Thomas Jefferson

Liberty:The Age Of Experiments/The Pursuit Of Happ

As one of America's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson is considered b y some to be the man of the millennium, analogous to the progress of t he first 200 years of American history. He was a man of freedom and ex pansion, yet he had the restraint that is necessary to succeed with th at freedom--the commitment to becoming learned and skilled. As the thi rd president of the United States, Jefferson was responsible for doubl ing the size of the country with the Louisiana Purchase and for assign ing Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to their historic expedition of the West--moves that were symbolic of Jefferson's yearning for person al growth. In this episode, Jefferson's battles with the Federalist mo vement are explored; as well as his controversial relationship with hi s slave, Sally Hemings; his retirement to Monticello; and the ensuing personal tragedies that surrounded him towards the end of his life.