Today historian Rick Britton talks about: Today in Virginia History – On June 3, 1800, partisan journalist James Callendar (1757-1803) was convicted of sedition in Richmond. He was sentenced to 9 months in jail & fined $200.

Born in Scotland, Callendar–who had published pamphlets critical of the British govt.–fled to Philadelphia in 1793. There he wrote anti-Federalist newspaper pieces critical of the George Washington & John Adams administrations, & a pamphlet exposing Alexander Hamilton’s extramarital affair. (All 3 men were Federalists.) After the passage by the Adams administration of the 1798 Alien & Sedition Acts–which made it illegal to say or publish something against the President–Callendar published another anti-Adams piece. Tried & convicted of sedition in Richmond 1800, Callendar–upon the election of Jeffersonian-Republican Thomas Jefferson–demanded that the new President pardon him, remit his fine, and appoint him Richmond city postmaster (a lucrative position). When the appointment didn’t come, Callendar turned on Jefferson, his former ally, and in Sept. of 1802 started publishing in Richmond the famous Sally Hemings pieces, saying that Jefferson had fathered children by his enslaved mistress and that it was “common knowledge” in the Charlottesville area. Callendar drowned in the James River in 1803.

ALSO: Rick is leading the following bus tour on Thursday, June 9 – It’s a one-day tour of early Albemarle County history featuring: the University of Virginia (the “hobby” of Jefferson’s old age), Charlottesville’s Court Square (the city’s oldest section), The Farm (where British Lieut. Col. Banastre Tarleton camped), lunch at historic Michie Tavern (a fine eating establishment), and Scottsville on the James. (Tour departs 9:00 a.m., returns between 5:30 & 6:30 p.m.) To register, call the Senior Center Travel Office at (434) 974-6538. See you at the Senior Center!