A split screen with a modern tourist stepping insode the painting of Ben Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson drafting the declaration of independence

WASHINGTON D.C. TOURS
JEFFERSON MEMORIAL

The BARDEUM Mobile App combines the magic of history, travel and storytelling by allowing visitors to not just see the sites, but step inside their stories.

“Laura Kamoie draws upon her deep knowledge and appreciation of Thomas Jefferson's unique contributions and deep contradictions in this lively and informative depiction of his role in shaping the foundation of the United States of America. More than that though, she shows us in a moving coda how Jefferson's work on the Declaration of Independence has inspired generations of people seeking the blessings of liberty ever since.”

Lars Hedbor, author of the Tales from a Revolution series

Testimonials

“With beautiful writing and a deep understanding of her subject matter, Laura Kamoie brings life to the young, conflicted, idealist, Thomas Jefferson, in the momentous summer of 1776, when he is asked to write the document that would change his life and forge a new nation.”

Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of Lily of the Nile & The Women of Chateau Lafayette

To Begin the World Again is an audiovisual tour for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C.

In May of 1776, at the age of 33, Thomas Jefferson was one of the youngest members of the Second Continental Congress. A political up-and-comer from Virginia, he was appointed to a small committee tasked with drafting a document to declare that the American colonies were to be free and independent states - absolved from all allegiance to the British crown.

The committee, which included John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, elected Jefferson as the principal drafter of this declaration of independence. Over the days that followed, Jefferson was largely sequestered away writing in his boardinghouse. His quill scratched the paper, black ink unwinding from the tip in an expression of the American mind against the tyranny of Britain.

Jefferson firmly believed in the necessity of ending slavery, yet knew his own hands were stained with his own tyranny. Could he incorporate abolition into this declaration?

Step inside the story of the creation of a document that would shape not only America’s history, but that of the World’s.