In episode six of the Founding Fathers' Legacy Series, Former Washington D.C Mayor Sharon Pratt dives into the life of Thomas Jefferson. Of all the founding fathers, he stood out as perhaps the most controversial and the most confounding. In this episode, she speaks with Professor Robert MacDonald about the complicated and powerful impact of the third president on our founding and our early years as a nation. Professor MacDonald discusses how Jefferson was unique among the Founding Fathers, what his greatest influences were, and Jefferson's bitter relationship with John Adams. They also discuss Jefferson's complicated relationship with slavery and how the man who wrote the words “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” did not provide liberty to the enslaved children he fathered with Sally Hemmings until they became adults. While we can see his limitations, we can also look to him for inspiration.

Professor Robert MacDonald teaches history at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is the author of multiple books on Thomas Jefferson, including "Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson’s Image in His Own Time" and "Thomas Jefferson’s Lives: Biographers and the Battle for History."

Join us in the next episode when we speak with Gayle Jessup White, a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, as we explore Jefferson through the prism of America’s racial divide.