published one book in his lifetime, notes on the state of virginia, but of course, he wrote constantly. Treatises like eight review of north america, legal briefs, the declaration of independence. Above all, letters, thousands of them, which kaplan calls him on his most powerful and revealing writings. Throughout his masterly pen, he brings a skilled biographers attention to how jefferson reveals himself or his writing often without intending to. As kaplan says, it is a book about jefferson partly because jefferson didnt want it to be a book about himself. The jefferson that we need here is surprisingly learned, precise, forceful. We also see him as a writer who is evasive and a withholding, anxious, self protective and inconsistent. Eager to shield himself from responsibility and blame. s biography is a great read in its own right. He is not the only one with a masterly pen around here. Please join me in welcoming fred kaplan. Thank you, john. Thank you for being such a kind and attentive post. Got to have this occasion to talk about jefferson. An edifice that jefferson designed. I also want to thank the History Department for being a cohost of this event. I had an extraordinarily one welcome when i stepped off the plane yesterday. Discovered i was in a different country from where i departed in the morning. And the temperature was considerably different. Jefferson did notice, but typically very interesting to say about the difference between the climate of Northern New York and the climate of new england on the one hand, and the climate of virginia on the other hand. No matter where jefferson traveled to virginia and everything about it was always better. And again, in 1791, jefferson, with his friend and colleague, james madison, went on a combined travel adventure of mostly political scouting trip to Northern New York, Lake Champlain in particular into new england. When he arrived in the Lake Champlain area, humid comparative notes about the difference between the climate in Lake Champlain, new york, new england and virginia. And he made it much to virginias advantage. Even at that time of the year, because he arrived in Northern New York and new england in late may, early june. The summer in Northern New York state was not only to hot. As hot as could be found in carolina or georgia. I asked active that the heat of northern climates may be more powerful than those of 71, in proportion, as they are shorter. There is as much fever and other complaints on Lake Champlain as the swamps of carolina. I find nothing anywhere else which virginia neednt be to any part of the world. What was going on well, we know what was going on in his head, of course. I have to remark that i have some summer neighbors who live a good part of the year in virginia, not too far from here. They always come to maine for the summer. Even though jefferson thought that the weather in may in virginia was always superior. Just an example of his wonderful ability to make facts about his on emotional and ideological selfinterest even about the superiority of virginia whether without a single qualification. I am happy to be here, even in this mild weather, and to see the lovely foliage in bloom where i live. The grass is just about to turn green but not quite yet. As we all know, jefferson is one of our most controversial president s. I take that back. Not our most controversial president. Our most controversial founding father and president. He inherited slaves. Bought and sold slaves. Had six children by sally hemmings. A slave woman who was three quarters white. The halfsister of his own wife. A part of his life but has gotten a lot of attention recently and is certainly a part of his life that we now condemn or at least wish had been different. I condemn slavery. So did jefferson. I dont condemn jefferson. I dont know that i wouldve done any better if i had been in jeffersons position, born into virginia into his family. I do not find it easy to put myself into the shoes of someone from the past and be judgmental because i know that we are all so much a product of circumstances considerably. Beyond our control. Jefferson was hated on his own time just does to some extent he is hated now. As an atheist, an agnostic, revolutionary, a populist demagogue. Also preached against strong executive power. Exercise very strong executive power. Ideological and his view of the nation selfinterest to do so. Of course, the louisiana purchase. He was also a man who preached against and detested a lot of the things we take for granted and desire. Like banks and banking. And wall street. And industry. He certainly detested urbanization. The foul pit of iniquity and disease. What came to mind immediately one thought of baltimore or philadelphia. Or washington. The one city he never had anything harsh to say against was paris, where he spent five years and was expected to go back to. When he returns to the United States to bring his daughters back, he was planning to return to paris. Unfortunately, or fortunately, president washington, newly elected, decided that he would in last jefferson. Would probably regret his agreement to the first United States secretary of state. Controversial president s. Attitudes will still be divided about him. As long as we read about him or study. Jefferson eyes john eloquently remarked, gave eloquent articulation founding ideas of the United States. He helped. Channel the declaration, which in the first paragraph, became a worldwide affirmation to personal liberty and the republican government. The country would eventually embrace his proposals on religious liberty, on inheritance reform, and the confederation of progress. He did a herculean job, providing talent to great effect. He became a twoterm president. Washington, our first two term president. One term as president and off he went. In came jefferson. The notion of introducing the revolution of 1801. Jeffersonian revolution. Did not quite see it that way, but theres lots of things to look at differently. As john remarked, his greatest strength was his pen. He was a reluctant and poor public speaker. He spent more time writing. Sleeping, eating. Many other activities. The relationship between his writing, his personal and public lives are sort of an inseparable triad. He was constantly in the act of defining himself by literary act of 10,000 or more letters that we have referred to. There is an actual count. I dont remember what it is but it is huge. The summer review of british america. Notes on the state of virginia which is an extraordinary book. I had considered talking about today, but decided i would probably talk about the declaration of independence because at least i would could count on some familiarity with some of the most important phrases in the declaration of independence whereas talking about notes on the state of virginia would take me longer because i would have in a sense more to say but i would also have to prepare a little bit more than i would have to talking about the declaration of independence. To approach jefferson through his writing, helps us approach get into his mind and his feeling. His strengths and limitations. There is an appreciation of his role as propagandist of the revolution. How we made and recorded crucial aspects in the first years of our republic. How he wrote in different voices to different constituencies. It also enables us to see how in his later years he was a revisionist historian himself, attempting to do his best to selectively select and rewrite the history of the world than he had played such an Important Role in. This is terribly important to me. Helps us to read and appreciate the prose of the highest literary and intellectual quality. It bookmarks jefferson, i think, with lincoln. Mastery of the english language. Jefferson, we all know best as author of the declaration of independence. Equal power and literary finesse. Notes on the state of virginia, which has been mentioned. His first inaugural address which is not addressed enough. It deserves considerable attention. Letters to his parents lover we dont know the intimacy of the love relationship, but if it was not a love relationship, it was certainly a love relationship of the heart. Maria causeway, the most famous and the longest of them. A dialogue between the head and the heart. Other wonderful and relatively a abundant unaddressed undiscussed writings of jefferson selectively from the letters particularly the letters to his grandchildren because he was a doting grandfather and had a wonderful grandfatherly voice. If you selections with which i will regale you with a little later on. Going to focus today on the declaration of independence. Bestknown contribution to the american historical consciousness. It is something we are all somewhat familiar with. Something still intrigues those of us. Not only the preamble but the entirety of the declaration of independence. As you know, he read it in philadelphia in 1776. He was a reluctant attendee at the Confederation Congress in june and july of 1776. He would prefer to be in williamsburg, burgeoning out of the house to the Virginia State legislature and so on. He was writing a constitution for the state of virginia and he really wanted to be there. He wanted to participate in the writing of the const to tuition. A constitution maker, a const to tuition writer. That was something he felt destined to do. He already had some significant text variants rewriting the laws of the state of virginia. Which had been in progress and would then continue to be in progress for some time. So he listened, hardly said a word. He would much prefer it to be in williamsburg. He wrote to williamsburg, suggesting to one of the movers and shakers in williamsburg what might be a good idea for some of the virginia delegation to the Confederation Congress to work on the Virginia State constitution. With that, he meant himself. He was told no, we have this under control and so on. You stay there for a while longer. We will get you back to virginia as soon as we can. On june 6, 1776, a member of the delegation of virginia, henry lee, acting on instructions from the Virginia Legislature at self stood up in the Confederation Congress and proposed that there be a resolution for complete independence. They immediately appointed a committee of five. Some were eager, some were less eager. Somewhere reckoned filed, at cetera. The community of five that was nominated was lee himself, benjamin franklin, john adams, roger sherman, Robert Livingston and jefferson. Lee was busy with work on the articles of confederation. Franklin was the most famous writer in personality. He recently had returned from london, representing pennsylvania. Crafty, tactful. He was not interested in a writing assignment. John adams was a passionate participant in the debate and a talented writer. However, felt overburdened with committee work. The other two appointments, livingston, new york, sherman from connecticut. They had no special interest in or talent as writers. All five, though, were of the same mind. Congress wanted another summary document. This one a conclusive statement for every delegate who had already signed on to. A declaration of the colonies going out was to be a document just to find the reasons for this extraordinary exertion. A collective statement intended to be signed by every delegate. They all read jefferson summary review of british america. His writing talent was recognized. It helps that he was from virginia. One of the two tales of the colonies dog. Everyone understood there would be a chance in the process to participate in revising the committees document. At a later date, adams wrote that he and jefferson had a conversation about which one of them should write the draft. Each deferred to the other. Adams felt he had more important work to do. Jefferson had no competition then. Nobody else wanted it. Jefferson immediately agreed to take it on. A conversation that may or may not have happened. At least the way adams reported it some years later. He viewed it as one of the greatest mistakes of his life. He would have decided differently if he had anticipated the statement of First Principles with the come with the preamble to the constitution and with the gettysburg address, one of the three most widely quoted statements by any american writer. Of course adams could not have anticipated that it would become one of the most controversial in its claim that all men are created equal. Never not over it. Never not over it. Later in life, why didnt i do it . Jefferson was pressured to get it written quickly. There wasnt much time. We dont know all about what daisy actually wrote, how many days he spent revising, what papers and books he had with him, thats partly known. He had a copy of the june 6th declaration, resolution of independence. He had a copy of the draft constitution that he had written before leaving williamsburg to come to philadelphia in june with the draft that he hoped to get back as quickly as possible to williamsburg. He had that with him. Then a forensic indictment of george iii and an amplified list of grievances. The constitution. He drew some review of british america. He also drew on his virginia colleague, george, his declaration of rights. His legislation had passed in june. Jefferson had a copy of it. George masons declaration had a phrase in it that is almost familiar, but not in its totality. Because masons draft emphasized, life, liberty, and the pursuit of property. That is an interesting change, and it is of great interest that jefferson and his College Change pursuit of property to pursuit of happiness. Jefferson and his colleagues were wealthy land rovers. Slaveowners. Gun owners. Rich people. Why the change from property to happiness . My speculation not a must, but they may, is that the emphasis, they wanted the emphasis, to transcend the limitations of class and social status and wealth, and so on. They wanted it to be a document but did not express the self serving, but still giving, not explicitly selfserving, ownership of property. Of which, they were the leading citizens, of course, of the country. In jeffersons declaration, of course, there is a strong emphasis on the separation from the british empire, being forced on the colleagues. Not a choice of the colonies voluntarily, let alone, initially any enthusiasm. As the committee and Congress Went through it sentence by sentence, they made some alterations, win in the course it becomes necessary for people to dissolve the political bands, which are connected with another. This dissolution of separation, jefferson claims was forced on the colonies. They did not see the necessity of force on them. To assume among the powers of earth, the separate and equal station, to which the laws of nature and natures god entitle them. The phrases, the laws of nature and the natures of god, to a particular residence for jefferson is contemporaries. They included, natural rights. It was not a residence i could attach to any specific theology or body of philosophy. It was a broad phrase. It had a tentative association with deism. But not with any religious act and not specifically even with a protestant view of the world. Or a catholic view of the world. It, as a phrase, had a history. It mainly came out of english history. And the glorious revolution of 1688. With the attempt of the aristocracy of great britain, to free itself of its considerable dependence on royal callis. In jeffersons defloration, whatever that god is, and has nothing to do with any religion or theology. To me it seems that likely jefferson and his colleagues wanted this to be a secular document. Most europeans and anglin americans would have been at a loss to define, natural rights, in a rigorous way. At best, they could define in a language that invaded the crucial questions. Do these natural rights, these laws of nature, exist . How do you know that . Where do they come from . Who gets to define them . Who gets to implement them . How would different definitions be reconciled . King george and his ministers would have had a different set of relative terms and values to bring to their language and issues. They would have been appropriated to playing that great britain, not the colonies, occupied the moral and legal high ground. To bring to different people and government, the definitions and implementations, they wouldve risen for particular religious or secular histories. Jefferson, of course, was not a scholar in our sense. Interested in an objective, fair, and balanced presentation of this and that, and lets work our way through the consensus. His literature, particularly for the time, literature as propaganda. A form of argument of truth, rather than proof. He read the most successful 18th century example of the genre. Thomas pains, that was recently published. I had no direct influence on jeffersons language. Jefferson was an admirer of thomas. No