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Listening to America

#1349 Jefferson's Soul

Listening to America

Listening to America

Society & Culture, History

4.61.1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2019

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On August 20th, 1814, Thomas Jefferson received a letter from Miles King expressing King's concerns for Jefferson's eternal soul. King wrote, "And now permit me to ask dear Sir, are you not an old man well stricken in years, and laden with the highest honors that a grateful country can bestow? But what will these avail you in a dying hour?" We speak with President Jefferson this week about that letter and Jefferson's reply to it.

Find this episode, along with recommended reading, on the blog. Support the show by joining the 1776 Club or by donating to the Thomas Jefferson Hour, Inc. You can learn more about Clay's cultural tours & retreats at jeffersonhour.com/tours. Check out our new merch. You can find Clay's publications on our website, along with a list of his favorite books on Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and other topics. Thomas Jefferson is interpreted by Clay S. Jenkinson.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Good Day Thomas Jefferson, Our podcast listeners, and as always, thank you for listening.

0:07.0

Come to France, there are a few places still on the Jefferson and France trip for October 17th and following of 2019. I'm getting so excited

0:16.7

about it David. It's going to be a great trip, a trip of a lifetime. I haven't

0:21.1

been on this tour for 20 years now. Lots has happened in France.

0:28.5

And I couldn't be more delighted to be doing it. So there are a few places left.

0:33.9

If you ever thought of seeing France

0:35.9

through the eyes of me or better yet,

0:37.9

through the eyes of the third president of the United States,

0:41.3

now is the time.

0:42.1

Just go to Jefferson Hour.

0:44.0

For all of the details.

0:46.0

And if somebody wants to contact you personally if they have a question about the tour,

0:50.0

if you go to the Jefferson Hour website and click on ask a question, that letter will filter through and get to you.

0:57.6

Indeed, but France, France, France, France, France.

0:59.6

Okay, Miles King.

1:01.6

Goodness, as you said and I said, this was really inspired by a couple of

1:07.5

listeners who pointed out an article published July 3rd in the Washington Post written by Gregory S. Schneider titled

1:16.6

Saving Thomas Jefferson Soul.

1:21.1

That's really the subject of this week's show is this 8,000 word letter he got from Miles King,

1:27.9

a pious former sea captain from Matthews, Virginia, who had converted and become an ordained Methodist minister,

1:38.0

he woke up thinking about Thomas Jefferson's soul at midnight one night.

1:42.2

You know, we can smile at that in our time but

...

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