James ThompsonI vaguely remember reading Alexis de Tocqueville’s analysis of society in America as a high school student. As I recall it, I learned that a Frenchman touring America in the late-1830s found Americans to be friendly, industrious, and obsessed with making money. When I reread his commentary many years later, I learned something far different: Tocqueville thought America would become what I call a Tyranny of Benevolence.
An interview with author, James Thompson This interview aired on Cox Cable 20, in November 2014. This edition of Virginia Time Travel featured James Thompson, author of The Birth of Virginia’s Aristocracy. You can see the interview below:
Lecture : October 31, 2015, The Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington D.C. Headquarter Facility William Lee, known as Billy Lee, was George Washington’s personal slave from 1767 until Washington’s death in 1799. For some heretofore unexplained reason, six months before his death, Washington granted Billy Lee his freedom and a life pension. Although he was moved to make … Read more
Banner Lecture at the Virginia Historical Society Richmond, Virginia, September 11, 2014 In this lecture, author James Thompson discusses the people Thomas Jefferson met and the social and intellectual circles he joined during his five years in France (1784-1789). The author reviews the intellectual revolution that began in France in the mid-18th century, its core ideas, and how when Jefferson arrived in the … Read more
An Interview with Author, James Thompson This interview originally aired on Cox Cable 30 on November 2015. Virginia Time Travel featured James Thompson, author of George Washington’s Mulatto Man: Who was Billy Lee on their Cox Cable Channel 10 programming. You can view the interview below: