Clay Jenkinson
@ClayJenkinson
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Humanities scholar, author, speaker, @Jefferson_Hour creator, @Governing editor-at-large, a leading expert on Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers.
North Dakota, USA
Joined November 2013
We'll see on Tuesday if carpetbagging is a factor in the Georgia Senate race. It was in Pennsylvania. Join me on Sundays for my articles in https://t.co/pYp1KXiKOt. I'm having the time of my life writing about "The Future in Context" for @GOVERNING.
governing.com
Born of opportunities created in the aftermath of the Civil War, modern day carpetbaggers are simply opportunistic — and voters no longer seem to care anymore about unrooted candidates.
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My next @SmithsonianSA course: Gulliver's Travels. It's not just for children!! Thank you @notoldbetter for the invitation to discuss one of my favorite works of literature.
Gulliver's Travels is often regarded as a children's book, but only by people who have never read it. According to our guest today, @ClayJenkinson, Gulliver's Travels is a work of #genius, a critique of the #optimism of the Enlightenment. https://t.co/4DwAChZukF
#smithsonian
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No former President of the United States has ever been indicted for a crime. Will Donald Trump be the first? Here's my analysis of our reluctance to indict. Follow my weekly contributions to @GOVERNING on Sundays.
governing.com
Former presidents have managed to talk their way out of trouble, even if by the skin of their teeth. There may be a lesson in that for us today.
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The Parthenon Marbles have been in London's British Museum for 200+ years. It’s past time they return to Athens, from which they were appropriated by Lord Elgin in the early 1800s. Athens has formally asked for them. Britain needs to do the right thing.
governing.com
Museums are the institutional embodiment of the historical practice that to the victor go the spoils. More recently, the return of select artifacts is intended to set things right, but it’s complic...
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Proud to be a part of this film project as narrator, congratulations again to the production team
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Book banning has consequences, some of which I outline here. Bottom line: who chooses the guardians of culture, and who will guard us from the guardians?
governing.com
Bans are an illiberal idea that undermines a long and honorable tradition of making knowledge and ideas widely available, making people free to choose what to read for themselves.
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This week, David speaks with President Thomas Jefferson as portrayed by humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson. Jefferson responds to listener questions about banning books, as well as citizens' rights and responsibilities.
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Attempting to understand America's tangled corn economy. The Corn Palace, corn mountains, corn processing mills, ethanol. It makes little rational sense, but somehow it cash flows (with heavy subsides from USDA). @GOVERNING
governing.com
The Corn Palace in South Dakota romanticizes the history of corn in rural America. But the current reality is that corn is now less of a food than an industrial product, raising questions about...
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My latest for @GOVERNING. Ironically, although Roosevelt has been called America’s first king, he was indifferent to the pomp and circumstance of monarchy. He attended the funeral of English King Edward VII in May 1910 at the end of his year long safari.
governing.com
There are contemporary lessons to be learned from the way Theodore Roosevelt, then the most popular man in the world, navigated a royal funeral 112 years ago.
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We're joined by longtime contributor to the show, author Joseph Ellis. He and Clay Jenkinson discuss the passing of the noted historian David McCullough. They also discuss the Constitution and what might happen if it is ever rewritten.
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My latest @GOVERNING essay: Philip and Elizabeth II named their firstborn son Charles, which would seem to be unpropitious when you consider the lives of the previous British kings (and pretenders) named Charles.
governing.com
The passing of the United Kingdom’s longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, sparks reflections on English history and former British kings named Charles. By George, the House of Windsor may have...
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My latest contribution to @GOVERNING, about diminishing respect for America's basic institutions. When you reach the nadir of public respect, how do you work your way back to a functioning republic?
governing.com
Our resident humanities scholar asks, what happens when the glue that holds our society together stops sticking?
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Gratuitous self-promotion. @dickinsonstate @TR_Center Annual Symposium is on this week! Attend VIRTUALLY: https://t.co/4jxg8m56Dt It happens to be on American sport 😉 @AnneBlaschke @ClayJenkinson @DrPorkpie @DrJeffWells
The phrase "daring greatly" in Teddy Roosevelt's famous 1910 speech "has overshadowed his broader point about the need for collective responsibility in a democracy. In today’s political milieu, the speech has a profound relevance." @MichaelCullina2
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Thomas Jefferson thought that each generation should rewrite its own founding document. A constitutional scholar talks about the changes that could have happened if Americans had taken Jefferson up on his challenge. @ClayJenkinson
https://t.co/ugtDQWCfvL
governing.com
Thomas Jefferson thought that each generation should rewrite its own founding document. A constitutional scholar talks about the changes that could have happened if Americans had taken Jefferson up...
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The Densmore/Lakota Songs Repatriation Project is a tremendous accomplishment by my dear friend David Swenson, now being gifted to the public. Details, songs, and video accessible to all at lakotasongs dot com.
bismarcktribune.com
This year's United Tribes Technical College International Powwow Week in Bismarck will feature the unveiling of a project that aims to revive Native songs.
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Clay Jenkinson is joined by Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky for a discussion about the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution @ClayJenkinson @lmchervinsky
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I was deeply disturbed by the assault on the novelist @SalmanRushdie at Lake Chautauqua, New York, on August 12. I wrote the following essay for @GOVERNING where you can find my weekly column.
governing.com
The 33-year ordeal of Salman Rushdie came to head with a knife attack at a venerable cultural venue in upstate New York. That the onstage stabbing took place in America is a grim reminder of the need...
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If there were only one state, it would have to be Montana. https://t.co/4zDZ6lxFjW
governing.com
This large and largely unpopulated western state with a rich history is pioneering a new future by setting aside several million acres of public and private land to serve as natural habitat for...
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En route to the first of a series of @vailsymposium conversations. If you find yourself near Vail this Wednesday (lucky you!!), do join us.
vailsymposium.org
In a new series from Vail Symposium, humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson gathers experts for a thoughtful, civil, rigorous and historically-grounded discussion on various controversial issues. The...
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Native American resilience in the face of N. American Europeanization is one of my greatest fascinations. With remarkable new initiatives & hope for reconciliation between cultures, @Interior Sec @DebHaalandNM is doing us all great service. @GOVERNING
https://t.co/dOIKAUrewo
governing.com
Confronting their harsh legacy, the United States has taken steps to establish a Native American Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It’s a move that’s long overdue.
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