About

Join Monticello President and American historian Jane Kamensky to explore the past, present, and future of civic friendship and its ongoing relationship to our constitutional democracy. The talk centers on the relationship of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, founding friends in the 1770s who became factional foes in the 1790s, and distant enemies for over a decade thereafter. The remarkable rebuilding of their friendship, via letters, in the 1810s offers a compelling model of frank disagreement navigated through shared commitment to the American project. Kamensky discusses the ways Monticello is sharing their complex history to nourish the civic knowledge, skills and dispositions of its audience, and invites us to consider the ways that museums, historic sites, and other community learning partners can help revitalize the ties that bind Americans as a people.

A leading historian of early America and the United States, Dr. Kamensky appeared throughout the recent Florentine Films/Ken Burns documentary The American Revolution, on which she also served as a scholarly advisor.

Wine & cheese reception with speaker. Part three of the 2026 Summer Speaker Series

Tickets: $50/presentation, $95 couple/presentation, or $140/series.