Thomas Jefferson Archives - 250 and Counting

Episodes

1. 10

   Jefferson’s New Laws–October 23, 1776

   Holding the show to two minutes exactly (because we also have a few radio listeners) sometimes makes it tough to tell the whole story of the rules behind en taille, or entail. Because, you see, en taille doesn’t just refer to land in Virginia; it refers to all property. And that includes slaves....

   Oct 23, 2026

   2m
2. 9

   Virginia Is Open For Business–October 7, 1776

   Before I tell you a little bit about the First Virginia General Assembly of 1776 (which I do have to differentiate with a date, so it’s not confused with the First Virginia General Assembly of 1619), I wanted to spend a moment on the show’s cover artwork. For some reason it was in putting today’s...

   Oct 7, 2026

   2m
3. 8

   Jefferson Goes Home–October 2, 1776

   Thomas Jefferson, after many months in Philadelphia, finally got to return home today. One of the things that puzzled me early on in this podcasting project was the relative fluidity of the membership of the Continental Congress. People came in, people went out, and nobody seemed to have a…

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   Oct 2, 2026

   2m
4. 7

   The French Commission

   The Continental Congress, in the wake of Washington’s recent letter, finally realized that they weren’t going to be able to defeat the British on their own. Some outside assistance would be needed. So on this day in 1776, they appointed a three-man commission to undertake a diplomatic mission to...

   Sep 26, 2026

   2m
5. 6

   Drafting A Confederation–July 25, 1776

   Representatives from each colony were already working on draft Articles of Confederation beginning one day after Thomas Jefferson, et.al. started work on the Declaration of Independence. The first draft Articles were presented to the Congress on July 12, and this day was another day of discussion...

   Jul 25, 2026

   2m
6. 5

   Notes From Around The Colonies–June 27, 1776

   Today’s episode covers a couple of events that took place today, and a couple that will take place tomorrow, largely because there isn’t a ton to say about any of them but they are noteworthy. Also, I wanted to clear the deck a little bit so that Mike can concentrate on events in South Carolina....

   Jun 27, 2026

   2m
7. 4

   The First Draft–June 18, 1776

   As Mike notes, marking today as the day that the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to Congress is largely a matter of interpoloation on the part of historians working from incomplete information. But who are we to argue? The writing you see in today’s cover art is, in...

   Jun 18, 2026

   2m
8. 3

   The Declaration Begins–June 11, 1776

   After temporarily tabling the Lee Resolution, which called for our independence from Great Britain, the Second Continental Congress identified its Declaration Committee. Five men were chosen to articulate why we were asking King George to go screw himself in the politest possible terms. While the...

   Jun 11, 2026

   2m
9. 2

   The Address That Didn’t Happen–May 29, 1776

   While the Second Continental Congress always had a lot going on, not creating “an animated address” to make the Independence movement appearent to everyone seems like an odd failure. But sure enough, when it was recommended that such an address be created, this specific committee came up with...

   May 29, 2026

   2m
10. 1

    Thomas Jefferson’s Origin Story–May 14, 1776

    Thomas Jefferson gets most of the credit for writing the Declaration of Independence, but Thomas Jefferson’s background clearly informed his writing of that document. That’s what Mike talks about in today’s episode. In this space I’d like to tell you a little about Declaration House. The building...

    May 14, 2026

    2m
11. Farewell, Mother Jefferson–March 31, 1776

    In discussing the life of Jane Randolph Jefferson, I mentioned during the episode that Thomas Jefferson rarely discussed her. This is not, however, to suggest that he lacked affection for her, or that he was somehow ashamed of her. There are family remembrances and contemporary biographies that...

    Mar 31, 2026

    2m