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How Do We Know Thomas Jefferson?
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"The best and the worst of American history are inextricably tangled together in Jefferson, and anyone who confines his search to one side of the moral equation is destined to miss a significant portion of the story."  Joseph J. Ellis

“. . . how can you not be conflicted about this enlightened man of reason who preached the gospel of liberation while implicated in what he called the ‘unremitting despotism’ of slavery . . ?”
Peter S. Onuf "He is one of those men about whom the last word can never be said, he demands continual re-study and re-evaluation . . ."   Merrill D. Peterson
• • • This summer come to Virginia and join an exceptional faculty, including renowned Jefferson biographers, to survey the life of Thomas Jefferson and to examine in detail the challenges and rewards of the biographer’s craft.

    To study the life of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) is to explore a dizzying array of diverse interests, historic accomplishments, bewildering contradictions, and frustrating silences.  The range of his public offices - member of Congress, Governor of Virginia,  Minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President, and President, twice - and the multiplicity of his interests and activities made him unique amongst the Founding Fathers.

    Both loved and hated while he lived, Jefferson was concerned with how history would perceive him.  In innumerable ingenious ways, Jefferson created a public image of himself that all future biographers have had to confront.  Over 60,000 of Jefferson’s papers, with clues that inform, confuse, and mislead, still exist and in them much of his life is exposed. Yet, Jefferson carefully shielded his personal life and the record reveals little about his emotional life.  To “find” Jefferson, the man Merrill Peterson called “the largest and most difficult” subject in American biography, biographers must be cautious, skeptical, and insightful.

    By program’s end you will have a richer understanding of an exceptional man and the important role biographers play in bringing him to life.

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PROGRAM FEATURES:  During a program designed for instruction and delight you will:

• Trace the life of Thomas Jefferson and consider the impact of recent, and not so recent, controversies on his iconic status in American culture.

• Make a visit to Thomas Jefferson's mountaintop plantation, Monticello (1768-1796; 1796-1809), and take a special after-hours guided tour through the house that will allow you to visit areas not normally open to visitors.  You will also tour the Academical Village, the heart of the Jefferson designed University of Virginia (1817-1826).

• Explore the biographer's craft and purpose with noted Jefferson biographers, including Natalie Bober, Andrew Burstein, and Joseph Ellis.

• Enjoy a reception and dinner in the Jefferson designed Rotunda (1826), a half-scale model of the Pantheon in Rome and the signature landmark of the University.  The site of our dinner, the Dome Room, originally housed the University library.  You will also have dinner one evening at Michie Tavern (circa 1784). Return to top

• Examine the challenges of integrating Jefferson's private life and his life as a plantation owner with his more familiar public life and political career. In the classroom, and in small group discussions, faculty members Joanne Freeman, Annette Gordon-Reed, Jan Lewis, Peter Onuf, Lucia Stanton, and Susan Stein will discuss Jefferson and share how they confronted this challenge. 

• Tour the new Jefferson Library at Monticello and spend part of an afternoon at the Monticello Visitiors' Center where you will enjoy a special screening of the video Thomas Jefferson: The Pursuit of Liberty, view the Thomas Jefferson at Monticello exhibit, and have time to visit the Monticello gift shop and bookstore.

• Discuss the resources available to biographers with Barbara Oberg, the general editor of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson at Princeton, and J. Jefferson Looney, editor-in-chief, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series at Monticello. You will also visit the University of Virginia's Special Collections Department and view a selection of their Jefferson-related treasures.    Return to top

• Share the Jefferson Symposium tradition of informal evening conversations and discussions as you watch shadows quietly steal across the beautiful Lawn.

• and much more . . . Return to top

Architecture enthusiasts are in for a treat.  Both Monticello and the University of Virginia’s Academical Village are on the UNESCO World Heritage List of fewer than 400 sites worldwide recognized for universal cultural value transcending political and geographic boundaries.  Other sites on the World Heritage List include the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramids. 

THE PROGRAM FACULTY:  Among the faculty of experts leading the Jefferson Symposium's interactive sessions are:

• Natalie S. Bober: an award-winning biographer and historian with a long-standing interest in the eighteenth century.  Her books include Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain and Countdown to Independence: A Revolution of Ideas in England and Her American Colonies 1760-1776.

• Andrew Burstein: Professor and co-holder of the Mary Frances Barnard chair in 19th-Century American History at the University of Tulsa.  His books include The Inner Jefferson: Portrait of a Grieving Optimist and America's Jubilee: How in 1826 a Generation Remembered Fifty Years of Independence.

• Joseph J. Ellis: Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College and author of several books of American history, including: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson and Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation.     Return to top

• Joanne Freeman: Assistant Professor of History at Yale University, editor of Alexander Hamilton: Writings, and author of Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic.

• Annette Gordon-Reed (faculty co-director): Professor of Law at New York Law School, author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy and contributor to Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture.

• J. Murray Howard: University of Virginia Curator & Architect for the Academical Village.

• Jan Ellen Lewis: Professor of History at Rutgers University, Newark, and author of The Pursuit of Happiness: Family Values in Jefferson's Virginia, co-author of Making a Nation: The United States and Its People, and co-editor of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture.    Return to top

• J. Jefferson Looney:  Editor-in-Chief, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, International Center for Jefferson Studies, Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

• Barbara B. Oberg: Professor and General Editor, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson at Princeton University.  She is also a co-author of Benjamin Franklin, Jonathan Edwards and the Representation of American Culture and Federalists Reconsidered.

• Peter S. Onuf (faculty co-director): Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History at the Corcoran Department of History, University of Virginia.  He is author of Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationalism and is co-editor of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture and editor of Jeffersonian Legacies. 

• Lucia C. Stanton: Shannon Senior Research Historian, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson Foundation.  She is the author of Slavery at Monticello and co-editor of Thomas Jefferson’s Memorandum Books 1767-1826 and Jefferson Abroad.  Return to top

• Susan R. Stein: Curator, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and author of The Worlds of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

• Camille Wells: a specialist in the architecture of colonial and early national America and lecturer in architectural history at U.Va. and the College of William and Mary.

• Jean Yarbrough: Gary M. Pendy Professor in Social Sciences in the Department of Government and Legal Studies at Bowdoin College.  Her numerous publications include American Virtues: Thomas Jefferson on the Character of a Free People. 

• Program Director: Tom Dowd, Senior Director of Program Development, University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies. 

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WHO SHOULD ATTEND?  You, if you would enjoy joining a lively faculty in taking an in-depth look at Thomas Jefferson's life and the challenges faced by biographers attempting to tell the story of his life. 

        Join us and discover that, as one past participant wrote, "the symposium creates a forum for thinking and discussing that we just don't encounter as we play our everyday roles; it helps us explore ourselves and what we believe."

        Dress for the program is casual.  You will want to bring sturdy walking shoes, an umbrella or rain coat for our tours (held rain or shine), and a sweater or jacket for cool evenings and our air-conditioned classroom. Return to top

THE PROGRAM LOCATION: The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia is the product of the vision and determination of Thomas Jefferson.  Reflecting three of Jefferson’s strongest interests, education, architecture, and gardening, the core of the University is the Jefferson designed Academical Village.  With its terraced green Lawn flanked by colonnaded walkways connecting Pavilions and student rooms and overseen at its north end by the magnificent Rotunda, the Academical Village has been proclaimed the most significant architectural achievement of the nation’s first 200 years.

        Rich in history, architectural treasures, and natural beauty, Charlottesville is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 120 miles southwest of Washington, DC, and 70 miles west of Richmond.  Charlottesville (airport code = CHO) has extensive air service provided by US Airways, United Express, and Delta's COMAIR.  Ground transportation is provided by Amtrak and Greyhound.  Return to top

    Need travel assistance +/or trip protection? Our preferred travel provider is Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, offering traveler's insurance and deeply discounted travel.

     Check the Charlottesville weather.    Return to top

    Before you arrive, you will be sent useful program materials and information about the University of Virginia and Charlottesville. 

PROGRAM LODGING: This year we offer two lodging options. 

During the program a limited number of participants will have the option of staying at the center of Jefferson's Academical Village in the University of Virginia's original Jefferson designed student rooms on either the West Range or the East Lawn*.  We have a limited number of Lawn and Range rooms available this year. 

    Nearby hotels offering reasonable room rates are also a lodging option.  Contact us for further information. From inns and bed and breakfasts to luxury hotels, Charlottesville/Albemarle County provides visitors with comfortable accommodations to suit every need.  Extensive information about local lodging is available at www.charlottesvilletourism.org.

    *During the academic year, the Lawn rooms, originally designed by Jefferson, are reserved for undergraduate students in their final year who have contributed significantly to the University and to the community.  The Range rooms are reserved for graduate students.  These single- occupancy rooms have telephones and are served by centrally located restroom and bath facilities. The Lawn and Range rooms are not air-conditioned but Charlottesville weather is usually very pleasant in June.      Return to top

PROGRAM SCHEDULE (subject to change)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19

1:30 pm: Program Check-In
4:00 pm: Program Introduction, Tom Dowd and Peter Onuf
4:30 pm: Jefferson's Life Story as Told by Monticello, Susan Stein 
7:00 pm: Special Tour of Monticello (1768–96; 1796–1809)
8:45 pm: Dinner at Michie Tavern (circa 1784)      Return to top

THURSDAY, JUNE 20

7:30 am: Breakfast, Colonnade Hotel (1817)
9:00 am: Introduction to the Literature on Thomas Jefferson, Peter Onuf
11:00 am: Archives as Evidence: Barbara Oberg, Jeff Looney, Peter Onuf
12:45 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: How I  Made Sense of Jefferson, Joseph Ellis
4:00 pm: Tour Jefferson’s Academical Village (1817–26): J. Murray Howard, Camille Wells
5:30 pm: Free Time
7:00 pm: Reception and Dinner in the Rotunda (1826)
8:30 pm: Does Thomas Jefferson Live?, Joseph Ellis   Return to top

FRIDAY, JUNE 21

7:30 am: Breakfast, Colonnade Hotel
9:00 am: How I Made Sense of Jefferson, Andrew Burstein 
11:00 am: The Future of Jefferson Biography, Annette Gordon-Reed 
12:45 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: Visit University of Virginia Special Collections
3:30 pm: Jefferson Biography for Young Adults, Natalie Bober 
4:45 pm: The Use and Abuse of Biography, Jean Yarbrough
6:30 pm: Free Evening    Return to top

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

7:30 am: Breakfast, Colonnade Hotel
9:00 am: Situating Jefferson in His Political Context, Joanne Freeman
11:00 am: Jefferson & His Families, Jan Lewis
12:45 pm: Lunch
3:00 pm: Private Showing of "Thomas Jefferson: The Pursuit of Liberty" video
3:30 pm: View Exhibit "Thomas Jefferson at Monticello"
5:00 pm: Jefferson and His Plantation, Lucia C. Stanton 
6:30 pm: Tour new Jefferson Library and Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series project, Jeff Looney
8:00 pm: Free evening   Return to top

SUNDAY, JUNE 23

8:00 am: Breakfast 
9:30 am: Concluding Panel Discussion
10:30 am: Program Concludes   Return to top