I'm John Batchel with Robert G. Parkinson. The book is Heart of American Darkness,

bewilderment and horror of the early frontier. The events of the 1750s through the 1780s are behind us.

Logan's lament remains, discovered by Thomas Jefferson, writing a book about science in Virginia. The only book, Rob says, he ever wrote.

However, he discovers the story of Logan's Lament for his purposes. As I understand it, he's looking to make it clear to the Europeans that America is not an inferior race.

But again, this is a twist of the story, so I need the professor's help.

Logan's lament is about a man who had his family taken from him by murderous conduct of the Cressep family.

However, Jefferson needs Logan to be a hero. So how does he do it, Rob?

So when Dunmore returns in 1774 from the West, he has this, he has a copy of this text with him in his

bags. And Jefferson, and Jefferson is in Williamsburg. There's a, thereburg. There's parties to celebrate this victory over the Shawnee. And this is in the months before Lexington and conquered. And even the Virginia Assembly at the Virginia Convention sends a letter of thanks to Lord Dunmore for taking care of this in the

weeks before, before all hell is going to break loose. And Jefferson writes it down in his

memorandum book. He hears, he says later on that this speech flew through all of the publications,

and it was the topic of

conversation throughout Williamsburg and so he writes down the speech in his

memorandum book well in in the 17 in the early 1780s after

France joins up with the the mix an alliance with the United States they are so

eager to do so, mostly because they

just want to stick it to the British and avenge the Seven Years' War and the wars of the 18th century.

And so they align themselves with the American colonies knowing very, very little about them.

And so the French delegation to the, to to the Continental Congress sends out a list of

questions, basic questions to all of the governors of the 13 new American states. Hey, tell us about

your animals. Tell us about your minerals. Tell us about how much natural resources are there.

What are the boundaries of your colony? Those are the questions that the land on Governor Jefferson's desk as the governor of Virginia. And after things go very, very badly for not only Virginia, it gets invaded three different times. And Monticello is raided. And Jefferson is sort of flees in disgrace as the governor

...