Un-history

Koji Steven Sakai drags Thomas Jefferson into a South Pasadena garage for a long-overdue audit. Using the “Dead Air” signal, Koji cross-examines the Founding Father on the massive plot holes in his legacy—from his 600-person forced labor camp to the massive debts that kept his own children in the service entrance. It’s a deep dive into the man who wrote the script for freedom but couldn't afford to live it.The Audit Trail (References)Slavery & Labor:The Nailery: Monticello's "Nail Boys"Sally Hemings: Life at Monticello | PBS NewsHour1800 Election: The Three-Fifths ClauseFinancials & Gadgets:Jefferson Bible: The "Razor and Glue" GospelsThe Mammoth Cheese: 1,200lbs of SymbolismThe Polygraph: The 18th Century CC MachineWeather Logs: 50 Years of Daily DataSound CreditsPixabay: freesound_community, Vicki Hamilton, Hasin AmandaFreesound.org: Gravel Footsteps by Sassaby (CC0)

Koji Steven Sakai drags the Sage of Monticello into a South Pasadena garage for a long-overdue audit of the American mission statement. In this premiere episode, Koji uses the “Dead Air” signal to cross-examine Thomas Jefferson on the massive plot holes in his legacy—from squaring “all men are created equal” with a 600-person forced labor camp to the $2,000 wine habit that kept him in debt and his own children in the service entrance. It’s a deep dive into the macaroni-obsessed, weather-tracking Founding Father who gave us the vocabulary for freedom but couldn’t afford to live the script.