Book Launch: The Spirit of Inquiry in the Age of Jefferson

This book launch celebrated a special issue of the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society based on the APS’s Spring 2018 symposium on "The Spirit of Inquiry in the Age of Jefferson."

Held in commemoration of the 275th anniversary of the American Philosophical Society’s founding in 1743 and the birth of its long-time President, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826, APS 1780, President 1797-1814), the 2018 symposium was co-sponsored by the National Constitution Center, the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, and the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and explored the history of science, knowledge production, and learning during the Age of Jefferson (1743-1826).

The newly-published volume based on the symposium proceedings contains papers that touch on an enormous range of topics and fields--much like Jefferson's own intellectual life!

Andrew Wehrman, Endrina Tay, Diane Ehrenpreis, and Elizabeth Chew joined in conversation with Andrew O'Shaughnessy as they reflected on Jefferson's influence on scientific inquiry during the Early Republic.