For our series premiere, Annette Gordon-Reed joins Fintan O'Toole to discuss Thomas Jefferson's political convictions and contradictions, including his early drafts of the Declaration of Independence, his relationships with the Hemings family, and the contemporary resonance of his advocating for freedom within a racist society.

Annette Gordon-Reed is the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard. She is the author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, which won the Pulitzer Prize in History. Her latest book is Jefferson on Race: A Reader.

Endgame with Fintan O'Toole is a New York Review podcast. Our theme music is "Political World" by Bob Dylan, courtesy of Universal Music Publishing Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Our show art is designed by Jason Logan. And our producer is Erica Getto.

New episodes drop every Tuesday across podcast platforms and at YouTube.com/@nybooks. For more, head to nybooks.com.

Welcome to Endgame, where every week Fintan O'Toole will be exploring some of the major contradictions that have shaped the United States since its founding 250 years ago.

For our launch week, Fintan dropped by the New York Review offices to reflect on this "endgame" moment, as the midterms approach and the hopes of the world seem to hang on the outcome. After two years of building frustration with an administration that disregards core allies, the rule of law, and even Republican disaffection on issues like data centers, Fintan discusses the possibility of change set against the fundamental nature of American denialism.

Endgame with Fintan O'Toole is a New York Review podcast. Our show art is designed by Jason Logan. And our producer is Erica Getto.

New episodes drop every Tuesday across podcast platforms and at YouTube.com/@nybooks. For more, head to nybooks.com.