Americans revere Thomas Jefferson for the depth of his Enlightenment political philosophy, the Louisiana Purchase, his mighty pen and much else besides. His profound grasp of Montesquieu’s work, for example, gave us the Separation of Powers, the bedrock of our democracy. In 1803, Jefferson doubled the size of the new nation by 828,000 square miles, land bought from France - despite his opposition to a strong central government. He was an 18th Century colossus in so many ways and he is highly regarded on both sides of the Atlantic. His ownership of enslaved people and his relationship with Sally Hemings are well-documented, too, as is his vicious brawling with Hamilton. But on one occasion, Tom was unintentionally, wildly comic. I promise what follows is true.
© 2024 John Oliver
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