Announcement: Thomas Jefferson: Apostle of Liberty or Father of American Racism?

Thomas Jefferson: Apostle of Liberty or Father of American Racism?

Monday, February 20 (Presidents' Day)
7 p.m.
Cec Eckhoff Alumni Hall
Lecture is free and open to the public.

Thomas Jefferson has been called the "Apostle of Liberty" because he was the author of the Declaration of Independence and supported religious liberty in Virginia. But he also owned many hundreds of enslaved African Americans throughout his adult life, including some of his own children, and he articulated "scientific" claims that blacks could never be equal to whites. So, how do we understand the third President. Should we revere him, hold up our hands in horror, or both? This lecture will explore these issues.

The Gustavus History Department is honored to welcome Dr. Paul Finkelman to serve as the 2022-2023 Rydell Professor. During the academic year, Dr. Finkelman will be on campus on multiple occasions to be a part of classes, meet with students, and provide a public lecture. Dr. Paul Finkelman is a specialist on American legal history, U. S. Constitutional law, race and law, American Jewish history, the law of American slavery, the First Amendment, religious liberty, the history of the Second Amendment, African American history, the American Civil War, and legal issues surrounding baseball.