#1223 The Logan Act
Listening to America
Listening to America
4.6 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 28 February 2017
⏱️ 56 minutes
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Summary
President Thomas Jefferson explains the Logan Act's origin, its possible uses and its connection to Alexander Hamilton.
George Logan was a Quaker, doctor, farmer and state legislator from Pennsylvania who undertook, as a private citizen and at his own expense, a diplomatic mission to France in 1798 — and what was his reward? The Federalists and the Congress of the United States passed the Logan Act, prohibiting that from ever happening again. Despite Logan's good intentions, and his good results, his name is associated with an act that prohibits private citizens from meddling in the foreign policy of the United States.
Find this episode, Clay's Jefferson Watch essay, and further recommended reading, on the blog.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Good day citizens and podcast listeners. |
| 0:03.0 | We're so pleased to bring you another, as Clay would say, exciting edition of the Thomas Jefferson Hour. |
| 0:10.0 | This week we talk about the Logan Act which maybe at first blush sounds a bit |
| 0:16.3 | dry but it's not it's not it's not first of all we're on a roll we are having |
| 0:20.3 | such a good time yeah with the Thomas Jefferson hour. |
| 0:23.1 | It's like somebody put in peep pills into our milk or orange juice. |
| 0:26.5 | Can I tell them what's coming up in the next couple of weeks? |
| 0:28.4 | Yes. |
| 0:29.4 | We have two real special shows. |
| 0:30.5 | One next week will be something we promised to do forever and ever and we finally |
| 0:35.8 | got it worked out where we have actual callers call in and talk live to President Jefferson. |
| 0:41.3 | And then that was a kick. And then the week after that, we have an extended interview with Charles Slack, author of Liberty's |
| 0:50.9 | First Crisis, and I've just been... |
| 0:52.4 | He's in Connecticut is blatantly |
| 0:54.8 | pushing this guy's book because I liked it I liked it so much |
| 0:59.8 | because it does something that one of your books does. |
| 1:03.0 | Uh-oh. |
| 1:04.0 | It gets in the head of a historical character |
| 1:07.0 | as your Meriwether-Lewis book does. |
| 1:10.0 | In this case, it really sort of helps us to understand some of the, just read the book. |
| 1:17.8 | It's great fun, it's good stories. |
| 1:20.3 | America's first crisis. Liberty, Liberty's first crisis. |
... |
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