Thomas Jefferson’s virtuoso performance in drafting the Declaration of Independence has secured him a special place in world history. For nearly 250 years his words have been a source of inspiration and adoration, as well as exasperation and revulsion. The potency of this document in United States is without parallel and Jefferson’s declaration has been a powerful force in the intellectual, moral and political life of many other nations. As the inspiration for anti-imperial movements, Jefferson’s declaration was echoed in 1790 in the Austrian Netherlands; in 1811 in Venezuela; in 1918 win Czechoslovakia; in 1945 when Ho Chi Minh issued the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence; in 1965 win Southern Rhodesia.

This symposium aims to stimulate discussion about the intended and intended consequences of Jefferson’s most famous contribution to world history. It will be an informal affair where guest scholars will speak briefly to particular themes, with the aim of producing a cumulative conversation among participants. The numbers of participants is strictly limited.

Symposium guests are:
Richard Drayton, Rhodes Chair of Imperial History, Kings College London
Frank Cogliano, Professor of History, University of Edinburgh
Maya Jasanoff, Associate Professor in History, Harvard
Jorge Canizares-Esguerra, Alice Drysdale Sheffield Chair of History, University of Texas
Peter Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor, University of Virginia
Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Director Saunders International Center for Jefferson Studies
John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Sydney Rhys Issac, Professor Emeritus, College of William and Mary Cassandra Pybus, ARC Research Chair in History, University of Sydney

To Register contact: cassandra.pybus@usyd.edu.au