As it was, into a National Political campaign and a nickname for himself. He was called old tip. You probably would not have been able to spin the victory here into as big of a thing as it was had he not been subsequently a successful general in the war of 1812. He ran for president in 1836, was unsuccessful. He ran again in 1840 with john tyler as his running mate. There was a Large Campaign rally here that attracted some 30,000 people. A rally in 1840 was probably the first modern style Campaign Rally of the type we see today. Probably the number one question i get here at the museum is, what does tippecanoe and tyler to meano . Harrison ran for president with tyler as his running mate. The meaning was, if you vote for tippecanoe, you get tyler too. They won the campaign that year, and harrison died three days after the inauguration, and tyler became president. The battlefield today is surrounded by a wrought iron fence. The fence pretty much and closes the perimeter of the army camp. Because there are dead u. S. Military servicemembers buried, it is treated pretty much as a cemetery. There isnt much in the way of interpretive materials. There is a large monument that was elected in 1908, but this battle secured the old Northwest Territory for the United States. It stabilized what had been a significant strategic vacuum, and it enabled the westward movement of the country to really proceed forward. Throughout the weekend American History tv is featuring lafayette and west lafayette, indiana. We traveled there to learn about its risks rich history. Earn will gnash learn more at www. Cspan. Org learn more at www. Cspan. Org. Cspan3. Kend on will hear about the five years during which thomas ferson stir served in as the minister to france. Author James Thompson describes it as a transformative experience with his friendships with french revolutionaries and progressives turns him from a political loner to an activist. Mr. Thompson is the author. He spoke at the Virginia Historical society. This is about an hour. The summer of 1784, Thomas Jefferson traveled to paris as minister of the United States to france and lived there for 5 years. He made a series of excursions with pierre, an influential member of French Society. He appointed jefferson not only to the city and its people but when the enlightened ideas of french thought. Todays speaker will talk to us about this transformative period and Thomas Jeffersons life. James thompson studied philosophy as an undergraduate and graduate student at the university of virginia and as a grad student, he lived on a farm of Thomas Jeffersons eldest daughter, martha jefferson. During his four years, he began what has been an Ongoing Investigation into the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Thompson developed an interest in the history of ideas, teaching courses on philosophy, religion, and western civilization at Strayer University in alexandria. He is the author of several books including the under the veil of reason, which he wrote while a fellow at the Jefferson Center for International Studies at monticello. The birth of aristocracy and Thomas Jeffersons enlightenment. Please join me in welcoming James Thompson. [applause] good afternoon. My name is James Thompson. I am honored to be here today and i consider the Virginia Historical society to be one of the truly great cultural institutions of our country. I would like to thank dr. Nelson lankford for making this program possible and mr. Lee shepherd for his kind introduction and thank you, the members of the audience for joining me today. I am going to talk about Thomas Jefferson in france. I would like to point out that my book has 160 Museum Quality images. It is almost as much a picture book as a history. I have some of the same pictures and the program today. My program today has five parts. In part one, i present a thesis of my book and Background Information about Thomas Jefferson. In part two, i present the Background Information about the french enlightenment. In part three, i comment on the idea man who enlightened friend. In part four, i comment on the salons where their ideas were discussed and debated. In part five, i comment on the circles in which jefferson traveled and his migration into the french Reform Movement. The thesis has two parts. Five years in france, Thomas Jefferson transformed from a circumstance political loner into and engaged political activist who waged and won the second American Revolution in 1800. In the second part of my thesis, i contend jefferson did this by digesting Fruit Concept of process french concept of process and becoming a progressive. What do i mean when i say the author of the declaration of independence was a political loner . Jefferson held years that could harm his personal relationships and his access to political power. Because he understood this, he was careful to keep these to himself. What were they . Jefferson was a nonbeliever. He was guided by reason and not faith. Jefferson rescued the concept of rights by nature surprisingly. She was trained to argue cases in the common law and not speculate in philosophy. After declaring independence, jefferson selfappointed mission was to dismantle virginias hereditary hierarchy which he undertook to do first in his plan for his states new government and an active and then as a legislator and as a member of the committee of advisors. This picture was painted by howard pyle in 1901. Our image of jefferson in france around reports of admiring authors. The three french friends of jefferson. The scene of europe. Thomas jefferson and the rights of man in 1951. Howard rice and Thomas Jefferson, the terrific picture book appeared in 1975. George shackelford and in the travels europe, another lovely book. Howard adams, the jefferson years in 1977. Accounts of jefferson in france but not surprisingly they present jefferson as a star for performing on a european stage. They focus on what the star did, not what was happening on the stage behind him. I am going to break ranks today. I am going to place france on the foreground of the picture and look at jefferson through the changing social object of his enlightened host. Bear in mind that franklin has been, Benjamin Franklin arrived in 1776 and had admirers. Franklin was familiar with the agents of the french enlightenment and the Reform Movement they were orchestrating. I contended a change. During the 50years prior to jeffersons arrival, frances brightest and most daring men let me go back to that. During the 50 years prior to jeffersons arrival, frances brightest and most daring men had waged intellectual revolutions. They revolutionized their natural sciences, the science of government, they invented a new science of man and morality. They revolutionized the arts and letters and they revolutionized their relationship to god and the church. When jefferson arrived, a new kind of revolution was getting underway. Between 1784 and 1788, the intellectual revolutions automated century were passing through a Reform Movement on the way to a political revolution. In the light of knowledge, what had been bad had become insufferable. The monarchy was on the verge of bankruptcy. The economy was stagnant and corruption was rampant. There was no investment for frances aspiring petit bourgeoisie. Jefferson became aware of these things during the daytoday interactions with his acquaintances. In my book, i conducted these conversations through pierre, who knew and defended jefferson. This is a picture of pierre in his later years. Pierre was arguably the best informed man in france. He was a scientist trained in medicine and physiology and the school montpelier. He was a companion to Benjamin Franklin who he called papa. He believes society could be perfected through the application of knowledge and he was a freemason and member of Benjamin Franklins lodge. When jefferson arrived, french progressives with encouragement from Benjamin Franklin were focus on reforming their society and government. Their objective was to replace francis a backwards, bankrupt monarchy with a Constitutional Government based on the bill of rights. I contend that during his first years in france, jefferson became familiar with the ideas that propelled the enlightenment of france and the man who friended them. I would notice how these men connected with each other and what they did with their ideas and where jefferson fit into their business. The enlightenment in france gained momentum after voltaire returned from a threeyear selfimposed exile which took place between 1726 and 1729. Voltaire energized in a 1934 publication entitled letters philosophical. He commented on english science and philosophy and praised bacon, locke, and newton. His comments precipitated a change in french science which became increasingly newtonian and french philosophy which became increasingly interested in john lockes theory of mind. Voltaire became the senator of intellectual network that reshaped frances society and thought. This feature is called the dinner of the philosophers and is described as a conversation piece and was painted by jean huber around 1772. This man here is huber. Pictured are this is father adams, who was voltaires chess partner. A voltaire in the center with the arrow. Besides huber, you can see the top of sophies head. Her companion is the poet. Martel is thought to be grimm was the lover of the madams sisterinlaw. In my opinion, the most influential contemporaries of voltaires was rousseau and franklin. I will make a couple of comments on them. Diderut inspired arts and letters. He said that an encyclopedia should encompass not only the field already covered by the academy which but each every branch of Human Knowledge. He wrote hundreds of articles himself and recruited dozens of the most brilliant men to write more. Among these were rousseau. Everyone was to benefit from the insights. Rousseaus reputation was that philosophy were characterized made as the noble savage who conducted an enslaved itself by joining society. He later revised his position by claiming that society rest on a social contract which empowers the general will of the people. Societys problems, rousseau, claimed would be as people and their general will. Frances underclass led by lawyers agreed. Frances and rousseaus social very social theory. In discourse on the origin and foundation of the quality which he published in 1775, rousseau his argument for social equality with the jeffersonian claim that the fruits of the earth belongs to us all and the earth itself to nobody. And his back to major men are free but everywhere in chains. He traces these chains to medieval feudalism which perpetuated and unnatural caste system. Trying glues this day and all the pass was a major terms were of economists throughout europe in the late century and similar concerns inspired other rebellions against virginias pseudo aristocracy. This is a picture. He framed idea that society is perfectible. He prepared to become a priest originally but chose to serve humanity as agent of the government. In 1761, he became the administrative district which was one of the poorest regions of france. During 13 years of service there, he applied video credit principles video physiocratic principle. The king appointed him patrol general of france. As frances chief financial officer, turgot implemented a program to reduce that was the natural economic oracle implemented a program to prevent taxes that prevented the free movement. Turgot is remembered today for his revolutionary ideas and he argued that Human Society is progressive. He believed that over time, this process would leave society ever closer to a state of perfection. When jefferson arrived, the man in france and the men and women shared this view of society and history. They were in other words, progressive. This is helvetius. He pioneered a new science of man and more relative. He based on the materials of mind which first appeared in john lockes essay and 1689. He agreed with locke that is the causal he went on to say that capacities to learn and manipulate ideas are products of external sensations. And that intelligence is not a natural aptitude but rather determined by personal experience. Even more controversial where his claims that the fundamental law of Human Behavior is this search for pleasurable sensations. And that the standard for right behavior is at the good, and act produced in the community. David characterized this idea as utility. Adam smith, jeremy, john mill and their followers embrace. By making pleasure seeking fundamental of the understanding of right behavior, helvetius made it any central component of social reform. French progressives during jeffersons time in france accepted the training of people. To find pleasure and actions was a vital part of perfecting their society. Crystallize progress into a law of nature. Condorcet was a protege. Like turgot, he believed that in the everexpanding library of Human Knowledge contained remedies are all deals that conflict mankind for his doctrine of progress he asserted that as men resolve societys afflictions, society will progress to a state of everincreasing perfection. He confirmed that diderut and rousseaus revolutions were beneficial. Benjamin franklin, ive already noted that Benjamin Franklin was a celebrity in france. Turgot praised him as said franklin persuaded frances that americas new republic was the ultimate destination and the march of human progress. Moving on to the salon part of my talk. The salons of paris were places where the enlightened ideas of these men, they were discussed and debated. There were 4 celebrated hostesses during the golden age of salons which was in the 17501780 period. The first madames. Some of you probably have seen this picture. Thats another conversation piece. I put it in today to show, to highlight the idea that it does salons were a reinforcing network to make the golden age of salons memorable. The best and the brightest people of paris and france were all connected. The arrows above the heads show from left to right, rousseau, voltaire, diderut and turgot. The circles are the leading hostesses. She was a personal friend of Thomas Jeffersons. She was also a friend of Thomas Jefferson. This year, in 1780, the women of the french salons, amelia observed the most remarkable period and close with the death of madame du defand. When jefferson arrived, noticeable solos were led by madam helvetius here. She was the widow of claude. And she was rousseaus former flame. And she was the mother of a very close friend who jefferson in his last years in france. Each hostess, i do not know if you can read this. Each hostess had followed her own thing. She promoted progress through advancement of scientific knowledge. She followed on rousseaus path by and she followed the lofty station by these look a little confusing but i do not expect you to remember everybodys name. At the center is a picture of the duchess. It hangs in her home. Her chateau and 40 miles downstream from paris. Her economic salon was a form of for Economies Forum for economists and the enlightened gentry. I am going to bill my comment around, louisa 15th louis the 15ths advisor. Up here, up on the right. Famously crystallized these problems saying, poor peasant, poor kingdom. Poor kingdom, poor teen. In the course of the conversations, they developed a diagram. His protege, dupont, invented the name physiocrat and measured the technique of an analytical measure of managing the success of the physiocratic policy. Turgot followed. Dupont collected and analyzed quantified the benefit of reforms that turgot proposed. Dupont probably formulate the questions that jefferson responded to that appear in the notes in virginia. Notes on virginia. The political salon was known as a Gathering Place for americanistas. Traced to her friend with this man here. Who had who was the son of one of her old friends. Returned to france in 1781 after nearly 30 years of living in america. Madame welcomes him into the salon and introduced him to members of her circle. [indiscernible] jefferson or franklin and later jefferson enjoyed similar celebrity. He helped shape their view of america as a wilderness utopia. His maps fascinated king louis the 16th who was an amateur cartographer. This is a more flattering picture of madame helvetius. She is with the niece of the great hostess. Turgot, who attended the salons, was said to have proposed marriage twice. Regarding madame helvetiuss science alone, turgot seem to be introduced a few months after commenced his medical studies from by the summer of that year, cabanese moved. His housemates, martin laroche, became the editor of the papers of madame helvetiuss husband. Turgot introduced franklin shortly aftercabe after cabenese settled in. You probably saw the series that was on Public Television a few years ago. It portrays the vis