Jack Jouett: The Paul Revere of the South and the Night the British Came for Jefferson

On June 3, 1781, a lightning-fast British cavalry raid led by "Bloody Ban" Tarleton raced toward Charlottesville and Monticello with one mission: capture Virginia's lawmakers and Thomas Jefferson. In this America's Founding Series episode, Professor Nick Giordano tells the cinematic, largely forgotten story of Jack Jouett, the "Paul Revere of the South," whose all-night ride through the Virginia backcountry helped save the Revolutionary government from decapitation. You'll hear how Tarleton's raid unfolded, why Jefferson's escape was so close, and the timeless lesson Jouett leaves us about government vs governance and why republics survive only when citizens take responsibility before the system even wakes up.

Episode Highlights:

• Jack Jouett's midnight ride: the backcountry dash that beat Tarleton's dragoons to Monticello and Charlottesville • Tarleton's raid on Jefferson: what happened at Monticello and why Virginia's leaders fled to safety • The modern takeaway: why Jouett was forgotten, and how his story proves governance is a citizen's duty, not a bureaucrat's promise

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Timestamps

• 00:52 The Phantom Midnight Ride of Jack Jouett
• 05:26 The Urgency of Warning Jefferson
• 08:45 The Irony of Government Gratitude
• 09:15 Governance vs. Government

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