Restoring Jefferson's Reputation

When the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation took possession of Monticello in the 1920s, it didn’t just have a house to restore, it had a reputation to restore: Jefferson’s. In his own lifetime, Jefferson was a controversial partisan figure, beloved by many as the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and reviled by others for his political views. Following the Civil War, Jefferson's esteem in the public eye had plummeted because of his views on race and states' rights. By the turn of the 20th century, he was, as one admirer called him, the "forgotten man." In this episode of Sharing History, we explore how the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation and a coalition of civic groups, politicians, and ordinary citizens came together to restore and reinvent Jefferson's image and remind Americans of his essential contributions. The revival of Jefferson's reputation required a deliberate campaign in the media, history books, public schools and politics. We’ll look at key moments in the rehabilitation of Jefferson's reputation that stressed the timeless relevance of Jefferson's ideals and positive legacies. Hosted by Frank Cogliano, Acting Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, Stephen Light, Interim Vice President for Guest Experiences at Monticello, and Monticello Digital Guide David Thorson.