91福利社

Thomas Jefferson was not so much a bibliophile as a bibliomaniac of the first rank. He read books, copied them out and annotated them. So much of his reading was distilled into the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson ultimately accumulated 6000 volumes during his life. They form the basis of America's Library of Congress in Washington DC. Michael Goldfarb visits the Library of Congress and Jefferson's home at Monticello in Virginia to tell the story of how Jefferson's reading shaped the American Revolution and the beginnings of American history, along the way he tells the story of why and how British America decided to declare its independence.

Episode 5: Slavery - The man who wrote all men are created equal owned hundreds of slaves throughout his life. In the final episode of this series, Michael talks about Jefferson's books on agriculture and slave life at Monticello with Andrew Davenport, a descendant of a man enslaved there.

Presenter: Michael Goldfarb
Producer: Julia Hayball
Sound design: Chris Maclean

A Certain Height production for 91福利社 Radio 4