If it hasn’t become obvious at this point, I’m performing one of those stylish “staycations” back home.
One of the virtues of being able to do this is to talk about practically whatever I want during the day and not goof off with the delayed posting feature in WordPress, but the better advantage is that I get to check out cool events such as these:
Talk: Jefferson and Slavery
William Merkel, Associate Professor of Law, Washburn Law School presents his work on “Jefferson and Slavery: Legal and Constitutional Issues, 1801-1809.” His presentation, a work in progress, will include the role of the Three Fifths Clause in the election of 1800, the legal status of slavery in the new and existing western territories, federal prohibition of the international slave trade into the United States, and colonization of African Americans outside the United States. 4 p.m. at Monticello’s Jefferson Library. The talk is free, but space is limited. Please e-mail to register.Offered as part of the ongoing Fellows Forum series at Monticello’s Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies.
I’ve been on a renewed Jeffersonian kick over the last few weeks that has devolved into reading more on Roman history, How Rome Fell and The Inheritance of Rome being the two books by my nightstand currently. In the process, I was persuaded by a friend to purchase The Quotable Jefferson, which really is a remarkable little book offering a great deal of temporal insight as to how Jefferson drifted on many a topic — slavery included.