Jimmy Wales on Thomas Jefferson

Great Lives

BBC

History, Documentary, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1776 Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, kick-starting the movement against British rule and putting in place the foundations for democracy in what became the United States of America. But he was a man of contradictions. He argued passionately against slavery but was a slave-owner. He had a relationship with an enslaved woman, Sally Hemings which may have started in France when she was just fourteen. He became the third President of the United States, and he loved philosophy, nature and wine.

Jimmy Wales first-learned of Jefferson and the founding fathers when he was in school. The founder of Wikipedia fell in love with Encyclopaedias when his Mother bought a set from a travelling salesman. Jimmy's fascinated by Jefferson's political principles and intrigued by his many contradictions, and with the help of Kathleen Burk they discuss Jefferson's political legacy and how his attitudes to slavery are impacting on how he's seen today.

Presenter: Matthew Parris Guest: Jimmy Wales Guest expert: Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Producer: Toby Field for BBC Audio Bristol

Transcript

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0:45.0	We hold these truths to be self-evident,
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0:55.3	rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
1:01.6	Those famous words from the Declaration of Independence created the framework for democracy in America
1:08.9	and how I wish they had had tape recordings then and we could hear the man himself speaking them.
1:15.2	They were written in 1776 by today's choice of great life Thomas Jefferson.
1:21.8	And picking Jefferson is the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales.
1:27.0	Jimmy, welcome. What are your earliest memories of those words and the whole Jefferson story.
1:33.6	What age did you and do most Americans encounter him?
1:37.0	I mean, it's a very good question.
1:39.3	It's sort of part of the fabric of school when I was growing up, the founding fathers and of course you learned about it
	...

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