Bristol, england, boston, or birmingham, monuments and statutes have become a flashpoint for the black lives matter movement. Since 2015, ford has held an annual Summer Institute set in stone memory, monuments and myths that explores questions of remembrance and memorialization. Each year we find that spring has brought new and urgent crises that require attention and consideration and this year more than in any in recent memory, demands that and more. Today we explore some of these questions with you. Im pleased to welcome dr. Hillary green and kevin levin to todays cabinet conversation. Both dr. Greene and mr. Levin have written extensively on how a wide range of americans commemorate the civil war and reconstruction. They are currently coediting a book sharing different perspectives on civil war memorials. Theyve also been active in recent debates. Dr. Green is an associate professor of history in the department of gender and race studies and serves as a coprogram director of the Af
Vernon hosted this program, and monticello provided the video. We are pleased to partner with mount vernon today to bring you a special q a session with Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by bill barker, and george washington, as portrayed by dean melissa. I will be moderating doing your questions for these Founding Fathers. Gentlemen, thank you so much for being with us today. I look forward to a fascinating conversation. Bill my pleasure. Thank you for being with us. I could not be the more delighted to welcome my old friend, general washington, to be in company once again. It has been a time, general. Dean it has been, sir. It is actually my pleasure and my honor to be with you, although i confess i do not rightly understand how this is happening. Bill i believe, general, it is because of one of the duties written explicitly in our constitution, one of the duties of the legislative bodies, the pursuit of science. Dean which im a strong supporter of. Our first question for the two of you
Now in American History tv. A conversation marking patriots they. A massachusetts state holiday commemorating the battles of lexington and concord in 1775. We will hear a portrayal of Thomas Jefferson discussing the events that led to the 13 colonies breaking away from Great Britain. Oh my, well i finished. Good afternoon indeed. To all of our friends, welcome once again to our house, to monte carlo. Mr. Light, as you refer of course to patriots they, so we have heard it now referred to ourselves in virginia. Nothing could please as more in virginia to be reminded, if you will, about our initial associations with massachusetts. Yes, patriots day is something that we are happy to be reminded of as i know all of our friends in massachusetts continue to be reminded of that occasion in which the citizen body there stood staunchly against the further encroachments of the british upon their rights, upon their property. If i remember, it occurred in three particular villages. Lexington and co
More now from bill barker portraying thomas jefferson, discussing the third president s love of gardening from the west lot of monticello, his virginia home. Good afternoon my friends and my fellow citizens. What a pleasure to greet you once more here on our mountain here at monticello. What a pleasure to be out of doors here amongst the wonders of nature. Particularly that we can stand together underneath this live oak, one of my Favorite Places next to the fishpond, to welcome the bloom of the snowball that is the vibrant behind me. Theyre the beautiful purple iris and of course the pansies. B fox club as well about to bloom. What a pleasant occasion. And particularly to welcome our friend mr. Steve light to be with us again to welcome your questions. Without any further comment, as i have a few moments before i continue my walk through the garden, and i think gardens is a most pleasant subject to attend to today. I asked for the first question if you will. Yes, thank you president j
Portrays Thomas Jefferson. We wanted to do something a little bit different this week. Given the National Conversation and given events all around us, we know that 2020 has been a challenging year. Monticello has been closed for months. We reopen this weekend. In recent weeks in the united states, millions of people all over the country are actively fighting for equity against different forms of racial injustice. Whether its racially motivated Police Violence or racially motivated monuments of memories. Its a conversation that we must engage in. Working here at monticello, we are a sight of memory. Monticello was a plantation where over 400 people were enslaved. Today, we decided that to have a conversation it, we would do something that we havent done, and im sure everyone knows this, youre not actually talking to Thomas Jefferson. Youre talking to, again, my friend bill who portrays Thomas Jefferson. Bill is going to join us today. When he does so, he will be out of character. We tal