Joseph+Ellis+The+Character+of+Thomas+Jefferson

Click here for[| an updated interview with Joseph Ellis. Read it after viewing the video. Ellis was one of the historians who denied that Jefferson was the father of Sally Hemmings children until the DNA evidence proved that he was.]

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Guiding Questions: 1 ) In his lecture, Ellis describes how both liberals and conservatives claim that the Jefferson legacy shaped their political principles.

In what ways do liberals see Jefferson as the symbol of their values?

In what ways do conservatives see Jefferson as the symbol of their values?

2) Explain how Ellis discounts calling Jefferson the "Father of Democracy":

3) According to Ellis, what was the true spirit of 76? In other words what does he describe as being the "true Jeffersonian impulse"?

4) He went on to describe how that impulse went into hiding in the 20th century. What three events did he mention necessitated a concentration of federal power?

What more recent 20th and 21st events released “the old Jeffersonian urge"?

5) Although he clearly does not regard Jefferson as a democrat, Ellis explains why most people regard him as one. What connections does Ellis make between our perception of Jefferson and the language he used

[|Jefferson's First Inuagural Address]

A Film by Ken Burns: Thomas Jefferson

B & D Block: Start film at 37:00 and watch at least until 47:00.

E Block: Start film at 31:00 and watch at least until 47:00.

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