What does it mean to be an American? How can Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the Election of 1800 help us think about this question? This Virtual Reading Group Extra with Dr. Cara Rogers focuses on these questions. Rogers also corrects the record on two BIG misconceptions from Lin Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton and offers defenses Thomas Jefferson and John Adams against common criticisms. (As Rogers is a Jefferson scholar, we double appreciate her fairness to Adams)
This election marked the first time that Americans peacefully transferred power from one political party to another, proving that a republic could be maintained in spite of great personal and political divisions. It also puts two justly famous leaders up for examination. Jefferson and Adams were friends, then enemies, then friends again and can perhaps provide a model for future Americans on how to maintain friendship with a political enemy.
The conversation is inspired by the OLL Virtual Reading Group "The Election of 1800: Jefferson v. Adams." The group was led by Rogers and included the Alien Enemies Act, the Sedition Act, the Kentucky resolution (written anonymously by Jefferson) and the Virginia resolution (written anonymously by Madison), responding to these acts, Jefferson’s Inaugural address, and a number of letters to, from, and between Jefferson and Adams.
Thanks for watching. We hope you’ll join us at a future virtual reading group!
The full list of readings:
oll.libertyfund.org/page/virt...
Two of the readings mentioned in the Extra are available at the below links.
From Thomas Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, 26 January 1799
oll.libertyfund.org/title/for...
Jefferson’s 1st Inaugural
oll.libertyfund.org/title/for...
Discussion Leader and Extra Discussant
Cara Rogers is an Assistant Professor of History at Ashland University.
www.ashland.edu/faculty/cara-...
Upcoming Virtual Reading Groups
oll.libertyfund.org/page/oll-...
12 янв 2023
