Tag Archives: slavery

4.02 – Madison Pre-Presidency Part Two

February 27, 202204 - James MadisonAlexander Hamilton, Articles of Confederation, Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention, Dolley Madison, Edmund Randolph, Elbridge Gerry, Federalists, George Mason, George Washington, Gouverneur Morris, Henry Lee, James Madison, James Monroe, John Jay, Patrick Henry, Richard Cutts, Robert Morris, Rufus King, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Virginiapresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1785-1809

After scoring some key political victories in Virginia, Madison decided to lead an effort to reform the government of the United States. However, he would find that getting the Constitutional Convention to agree on a new federal structure was only half the battle, and he would soon acquire some powerful enemies in the ratification campaign. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Scene at the Signing of the United States Constitution” by Howard Chandler Christy [c. 1940], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.41 – Jefferson Q&A

January 23, 202203 - Thomas JeffersonDemocratic-Republican Party, Federalists, France, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Sally Hemings, slavery, Thomas Jeffersonpresidencies

You asked, and I answered! As we wrap up our series on Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, listeners submitted questions ranging from Franco-American relations during Jefferson’s tenure to what pets he kept to how would I go about explaining Jefferson’s complex legacy to him. Listen in as I answer your final questions about the man from Monticello and his impact on American history. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Thomas Jefferson Memorial,” taken by Djonesmhc on 24 May 2012 and shared on Wikipedia

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

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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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3.38 – Electioneering

November 21, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, De Witt Clinton, Democratic-Republican Party, Federalists, France, George Clinton, George W Campbell, Great Britain, Henry Dearborn, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, Manuel de Godoy, Napoleon Bonaparte, New York, Portugal, Prussia, Robert Smith, Russia, slavery, Spain, Talleyrand, Thomas Jefferson, William Branch Giles, William Pinkney, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1806-1808

As the 1808 presidential election neared, the infighting in the Democratic-Republican faction was exacerbated by not one but two challengers to Secretary of State James Madison’s candidacy – Vice President George Clinton and former US Minister to Britain James Monroe. Meanwhile, Napoleon’s constant wars in Europe continued to impact US foreign policy, and the Jefferson administration began a new round of negotiations with British envoy George Rose to seek a resolution to the crisis precipitated by the Chesapeake-Leopard incident while working out how to effectively enforce the Embargo Act. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “James Madison” by Gilbert Stuart [c. 1805-1807], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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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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3.25 – What’s Next

December 6, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Albert Gallatin, Chancellor Robert Livingston, Charles Lee, Charles Pinckney, East Florida, France, Georgia, Gouverneur Morris, Great Britain, James Madison, James Monroe, John Marshall, John Randolph of Roanoke, Levi Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte, Pennsylvania, Pierce Butler, Samuel Chase, slavery, Spain, Talleyrand, Thomas Jefferson, US Supreme Court, West Florida, Yazoo Land Claimspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1801-1805

As James Monroe set off for his new special mission to Spain, a new congressional session began with Democratic-Republicans aiming to settle a long-standing issue as well as put their mark on the judiciary branch. However, they would find that their plans quickly went awry, and the events of early 1805 would have impacts on Jefferson’s second term and beyond. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “John Randolph” by Gilbert Stuart [c. 1804-1805], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.24 – Truth and Consequences

November 15, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Andrew Jackson, Chancellor Robert Livingston, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Democratic-Republican Party, East Florida, Election of 1804, Federalists, France, Great Britain, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Armstrong Jr, Louisiana, Marquis de Lafayette, Rufus King, slavery, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, US Army, US Supreme Court, West Florida, William C C Claiborne, William Pitt the Youngerpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1803-1805

With a presidential election looming, the Jefferson administration had to consider how to wrap up the first term and transition to the second. For some, that meant moving into new positions. For others, retirement was in their future. As the campaign worked to rally the public, the decisions of 1804 made at home and abroad would have far-reaching consequences. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Thomas Jefferson” by Rembrandt Peale [c. 1800], courtesy of Wikipedia and “George Clinton” by Ezra Ames [c. 1814], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.20 – Action and Reaction

July 19, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Caesar Rodney, France, Haitian Revolution, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, John Breckinridge, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, Louisiana, Nathaniel Macon, Samuel Smith, slavery, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickering, West Florida, William C C Claiborne, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1801-1804

As Jefferson’s first term entered its final year, numerous developments at home and abroad would start chains of reactions with long-reaching consequences. In the Caribbean, a nation declared its independence that would prove to be of particular concern to white Americans in the southern US. Meanwhile, Congress debated what kind of government to establish for the new lands west of the Mississippi River, and the Senate convened in the first impeachment trial in American history. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Représentation épique de Jean-Jacques Dessalines lors de la Révolution haïtienne de 1804,” 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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3.16 – Up River, Down River

April 26, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Benjamin Hawkins, Benjamin Rush, Georgia, Henry Dearborn, Indiana Territory, James Madison, Levi Lincoln, Louisiana, Meriwether Lewis, Mississippi Territory, Native Americans, New Orleans, slavery, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, William C C Claiborne, William Clark, William Henry Harrisonpresidencies

Content Note: This episode mentions the topic of suicide.

Year(s) Discussed: 1802-1803

As the Jefferson administration awaited word on the outcome of Monroe’s mission to France, the territorial governors and government agents in the western US dealt with various issues including labor shortages, troubled relations with neighboring indigenous nations, and the economic chaos caused by the port of New Orleans being closed to American shipping. To the east, the President and his Cabinet worked with Meriwether Lewis to prepare him for the planned transcontinental expedition as news came from across the Atlantic that would reshape the United States forever. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of Louisiana” [c. early 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Presidencies of the United States

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

Tag Archives: slavery

4.02 – Madison Pre-Presidency Part Two

3.41 – Jefferson Q&A

3.40 – Jefferson Post-Presidency

3.38 – Electioneering

3.26 – Present but Absent: The Hemings Family of Monticello

3.25 – What’s Next

3.24 – Truth and Consequences

3.20 – Action and Reaction

3.18 – The Boys Are Back in Town

3.16 – Up River, Down River