Tag Archives: Martha Jefferson Randolph

3.40 – Jefferson Post-Presidency

January 9, 202203 - Thomas JeffersonBenjamin Rush, Edward Livingston, James Madison, James Monroe, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, John Wayles Eppes, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Sally Hemings, Samuel Harrison Smith, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Virginia, William Branch Giles, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1809-1826

After leaving the presidency, Thomas Jefferson found himself kept quite busy with both public business and personal matters. While striving to be a doting grandfather and fretting over his family’s life struggles, the former president worked in vain to escape the vicious cycle of debt in which he had become trapped. Meanwhile, he used his retirement to take on the task of improving public education in Virginia which inevitably landed him in the middle of political struggles once more. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Thomas Jefferson” by Thomas Sully [c. 1821], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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3.39 – Sunset and Sunrise

December 13, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Democratic-Republican Party, East Florida, Election of 1808, Federalists, France, George Campbell, George Clinton, Great Britain, Harrison Gray Otis, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Adams, John Armstrong Jr, John Jacob Astor, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, Manuel de Godoy, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Michael Leib, Napoleon Bonaparte, New York, Pennsylvania, Pierre du Pont, Portugal, Rufus King, Sally Hemings, Samuel Harrison Smith, Samuel Smith, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickering, West Florida, William Branch Giles, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1807-1809

As the end of Jefferson’s second term neared, the Embargo Act came under increasing criticism at home, Napoleon’s plans for conquest continued apace in Europe, and the nation chose the man who would become the fourth President of the United States. Though the clock had not struck on his presidency, his last months in office would find the man who had been a leader for decades take a step back as his thoughts turned increasingly to his life once he left the President’s House. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States” by Pendleton’s Lithography [c. 1828], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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SATT 004 – Thomas Jefferson

November 7, 2021Seat at The TableAlexander Hamilton, Democratic-Republican Party, Edmund Randolph, Federalists, France, George Washington, Great Britain, Henry Knox, James Madison, John Adams, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson, Virginiapresidencies

Tenure of Office: March 22, 1790 – December 31, 1793

We’ve spent a good amount of time in the narrative talking about Jefferson as the third US president, but in this episode, while also exploring his life and career as a whole, we focus in a bit on Jefferson’s tenure as Secretary of State in the Washington administration.

Thanks so much to my special guests for this episode, Howard and Jess from Plodding Through the Presidents!

Featured Image: “Portrait of Thomas Jefferson” by Charles Willson Peale [c. 1791], courtesy of Wikipedia

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3.29 – A Winter to Remember

May 2, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Albert Gallatin, Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Latrobe, Burr Conspiracy, Charles Pinckney, Dolley Madison, East Florida, Edward Livingston, France, Great Britain, Indiana Territory, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Breckinridge, Jonathan Dayton, Louisiana Territory, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Meriwether Lewis, Michigan Territory, New Orleans, Robert Smith, Spain, Talleyrand, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, West Florida, William Clark, William Henry Harrison, William Hullpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1804-1805

President Jefferson had much to celebrate in the latter half of 1805 as he finally secured a new Attorney General, envoys arrived from distant lands in the east and the west, and his daughter and her family joined him in the President’s House for the winter. Little did he know, though, that difficult negotiations in Madrid and the machinations of the former Vice President, Aaron Burr, would soon lead to difficulties for his administration. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Tchong-tas-sáb-bee, Black Dog, Second Chief” by George Catlin [c. 1834], courtesy of Wikipedia and “John Breckinridge” [c. 1891], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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3.285 – The Two Marthas

April 4, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Andrew Jackson, Dolley Madison, James Madison, Margaret Bayard Smith, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Martin Van Buren, Nicholas Trist, Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Mann Randolph, Washington DCpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1748-1836

Studies of Thomas Jefferson’s life often discuss the impact of the two Marthas – his wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, and his daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph – on him, but few studies examine matters with the focus on the lives of the two women. While our knowledge of Martha Jefferson is limited, in this episode, we sift through the fragments of what we know about her before shifting to her daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph. In addition to the narrative, part of the episode features an interview with a special guest, Dr. Cynthia A. Kierner, whose biography of Martha is an invaluable resource for learning more about a person who was educated in Paris and mingled with presidents and political leaders but is far too often relegated to the background of history. Her life has much to tell us about the role of women and families in the early republic as well as in US presidential history. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Martha Jefferson Randolph” by Thomas Sully, courtesy of Wikipedia, and “Silhouette of Martha Jefferson,” courtesy of Wikipedia

Transition Intro and Outro Music: Samples from “Bread,” prod. by LuKremBo

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3.26 – Present but Absent: The Hemings Family of Monticello

January 31, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonDolley Madison, France, James Callendar, James Madison, James Monroe, John Wayles Eppes, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Sally Hemings, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Virginiapresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1735-1873

Throughout Jefferson’s life and career, he was surrounded and served by various enslaved individuals of three generations of the same family. In this episode, we examine the lives of the Hemings family as some worked to attain their freedom, other Hemingses disappeared from the historical record without a trace, and one became the most famous enslaved individual in the United States for bearing the third President’s children. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “View of the West Front of Monticello and Garden” by Jane Braddock [c. 1825], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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3.22 – A Death in the Family

September 13, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Caesar Rodney, France, Great Britain, Henry Addington, Henry Dearborn, James Madison, John Wayles Eppes, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Meriwether Lewis, Napoleon Bonaparte, Rufus King, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Timothy Pickering, William Clark, William Pitt the Youngerpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1803-1804

While Vice President Burr worked to secure his political future in his bid for the New York governorship and New England Federalists plotted to separate from the Union, the Jefferson family suffered the untimely loss of one of its members in the early months of 1804. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, both the British and the French governments went through reorganizations that would impact their relations with the United States for years to come. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “US postage stamp commemorating Monticello, Issue of 1956, 20c” by US Post Office [1 Jan 1956], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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3.21 – A Plotting We Will Go

August 30, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Barbary States, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, De Witt Clinton, Democratic-Republican Party, Edward Preble, Election of 1804, Federalists, Fisher Ames, George Cabot, George Clinton, John Wayles Eppes, Lewis Harvie, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Rufus King, Samuel Chase, Stephen Decatur, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Timothy Pickering, Tobias Lear, William Armistead Burwell, William Bainbridgepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1803-1804

In the wake of multiple political losses in the first few years of the 19th century, as the election of 1804 neared, numerous Federalist leaders from New England began to consider the possibility of whether their prospects and those of their home region would be better served by breaking away from the United States. In the meantime, Commodore Edward Preble arrived in the Mediterranean to prosecute war against Tripoli while back in Albemarle County, the life of one of Jefferson’s family members hung in the balance. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Uriah Tracy” by Ralph Earl [c. 1790], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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3.18 – The Boys Are Back in Town

June 1, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Alexander Hamilton, Chancellor Robert Livingston, Congress, East Florida, France, Gideon Granger, James Callender, James Madison, James Monroe, John Breckinridge, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, John Wayles Eppes, Levi Lincoln, Louisiana, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Nathaniel Macon, Robert Smith, Sally Hemings, Samuel Harrison Smith, slavery, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Timothy Pickering, West Florida, William Branch Giles, William Duane, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1801-1803

Though the Louisiana Purchase Treaty had been concluded, President Jefferson understood that didn’t mean it was a done deal, and he and his administration got to work in the latter half of 1803 on getting the treaty ratified by the Senate and in pushing through legislation to carry through the purchase. However, they also had to contend with increased criticism in the press and with a gnawing concern in many minds, including that of the President, that there was nothing in the Constitution that said the United States could in fact acquire new territory. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “William Plumer, head-and-shoulders portrait, right profile” by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin [c. 1806], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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3.17 – Sailing in New Waters

May 24, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Anthony Merry, Barbary States, Edward Preble, Henry Dearborn, John Wayles Eppes, Lewis Harvie, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Meriwether Lewis, Robert Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Tobias Lear, US Navy, William Clark, William Eatonpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1802-1803

Despite some early successes, the US naval efforts against Tripoli languished in 1802 and early 1803, and with the cost of maintaining a squadron in the Mediterranean climbing, President Jefferson and his administration had to consider alternates in both leadership and approaches to tackle the situation. Meanwhile, various young men in Jefferson’s life moved into new roles in 1803, and the President’s personal and political realms began to overlap in new ways. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Dutch Ships off Tripoli” by Reinier Nooms [c. mid 17th century], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band

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Presidencies of the United States

A journey through presidential history from the beginning to the present day

Tag Archives: Martha Jefferson Randolph

3.40 – Jefferson Post-Presidency

3.39 – Sunset and Sunrise

SATT 004 – Thomas Jefferson

3.29 – A Winter to Remember

3.285 – The Two Marthas

3.26 – Present but Absent: The Hemings Family of Monticello

3.22 – A Death in the Family

3.21 – A Plotting We Will Go

3.18 – The Boys Are Back in Town

3.17 – Sailing in New Waters