logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
42m 7s

President Thomas Jefferson

History Hit
About this episode

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, so how did it work out when he became the leader of this nation that he was so instrumental in founding?


For the third episode in American History Hit's special series about the Presidents, we're exploring Jefferson's presidency. What challenges did he face during his time as President, and how did he mould the early years of the nation?


Don is joined for this episode by Professor Frank Cogliano, direct from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Frank is a Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh.


Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Siobhan Dale. The senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.


PLEASE VOTE NOW! for Dan Snow's History Hit in the British Podcast Awards Listener's Choice category here. Every vote counts, thank you!


We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Up next
Jul 8
Why Do Empires Fall?
For centuries, the Roman Empire commanded unparalleled control over the world around it. It expanded its borders through trade and conquest, sucking resources from the periphery into its thriving centre - Rome. And then, suddenly, everything changed. The Empire entered a state of ... Show More
42m 14s
Jul 6
Pirates: Piracy in the South China Seas
Zheng Yi Sao was a pirate leader so formidable that she made Blackbeard and Captain Morgan look like amateurs. From humble beginnings as a sex worker in Canton, she rose to command a vast pirate fleet that wrought havoc in the South China Sea. She took on the Qing Dynasty, the Po ... Show More
38m 48s
Jul 3
The Rise & Fall of Sparta
Today, we trace the rise and fall of ancient Greece’s most formidable warrior society - Sparta. This society's militaristic culture and battlefield feats are the stuff of legend - but how much of its story is based on cold, hard fact?Joining us is Dr Andrew Bayliss, a professor o ... Show More
46m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
President George Washington
He was the victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. As presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, he oversaw the birth of the government of the United States. But George Washington is remembered by most as the first Pre ... Show More
40m 34s
Jan 2024
President Millard Fillmore: The Most Handsome President?
How did a president lose his entire cabinet so soon after taking office? What was his role in the Westward expansion of the United States? And where did the name Millard come from? From teaching himself to read to becoming President of the United States, today we are being introd ... Show More
48m 15s
Dec 2023
President John Tyler: The 'Accidental' President
He may have been the tenth President, but John Tyler - 'His Accidency' - was a pioneer in many ways. Tyler was the first Vice President to assume the position of commander-in-chief on the death of their running mate, the first President to be kicked out of their own political par ... Show More
37m 5s
Jan 2024
President Zachary Taylor
Once the most popular man in America, hero of the Mexican-American war Zachary Taylor is our twelfth President and the subject of this episode. To find out what Taylor managed to achieve in his 16 months in office, and how his presidency was marred with debates over the spread of ... Show More
49m 34s
Nov 2023
President Martin Van Buren
The 'Little Magician', the 'Sly Fox' or - to our expert guest - a 6.5/10 president. We're onto President number 8, Martin Van Buren. Don is joined by Edward Widmer - historian, writer, librarian, and musician who served as a speechwriter in the Clinton White House. One of Ted's m ... Show More
39m 9s
Mar 2023
George III - The Last King of America
George III is forever known as the king who lost the 13 American colonies. In the US he is thought of by many as a tyrant king, taxing and subduing from across the Atlantic. Professor Jeremy Black tells Don that there is much more to his character, and his relationship with Ameri ... Show More
37m 4s
Apr 2024
President Ulysses S. Grant: The Myth of the Butcher
How does a heroic general of the Civil War become one of the lowest rated Presidents (at least until recently)? To discuss Grant's commitment to reconstruction, civil rights, and the crushing of the Ku Klux Klan, Don is joined by Professor Anne Marshall. Anne is a historian of th ... Show More
50m 10s
Jun 2024
President Grover Cleveland: Honest to a Fault?
They say that honesty is the best policy, but was this the case for Grover Cleveland? He may be the only president to have served two non-consecutive terms (as of 13 June 2023), but Cleveland was deeply unpopular by the end of his last term. From protecting the interests of the A ... Show More
35m 15s
Mar 2024
The Founding Fathers of the US
The founding of the United States on July 4th, 1776, changed the world, and inspired other colonies to control their own destinies. The men responsible for writing and signing the Declaration of Independence - the Founding Fathers - have gone down in history as legends, with an a ... Show More
1h 1m
Jan 2024
America's Biggest Slave Rebellion (1811)
It’s January 16th. This day in 1811, the aftermath of what came to be known as the “Gold Coast” uprising in the Orleans territory. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how Charles Deslondes led a slave revolt that became the biggest in US history, and how it was inspired by the Hatian ... Show More
15m 19s