The HISTORY Channel is doing something big. Really big. Not content with merely acknowledging America’s 250th birthday, they’re launching “HISTORY Honors 250,” a multi-year programming endeavor. And it all begins with “Thomas Jefferson,” a six-part docuseries that the network swears won’t just be a hagiography of the third president. Instead, it’s positioned as a balanced look at a founding father who was as brilliant as he was problematic. The big question, of course, is whether the series will truly grapple with the uncomfortable aspects of Jefferson’s legacy, namely his relationship with slavery, or if it will gloss over them in service of a more palatable narrative.
This isn’t just another biography; it’s an event. With unparalleled access to Monticello, courtesy of The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the series sets the stage for an examination of Jefferson’s life that has the potential to be more than just surface-level. The series will feature commentary from historians and, most interestingly, descendants of Jefferson himself. One wonders what insights they will provide, and how candid they’ll be. The series will explore his pivotal role in shaping American democracy while, hopefully, not shying away from the glaring contradiction of his participation in the institution of slavery. It’s a complicated dance, but one the network has to get right if this series, and the entire “HISTORY Honors 250” initiative, is to have any real credibility.
Will “Thomas Jefferson” be a true reevaluation of a founding father, or will it fall into the trap of celebrating a myth? Can a major television event genuinely address the most unsettling parts of our national story, or will it inevitably default to a more sanitized version of history? We’ll start getting some answers when the series premieres on Presidents’ Day and continues on February 18th and 19th. For the sake of the “Honors 250” initiative, let’s hope they get it right.
“Thomas Jefferson” is a RadicalMedia production for The HISTORY Channel. Executive producers are Jon Kamen, Dave Sirulnick, Meredith Bennett, and Stanley Nelson. Eli Lehrer and Jennifer Waggett serve as executive producers for The HISTORY Channel.