Oh my well, ive finished and good afternoon indeed mr. Light and to all of our friends welcome once again here to our house to to monticello mr. Light as you refer, of course to Patriots Day, so we have heard it now referred to our sales in virginia. Nothing could please us 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 and 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 tickler Villages Lexington and concord and let it not be forgotten a metatomy. I believe that they now refer to metatome is arlington, and i hope its not forgotten because that is the one of the three where the british actually surrendered. I think they lost about 25 souls that day, but overall amongst the three villages 500 british lost their lives. I was here at montachella and i started on my way to williamsburg from williamsburg. I was then going to journey to philadelphia for the second continental congress. Well, i had been very much at that time in the spring of 75 for considering to remain an englishman. I was proud of it. I did not care for independency. I decided to continue dependency great britain provided a Safety And Defense particularly on the front. Yeah, but it was that day in april of 1775, which i will never forget. Cut all the sense and the concerns for reconciliation and in its place caused a frenzy of revenge, which was seized by all ranks of the people. That was the day if you will that i decided to cross the rubicon and i think so many of us as well decided here in virginia. We would allow ourselves further with massachusetts bay. Your next question mr. Light . Yeah, its mr. President. Some may not realize. That is more than a year passed. Between the opening shots of the revolution that likes and confident and the adoption of declaration. Alone you ask me. Why did it take so long for us to begin to react if you will to to what occurred in massachusetts that spring of 75 to what eventually became the decision to to pronounce their sales free and independent of great britain. Well, as you know, a history and improvement and progress is never lineal things take time. May i be seated if you will . Thank you. Thank you mr. Light. I recall when John Adams and i many years later had a conversation about when the american revolution actually began. Mr. Adams said he recalled it began for him by bearing witness to the protests of his cousin sam adams. Theyre in boston. It was in protest of the stamp act. That was march of 17 and 65. Well, i immediately replied to him mr. Adams. I remember at the same time march of 1765 in williamsburg, virginia the protests of Patrick Henry in opposition to the stamp act. Just to adams then looked at me as i looked at him and we realized the american revolution had begun 10 years. Before Lexington And Concord it began in the minds of americans. So you ask for that period of one year before we proclaimed independency after we learned of the actions at lexington conquered and metatomy. Well, i can tell you that when we gathered in philadelphia that spring of 1775 for the second continental congress. We decided to immediately we must come together strong with an Army Arm ourselves. So all of the various colonial militias came together to form an american army and then i am proud to recall that. We had to commission a general of our american army the very first time. That we commissioned a general as englishman born in the colonies of great britain. We could never rise to the rank of a general we could only be colonels of militia. And so we we commissioned Colonel George Washington to be our general. We then of course wrote a petition declaring we had the necessity to take up arms. I was invited to write it though. I was somewhat harsh in my writing and so they gave it to John Dickinson to refine and then they asked me to write an olive Branch Petition and answered to the lord norse proposals for reconciliation. I was a bit more amenable in those jottings. So we sent both the great britain and waited for the reply of parliament. And we waited. And we waited. Through the autumn and through the winter of 1775 and 76. There was no reply from parliament. Except what we read in English Newspapers to which i quote. These colonies are now officially. In a state of rebellion and so it was that that virginia decided she would be the first. The first to proclaim her independency and so on the 15th of may 1776, i beg your pardoned citizens i a virginian would always like to think theyre the first in anything, virginia was not the first to proclaim her independency. It was Rhode Island, Rhode Island about a month before on april of 1776 proclaimed her independency those solely on behalf of herself a month later, virginia provided the resolution for independency on behalf of all of our colonists. Next question mr. Light yes. What curious how would you chose it . The right and declarations oh you asked how i was chosen to be the author of our declaration. Well first of course we we had to decide how we would react to the resolution of virginia for independence. That was read by my Countryman Colonel Richard Henry Lee if i remember it was the seventh of june they on the continental congress and philadelphia. Well, it caused an immediate consternation of particularly amongst the smaller colonies Rhode Island included let alone delaware. How would they be expected to follow the resolution of virginia . We considered ourselves the largest the most populated the wealthiest so president John Hancock created the entire continental congress as a committee of the whole to gather amongst ourselves and individual caucuses and decide how we should proceed do we really want independency . And then he appointed another committee of five. To draft our declaration of american independency now mind you this was not a fatal come play and we did not know that the congress would would vote for independancy, but we wanted to be prepared now of the five men appointed to the committee. Well reflect for a moment mr. John adams is from thats right, massachusetts, mr. Roger sherman. Connecticut robert are livingston from new york, dr. Franklin, pennsylvania and mr. Jefferson. The virginia i was the only one on the Committee South of the line drawn by Messlers Mason and dixon. Now we all hope that dr. Franklin will be the author. He was our Mentor Elder but franklin, oh, he cared not to take on that responsibility. I think he replied gentleman. I cannot for anything else. I may write to receive the scrutiny of a committee. He looked at me and it was mr. Adams John Adams who suggested i be the author. Well, i said no mr. Adams. You must write it. He said oh no, you must write it. I said no you and mr. Adams replied. No, i am im generally considered obnoxious. This is like no you have quite the flare for a fluid and for listeners writing. I think you should write it besides that he said, of virginian ought to be at the head of this business. Yes. We had put forth that resolution for independency first. Your next question mr. Light . What sources of inspiration did you draw on and drafting about . You asked me what sauces of inspiration did i draw upon and drafting our declaration . Well firstly i will tell you that i still write i still write on this this Lap Desk this slope if you will you could even refer to it as a laptop. This is my design and it was created by my cousin mr. Benjamin randolph a cabinet in philadelphia created at that time, 1775 and 1776. Oh i set about on this not to write anything new or original i drew on the sources of the justinian code of the sixth century. I drew on the sources of the writings of John Locke i drew on mr. Thomas paines pamphlet a common sense all of this together a foundation nonetheless. The Virginia Declaration of rights written by my Friend Colonel George mason. He wrote that Virginia Declaration of rights at the same time that i was writing our declaration of american independence. Mr. Light a further question if you will want to give to draft the dog thats a very good question if i can recall it took me some time. You asked me how long it took me to write the declaration well. I believe it took me three days. Three days to write that declaration. In fact, i have here one of the first drafts that were several drafts three days to write the declaration. On four sheets of paper now many of you may wonder mr. Jefferson ganette is quite a long time to simply write a declaration of independence as you just said everything was there for you to utilize you were not desiring to put forth anything new or original. Well citizens. I will tell you im guilty of something that that you all are guilty of. Oh, yes, not a one of us can escape. I make mistakes. And it is not easy to erase ink. So when i go back over what i wrote i would cross out, but i did not care for id write the correction above or beneath. Id transcribed that later in the evening and the next day. Id make more mistakes so that continued for good three days and then i had to hand my draft to the other four gentleman to the committee. Oh, they were extensive hours of labor there in that little room on the second floor of a newly built bricktown house in philadelphia city. I believe it was on the corner the the Southwest Corner of 7th and high street i believe they call high Street Market Street now in philadelphia. Well, thank you mr. Light for bringing back those memories of well quite a label on next question, sir. Mr. President you want to work in philadelphia theres a young man that a company. Robert kennedys, he was enslaved to you. Did his status as your property . See just trying to contradiction to you. Mr. Light you ask me about robert Hemmings Robert hemmings who accompanied me to philadelphia those years of 75 and 76. Do i remember him . Do i consider that as he was my property . As his family or my property. That it is. A terrible contradiction to the principles of our declaration. Well, mr. Light i can assure you that i had inherited if you will the Hemmings Family from my late wife. They were part of her dowry. They became my property in 1772 when i married. And if you will those few years later and 1775. Yes, Robert Hemings was my coachman and he drove me up to philadelphia. Do you know he was only 15 years old at that time . And i remember as we entered the city one of my first interests was to have him inoculated against the smallpox. And so i paid dr. William shipping to pursue that Inoculation Dr. Shippen had inoculated me nearly 10 years earlier. Yes, and robert returned in 1776. He remembered all of those individuals. All of us who met there in the old State House and philadelphia. He knew who they were. He perhaps knew more about them than than i did. Well, he continued to be my coachman until i went to france. And after five years returning here to monticello in 17 and 89. Well, i learned that robert hennings had married. He married a woman then living in fredericksburg. Her name was dolly. And robert then accompanied me the following year 17 and 90 when we went to new york. That was where our government was first seated under our constitution. And it was during that time about 17 and 90 if i remember that robert desired to to live with his wife. She had moved to richmond at that time and and so he went to richmond to be with her and he became acquainted with them a doctor a doctor strauss. I believe his name was he was a french emigrade though. Was of german lineage. And several years later robert asked if he might my be with his wife entirely. That it might be free. And so it was yes, i think it was Christmas Eve 1794. I manumitted Robert Hemings. I freed him. He was the first of all of my people that i i freed. Would that there could have been many more . You ask me if it if this is all a contradiction to our declaration of american independence of course it is. We all know it is. I am a fear that not one of our generation is going to live to see us on up to these principles that we might not all be free. We are born free each and every one of us under the eyes of nature and Natures God but lamentably lament to believe were born into the laws of man. It is a drastic contradiction. And i do trust that the the future the future will judge us most harshly. Your next question mr. Light . What did the declaration . And represented the american cause and 1776. You ask me what did our declaration mean in 1776 . It meant to be a a recognition of what i just referred to as the natural rights of man the inherent rights of man the rights that are given to mankind not any government and not many ruler the rights that are given to man by nature and Natures God. Everyone is entitled to this and this is why governments are created in order to protect and defend these inherent rights of every individual. And that means equal and exact justice personal to it. But again improvement in progress is never linear. And this is what we continue to argue and debate. We desire to put this before the world. In clear and and simple form and terms if you will and expression of the american mind. And thereby gained the ascent accordingly of man. Mr. Light do you have another question for me . Final Question President how do you future generations . Is the declaration . You you ask me how do i hope future generations . Would look back on our declaration of american independence how they will judge us. Well, i answered that. I hope future generations will continue to read our declaration of american independence. There were many people when i wrote that document who could not read. And i am hopeful that in the future. We may have a universal system of of education so that everyone will have that opportunity and read and reread our declaration. I wrote it in order that it could be publicly read and let us never forget those occasions, too. Let us look forward in the future to a continual. Recollection and refreshment of these rights the unatlitable rights of mankind. And let us realize that all eyes are opening and will continue to open to these rights. Let us realize if you will that. That steady stream of the light of science. Will move us forward to recognize the palpable truth, and that truth is simply that the mass of mankind have not been born with saddles on their backs nor a few booted and spurred ready to ride him by the grace of god. No, no letter let the future continue to work and argue and debate to make the principles of our declaration universal. Not only for ourselves. But for the family of man across the globe. And i thank you, mr. Light. I thank you my fellow citizens for this opportunity to enjoy our conversation today. I i think now if you would allow me i should like to meet the Post Writer so that i made delivered to him this letter. Ive just written to mr. Adams. We have been enjoying the most delightful correspondence these last several years and imagine in another six years. Itll be the year 26. An anniversary if you will of all declaration, let alone the Independence Say of our remarkable nation, which i have always referred to as the worlds best. Hope. You know, mr. Adams and i have often had differences of opinion, but we realize as americans that a difference of opinion ought never be a difference of principle and though he may have opinions of a particular political nature and i may have my own particular opinions of an opposite political nature. Theres one thing that mr. Adams and i recognize let us not be known for party. If we ought to be known by any party or the label thereof, let us be known simply as the spirit of 76. I look forward to meeting you all again enjoying further of your questions. I take leave now in order to continue my communication and i look forward when we meet more personally and visit here at our house monticello. I remain your humble and obedient servant Thomas Jefferson. Godspeed cspan is your unfiltered view of government or funded by these television companies and more including sparklite. The greatest town on earth is the place you call home at sparklight. Its our home too. And right now were all facing our greatest challenge. Thats why sparklite is working round the clock to keep you connected. Were doing our part. So its a little easier to do yours spark lights support cspan as the public service along with these other television providers giving you a front Row Seat to democracy. Tuesday on american History Tv us capitol historical society chief guide and public Historian Steve Livengood will take viewers on a virtual tour of the capitol grounds designed by Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmstead in 1874. He shows how many elements from olmsteds original design have survived and been adapted as the needs of the Complex And Congress have changed that starts at 8pm eastern on american History Tv. Next on american History Tv monticello gardeners and plant curators talk about how Thomas Jefferson planned his gardens and how they recreate those gardens now, they also provide demonstrations of various steps in the gardening process. Thomas Jeffersons Monticello hosted this event and provided the video. Welcome to our monticello live stream with curator of plants Peggy Cornett and Manager And Curator of historic gardens. Jason young today. We are discussing monticellos gardens during both jeffersons time as well as spring