An Evening with Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, was also a philosopher, educator, naturalist, politician, scientist, architect, inventor, pioneer in scientific farming, musician, writer, and the foremost spokesman for democracy of his day. And on Monday, December 15 he will come to Stanford for the first time, impersonated by actor and scholar Clay Jenkinson.

For his performances, Jenkinson dresses in authentic eighteenth-century costume, pretends to have been resurrected in contemporary America, and gives Jefferson's opinions on a wide range of current topics. Audience members regularly ask him what he would do about Iraq, or health care, and what he thinks of President Bush and the Patriot Act. Jefferson also fields personal questions such as "Why did you own slaves?" or "What did you mean by the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence?"

In our Aurora Forum conversation, the questioner on stage will be Jack Rakove, Stanford professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the American Constitution, who will grill Jefferson, perhaps even playfully taking on the role of his friend and fellow Virginian, James Madison. As is typical in Aurora Forum conversations, generous time will be allocated for discussion with the audience. This is your chance to talk with one of America's favorite presidents.