America's Book Club: Jon Meacham on Thomas Jefferson
January 30, 2026
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1:34Now PlayingAmerica's Book Club: Jon Meacham on Thomas Jefferson
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as posted by the channelDavid Rubenstein on Thomas Jefferson: "Why didn't he say all men and all women are created equal? And why did he say everybody was equal when he didn't think slaves were equal?
Jon Meacham: "Because he is a fallen, frail, fallible, sinful man like all of us. I mean, maybe not you, but, certainly me. You know, my, my friend, I'm sure our mutual friend Annette Gordon-Reed as a marvelous answer to this. What do you want from one guy? Right. How much do you want? He articulates a vision of human liberty that helps drive a patriotic experiment. There's a difference between nationalism, patriotism, right? Nationalism is allegiance to your own kind. Patriotism is an allegiance to an idea. He gives us the idea and the limitations are deeply regrettable. That's I mean, the right word. They're horrible, they're tragic. But. And it's easy for me to say this. Look at me, right? Things work out for me in this country, right? But the point of the country, the point of the sentence, is that it's supposed to work out for everyone. And that's American history."
SUNDAYAmerica's Book Club with Jon Meacham 6pm ET on CSPAN
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