(humming "We on the Hill")
Thomas Jefferson is a central figure of the
American Enlightenment.
And Jefferson believes that science and human
reason are the surest paths to progress.
You can see this in his experimentations
with the farm labor.
In the latter part of the 18th
century, Jefferson is experimenting with wheat,
and he has ideas about how to improve 
his wheat harvest.
He creates this formulaic plan, and each enslaved laborer will work in exact equilibrium with
every other enslaved laborer, like one great machine.
Jefferson’s actual words were, "In this
way, the whole machine will move in exact equilibria.
Jefferson’s goal was to completely
 eliminate idle moments.
And the key to this plan was an ever-sharp scythe.
In the past, the men cutting the wheat—they took short breaks, so they could sharpen the scythes.
Jefferson had George Granger, the enslaved head foreman at Monticello, ride alongside
the mowers in a cart continuously sharpening and repairing these scythes.
So Jefferson applies this plan and it is a
success—the harvest comes in—yet it takes
twice as long, and the mowers actually cut more slowly.
Jefferson’s schemes were part of who he was.
And it might look good on paper, but it’s
not necessarily practical, won’t necessarily work.
It seems evident that Jefferson himself did
into account for the most obvious part,
which is human variabilty.
(humming "We on the Hill" fades out)
