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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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A top pick for anyone who wants to know more about Jefferson
One of the most celebrated figures in American history, he is now discussed in his own words with "In His Own Words: Thomas Jefferson". Drawing from Jefferson's own documents and writings, "In His Own Words: Thomas Jefferson" introduces a fresh picture of one of the most dear founding fathers and imparts wisdom about America through one of its most intellectual leaders. "In His Own Words: Thomas Jefferson" is a top pick for anyone who wants to know more about Jefferson. ... Read more

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Dive deep into the story of Thomas Jefferson's life anywhere you go: on a plane, on a mountain, in a canoe, under a tree.Or grab a flashlight and read Shmoop under the covers.Shmoop's award-winning Biographies are now available on your eReader. Shmoop eBooks are like having a trusted, fun, chatty, expert always by your side, no matter where you are (or how late it is at night).Shmoop Biographies offer fresh perspectives on great thinkers and doers. The biography includes a life story, family tree, resume of important works and accomplishments, jaw-dropping trivia and anecdotes, memorable quotes, and a timeline of formative events,Best of all, Shmoop's analysis aims to look at people from multiple points of view to give you the fullest understanding.After all, "there is no history, only histories" (Karl Popper). Experts and educators from top universities, including Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Harvard, have written guides designed to engage you and to get your brain bubbling. Shmoop is here to make you a better lover (of literature, history, life...) and to help you make connections to other historical moments, works of literature, current events, and pop culture. These learning guides will help you sink your teeth into the past.For more information, check out http://www.shmoop.com/biography ... Read more

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Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, with good reason: His life was a great American drama–one of the greatest–played out in compelling acts. He was the architect of our democracy, a visionary chief executive who expanded this nation’s physical boundaries to unimagined lengths. But Twilight at Monticello is something entirely new: an unprecedented and engrossing personal look at the intimate Jefferson in his final years that will change the way readers think about this true American icon. It was during these years–from his return to Monticello in 1809 after two terms as president until his death in 1826–that Jefferson’s idealism would be most severely, and heartbreakingly, tested.

Based on new research and documents culled from the Library of Congress, the Virginia Historical Society, and other special collections, including hitherto unexamined letters from family, friends, and Monticello neighbors, Alan Pell Crawford paints an authoritative and deeply moving portrait of Thomas Jefferson as private citizen–the first original depiction of the man in more than a generation.

Here, told with grace and masterly detail, is Jefferson with his family at Monticello, dealing with illness and the indignities wrought by early-nineteenth-century medicine; coping with massive debt and the immense costs associated with running a grand residence; navigating public disputes and mediating family squabbles; receiving dignitaries and corresponding
with close friends, including John Adams, the Marquis de Lafayette, and other heroes from the Revolution. Enmeshed as he was in these affairs during his final years, Jefferson was still a viable political force, advising his son-in-law Thomas Randolph during his terms as Virginia governor, helping the administration of his good friend President James Madison during the “internal improvements” controversy, and establishing the first wholly secular American institution of higher learning, the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. We also see Jefferson’s views on slavery evolve, along with his awareness of the costs to civil harmony exacted by the Founding Fathers’ failure to effectively reconcile slaveholding within a republic dedicated to liberty.

Right up until his death on the fiftieth anniversary of America’s founding, Thomas Jefferson remained an indispensable man, albeit a supremely human one. And it is precisely that figure Alan Pell Crawford introduces to us in the revelatory Twilight at Monticello.

'Crawford (Thunder on the Right) offers his own equally compelling look, in this case at Jefferson's life, post-presidency, from 1809 until his death in 1826. Then a private citizen, Jefferson was burdened by financial and personal and political struggles within his extended family. His beloved estate, Monticello, was costly to maintain and Jefferson was in debt. Newly studying primary sources, Crawford thoroughly conveys the pathos of Jefferson's last years, even as he successfully established the University of Virginia (America's first wholly secular university) and maintained contact with James Madison, John Adams, and other luminaries. He personally struggled with political, moral, and religious issues; Crawford shows us a complex, self-contradictory, idealistic, yet tragic figure, helpless to stabilize his family and finances. Historians and informed readers alike will find much to relish in both of these distinctive works of original scholarship. Both are recommended for academic and large public libraries.
–Library Journal

“In "Twilight at Monticello," Alan Pell Crawford treats his subject with grace and sympathetic understanding, and with keen penetration as well, showing the great man's contradictions (and hypocrisies) for what they were.”
–Wall Street Journal


“Like all people,... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

An Enjoyable Read
What an enjoyable read. Brings to light the Jefferson of Virginia, not the Jefferson of America. A great man with faults like all men, Jefferson proved that love of family can blind the most brilliant. Kudos to Mr. Crawford for a well written, detailed account of this founding father.

Twilight at Monticello:Final Years of Thomas Jefferson
Have been purchasing every quality Jefferson book for my personal research on someone I've admired for some time.Copiously taking notes, and this detailed background material was quality and interesting reading.

Worth the Read
A very good book. A fairly easy read (I finished it in a single cross-country flight) however very difficult in the sense that the ending of one of our greatest Founders was so very tragic.Jefferson was a great man who deserved a better end.I thought I had pretty much read it all and knew a lot about his life, but this book was a revelation.

Fills in a picture of the man and his post public service years
Alan Crawford's "Twilight at Monticello" fills in the often overlooked portion of Thomas Jefferson's life -- the period after he left the national stage. Conventional biographies of Jefferson focus on his role and years in the Revolutionary War, as ambassador to France, and as president and treat his final years as a footnote.Crawford makes this period of Jefferson's life the focus of the book.

Crawford focuses on how Jefferson lived his life at Monticello in his post-presidential years, on his relationship with his family members, his mounting debt problems, and his drive to create the University of Virginia, which Jefferson himself considered to be one of his greatest contributions. It paints a picture of a land-rich, money-poor member of Virginia's aristocracy with liberal, for the time, views on democracy and republican values.Crawford's narrative on Jefferson's relationship with his extended family, and the relationship the family members had with each other, is a reminder that there's good and bad in any family.And it shows how his philosophy on church, state, and religion was a key factor in his drive to create the University of Virginia as a secular institution based on enlightenment principles.

About the only complaint I have about the book, and it's minor in the grand scheme, is that some chapters come across more as footnotes as opposed to integrated parts of the greater narrative -- it comes across as disjointed at times.However, these vignettes do serve the purpose of filling in the picture of Thomas Jefferson.

Another Interesting Study From Crawford
Alan Pell Crawford's Twilight at Monticello is something of a sequel in both tone and subject to his earlier book, Unwise Passions: A True Story of a Remarkable Woman---and the First Great Scandal of Eighteenth-Century America.As was the case with his previous work, Crawford utilizes a member of the Randolph clan (in this case, Thomas Jefferson) to make some salient comments about life today.In particular, Jefferson's struggles with debt seem painfully familiar to anyone who has been even casually following events over the past year.

However, instead of being a thinly veiled polemic, Crawford creates a portrayal of Jefferson that's both nuanced and admiring.Crawford pulls few punches in showing how Jefferson professed a set of ideals, but frequently acted in a manner that was contrary to those stated principles.Crawford derives a plausible explanation for the dichotomy between Jefferson's words and actions: which is that while Jefferson always strove to change the world to meet the ideals he was professing, he sensibly dealt with a situation using the standards of the time when "reality" presented an opportunity or challenge that needed to be addressed before these ideals were realized.Thus, Crawford shows that Jefferson was less of a hypocrite than his critics charge and more of a pragmatist.This explanation has relevance to today's politician or policy maker.

The term "graceful" has been used elsewhere to describe Crawford's writing, and I can't think of a better adjective to employ.Crawford gracefully shows Jefferson with all of his strengths and shortcomings to give the reader a good picture of the subject.It isn't a perfect study (I didn't think the brief introduction on Jefferson's early years and presidency was needed...serious Jefferson students already know the material presented, and the casual/new Jefferson student isn't given enough material to make a lasting impression).Still, Crawford once again produces a historical analysis that does credit to its subject and provides valuable lessons for the reader.
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This work offers the best of both worlds: broad analysis of the first five presidential administrations and specific excerpts from original documents supporting and opposing the presidents' positions. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe speak for themselves as they argue for their positions on the key political, social, and economic issues of their time in excerpts from primary sources. Excerpts from opposing positions on each issue give the presidents' critics a voice. An explanatory overview of each issue will help students to understand the argument and the context of the issue and to apply critical thinking skills to their understanding. The section on each president includes entries on 4-5 key issues of his administration, from the president's title at the beginning of Washington's administration to American Indian removal at the close of Monroe's term. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (16)

The topic is not "settled"
The issue is not settled despite what many now say.The Hemings issue is now embroiled in personal feelings and issues of race and slavery, rather than logic.Read this book, and others, and consider the topic thoughtfully.If your answer to those that say Jefferson may not be the father of Sally Hemings children is that "you are disgusting and racist", then your thinking is confused and confounded by other issues.Jefferson is one possible father, but there are others that are still as plausible.It is NOT proven.

Many now see this Jefferson as an analogy or use him as a metaphor for race in this country.He is not a metaphor.If someone is using him, a person, as a metaphor, their thinking is clouded.The debate is not slavery or race, it is about Jefferson and truth.Keep seeking truth.Anyone who now claims to know the truth about Jefferson, is clearly wrong, and has closed their mind.

Outstanding case study of the topic of Jefferson's paternity
Mr. Hyland's book provides a well-written, logical, and technically supported review of an issue which has been abused by the politically-correct crowd and those intent on rewriting history...namely, his alleged paternity of his slave's children as initially published in 1802 by a political muckraker. The issue grew legs after a highly controversial and misleading publication of the dna test and the possibility of Jefferson's paternity and spawned several books and articles denigrating Jefferson's character, motivations, and value to our country, all the while using a misleading application of said dna test, hear-say, innuendo and imagination as the mainstay of their assumptions.

Hyland brings witnesses for and against the defendant, and discusses their significance to the case; their testimony being their written statements (or books) on the subject of Jefferson's character and actions. Most interesting and surprising are those allied against Jefferson.There is an apparent concerted effort and collusion between an eminent Jeffersonian history scholar at the university Jefferson founded, together with individuals at the foundation responsible for the maintenance of Jefferson's home and other noted history and law professors, all intent on denigrating Jefferson's legacy and his effect on our nation for reasons not quite clear.

There is some allusion to an effort at moral equivalency with the timing of the Jefferson/Hemings dna release coinciding with the Clinton impeachment.Then there are those who are apparently intent on making Jefferson the posterboy for racial inequality, mysogeny, and miscegenation and making up history, or dismissing documented history, to effect their ends.Throughout the book the underlying idea is that Jefferson is being assaulted by loosely termed (and in some cases discredited) "historians" with the idea of "presentism"; or a manner of reviewing and judging the subject through the glasses of our present social myopia instead of basing the history on known facts from another place in time.It is one thing to assume that because one child of Hemings carried a Jefferson paternal haplotype (along with about 24 other sexually mature male Jeffersons) that he was related to a Jefferson; it is another thing entirely to base one's credibilty on the available facts and decree that Jefferson fathered any or all Hemings' children.

This book is a refreshing new look at this issue without the emotional, racial, and political foment that has been wrought by those with an axe to grind.

What does the jury say?
I write this review as a reader who was dissatisfied with this book, and as one who enjoys responding to Herb Barger's pendantic diatribes.

I agree with the reviewer who complains that Hyland's book is full of historical errors. This is not scholarly history, and many of the facts are out of context or sloppily presented. The research is extremely weak, and few, if any primary resources are cited.The truth is that this book is not history.It is an argument, a lawyer's brief.However, I think the book is worth reading, if for no better reason than it clearly and rationally outlines many of the reasons why some people can not accept the alternative point of view.Mr. Hyland defends the opinion of Herb Barger and the other defenders of Jefferson's reputation as a lawyer would.In a court of law, one needs only to defend his client by introducing doubt, but proof is not required.I think that Hyland does a wonderful job of introducing doubt, and does a good job of keeping the jury undecided, but his book does not constitute proof nor even a strong argument.Stronger, more thoroughly researched, and better presented arguments have been made by the opposing side.

The best chapters are those that explain what the DNA evidence really proves, the political background to Madison Hemings' interview for Life Among the Lowly, and why Randolph Jefferson is a good alternative candidate.However, why Randolph Jefferson was never blamed by the family and has only become a candidate since the DNA evidence suggested a Jefferson fathered Eston Hemings is never discussed.Why drag the name of the Carr brothers through the mud, especially as Randolph died before his brother and had less to lose by reputation?The weakest chapters are the first ones, particularly the unsupported arguments that Jefferson's health was too poor,and the oft repeated family stories, which are not weighed with the same level of scepticism as Madison Hemings'.The attempts to demean Annette Gordon Reed and Lucia Stanton, among others come across as offensive, particularly as the source of these stories appears to be Herb Barger!Rather than attack these people on a personal level, which happens repeatedly in this book, I would have preferred stronger debate of the facts.

There are better and shorter books that defend Jefferson and are worth reading.It is clear that Hyland borrows heavily from them.I'm sure that Herb would be willing to provide a list.

An Ugly Book
It would take at least two books to address all the inaccuracies in William G. Hyland Jr.'s poorly written book.But wait, those books have been written.For anyone interested in the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, I highly recommend that after reading Hyland's book you read or re-read Annette Gordon-Reed's two books: "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy," and "The Hemings of Monticello: An American Family."Gordon-Reed demolishes Hyland's arguments that Thomas Jefferson was not the father of Sally Hemings children.Hyland falls into the same mindset as those who argued and continue to argue against the Jefferson-Hemings relationship.Specifically, (1) Hyland discounts the statements of Madison Hemings and other African Americans and accepts without question those of Jefferson's white relatives and other whites, (2) He falls back on the character defense that posits that Jefferson was too refined and sophisticated to have a sexual relationship with a slave.Really?Jefferson owned from 150 to 200 slaves for most of his adult life.He had slaves who ran away hunted down and brought back to Monticello.He had "uppity" slaves whipped.And, unlike other Virginians, such as Edward Coles, he freed only a handful of slaves (guess which ones?)So much for the character defense. (3) When the DNA evidence linked a Jefferson to being the father of Eston Hemings, thereby demolishing the Jefferson apologists favorite poster boys--Samuel and/or Peter Carr--for fatherhood of Sally's children, Hyland trots out Randolph Jefferson based in part on a laughable genetic hypothesis as the father. But Hyland's most egregious efforts are reserved for character attacks on Gordon-Reed and other Jefferson scholars.Hyland comes across as mean-spirited and paranoid.The attacks have the same tone as those on Sally Hemings' character by James Callender and contemporary Thomas Jefferson paternity deniers.

If you want the truth about "revisionist" history read this book!
The last 40 years in American historiography have seen the rise of the "revisionist" historian. These historians take a political stance and ramrod all history through this prism. The larger issues of race and gender as well as the "hot potato" of slavery has clouded the judgment of many people when considering the EVIDENCE of the Jefferson-Hemmings "affair".They want to take down the heroic image of a "rich, white, man" and elevate the stature of a poor slave woman. This is all well and good IF and ONLY IF the evidence bears this out. Unfortunately for many paternity believers, the historical evidence points toward another Jefferson as the father of Eston Hemmings (the DNA match). We can see the same brand of revisionism at work in communist theory "popular histories", feminist theory histories, and queer theory histories that manipulate the evidence to prove Jefferson raped a 14 year old slave, or Michelangelo was homosexual, or Julius Caesar was attempting to overthrow Rome's bourgeoisie and thus was murdered. Believe it or not, books have been written attempting to prove all this.

As someone who reads a lot of history, I can give the reader of this review an easy way to tell if you are reading good, solid history, or revisionist BS -- if the author is "psychoanalyzing" the person in question it's bunk. Ask any psychologist if they would feel comfortable offering authoritative statements about a person they have never had "on their couch."Historians can't use Freudian approaches to come to new conclusions about people who lived centuries ago.

If you think Jefferson had a sexual relationship with Sally Hemmings, read this book. Then read a pro-paternity book. Ask yourself who uses more evidence and who is relying on psychological interpretations and modern ideas to establish historical FACT. ... Read more

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In this new concise biography Thomas Jefferson historian R.B. Bernstein finds the key to this enigmatic Founder not as a great political figure, but as leader of a "revolution of ideas that would make the world over again".

Bernstein examines Jefferson's strengths and weaknesses, his achievements and failures, his triumphs, contradictions, and failings. Thomas Jefferson details his luxurious (and debt-burdened) life as a Virginia gentleman to his passionate belief in democracy, from his tortured defense of slavery to his relationship with Sally Hemings. An architect, inventor, writer, diplomat, propagandist, planter, party leader Jefferson was multifaceted, and Bernstein explores these roles even as he illuminates Jefferson's central place in American enlightenment the "revolution of ideas" that did so much to create the nation we are today. Bernstein also examines the less-remembered points in Jefferson's thinking the nature of the Union, his vision of who was entitled to citizenship, his dread of debt (both personal and national).

Thomas Jefferson is the latest title in the Oxford Portraits series, which offers informative and insightful biographies of people whose lives shaped their times and continue to influence ours. Each volume in the series is heavily based on primary documents, including writings by and about each subject. Every Oxford Portrait is illustrated with a wealth of photographs, original letters, manuscripts, and memorabilia that frame the personality and achievements of its subject against the backdrop of history. Every volume in the series can be incorporated into the American history curriculum at the middle and high school levels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great High School Introduction
Having read and thoroughly enjoying Bernstein's earlier biography of Thomas Jefferson, I decided to give THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE REVOLUTION OF IDEAS, a look. Like his earlier work, this is a wonderful introduction to Jefferson, however this book is geared towards the school age reader.

Much of the text is identical to the earlier biography.The most significant difference is the addition of dozens of illustrations, from portraits of Jefferson's friends, family, and foes, and political cartoons.

My single knock on Bernstein's book is the same knock I had on his previous work.Bernstein adamantly portrays Jefferson as a "strict separationist", which in and of itself is accurate. However he fails to recognize that what constituted a "strict separationist" 200 years ago is much different than the definition given in today's climate of political correctness gone awry. Bernstein seems genuinely perplexed that Jefferson "sent Christian missionaries to establish schools in western territories to educate Native Americans - and convert them to Christianity." As with extremists today, Bernstein fails to understand that Jefferson's actions did not violate the First Amendment in that "Congress made no law respecting the establishment of religion."

I could spend all day writing about how mixed up people are about what the First Amendment means and how it was intended by our framers, but that strays from the subject at hand.All in all, this is a great introduction for school children and should capture their interest and perhaps, lead them into more indepth study of one of our greatest leaders.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com
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The life of Thomas Jefferson as told by James Schouler in 1893.

According to Wikipedia:

James Schouler (March 20, 1839 - 1920), American lawyer and historian, was born in West Cambridge (now Arlington), Massachusetts.

He was the son of William Schouler (1814-1872), who from 1847 to 1853 edited the Boston Atlas, one of the leading Whig journals of New England. The son graduated at Harvard in 1859, studied law in Boston and was admitted to the bar there in 1862. In 1869 he removed to Washington, where for three years he published the United States Jurist.

After his return to Boston, in 1874, he devoted himself to office practice and to literary pursuits. He was a lecturer at Boston University School of Law between 1885 and 1903, a non-resident professor and lecturer in the National University Law School, Washington, DC, in 1887-1909, and a lecturer on American history and constitutional law at Johns Hopkins University in 1908. In 1896-1897 he was president of the American Historical Association.

Schouler is best known, however, as an historian; his most important work being a History of the United States under the Constitution, 1789-1865 (7 vols, 1880-1917). The components include: v. 1. 1783-1801. Rule of Federalism.-- v. 2. 1801-1817 Jefferson Republicans online--v. 3. 1817-1831 Era of good feeling.-- James Schouler (1917). History of the United States of America. --v. 5. 1847-1861. Free soil controversy, online v. 6. 1861-1865. The civil war.-- James Schouler (1913). History of the United States of America.

Among his other publications are:

* A Life of Thomas Jefferson (1893)
* James Schouler (1896). Historical Briefs. Dodd, Mead.
* Constitutional Studies, State and Federal (1897)
* A brief Life of Alexander Hamilton (1901)
* Americans of 1776 (1906)
* Ideals of the Republic (1908)

His legal treatises are:

* The Law of Domestic Relations (1870)
* The Law of Personal Property (1872-1876; new ed., 1907)
* The Law of Bailments (1880)
* The Law of Executors and Administrators (1883)
* The Law of Husband and Wife (1882)
* The Law of Wills (1910)
... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on April 9, 1998. The length of the article is 756 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Jefferson, Kennedy y Clinton: mujeres, mujeres, mujeres. (Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy y Bill Clinton, presidentes estadunidenses)(TT: Jefferson, Kennedy and Clinton: women, women, women) (TA: Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, US presidents)
Author: Antonio Haas
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: April 9, 1998
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Volume: v44Issue: n2338Page: p29(1)

Article Type: Biography

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Jefferson-s chronicle of the natural, social, and political history of Virginia is at once a scientific discourse, an attempt to define America, and a brilliant examination of the idea of freedom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Notes on the state of Virginia
This is a little dryer than I thought it would be. Very factual and less personal. I did find information about the incident I was interested in so was worth my purchase.

Notes on the State of Virginia
Jefferson's (my hero) only published book gave me yet another insight into the Monticello....thanks for the very old book's copy!

This was obviously never proofread.
The text of the 10.55 paperback edition is nearly illegible. Some pages are entirely in computer code, and there are countless severe typographical errors on every page. If you have any intention of reading this text, do not buy the copy pictured on the product page.

Notes on the State of Virginia
I never received this book !

Notes on the State of Virginia (Penguin Classics) (Purchased on 04/24/2009)

Caveat Emptor
This is a comment on the quality of the binding...not the content of the book (which I haven't read).I ordered this as a gift and specifically chose the "hardbound" copy instead of the "paperback" because it was a gift and I assumed at the price ($63.96) that it would be beautifully bound and keepsake quality.I was nothing less than shocked to receive a small book bound in the manner of children's books.(For those familiar with Nancy Drew books, it's about that size with that type of binding...thin plastic over cardboard and no dust jacket.)I am returning this and ordering the paperback version and using the remaining $50 to buy another gift to go along with it. ... Read more

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Thomas Jefferson has been dead for over 175 years, yet he still impacts modern life more than any single individual in history. Thomas Jefferson, A Free Mind is a collection of essays about this remarkable individual. ... Read more

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None of the founding fathers seems more elusive than Thomas Jefferson.A Virginian nationalist, a slave-holding philosophe, an aristocratic democrat, a provincial cosmopolitan, a pacific imperialist--the paradoxes loom as meaningful and portentous as America itself.Indeed, they represent the deep contradictions of his policies as well as personality, laid bare here in a provocative study of Jefferson's statecraft.
Empire of Liberty takes a new look at the public life, thought, and ambiguous legacy of one of America's most revered statesmen, offering new insight into the meaning of Jefferson in the American experience.Robert Tucker and David Hendrickson vividly portray a complex man driven by his passion for liberty and his longing for a vast empire. They explore how Jefferson developed a new approach to diplomacy in the course of his bitter debates with Alexander Hamilton.This new diplomacy joined a policy of territorial and commercial expansion with a dread of war and a reliance on economic sanctions.It was with such an outlook that Jefferson met the two great crises of his presidency: the threat to American security posed by the French acquisition of Louisiana and the restrictions on American commerce prompted by the death struggle between Britain and France. The policy produced paradoxical success in the Louisiana crisis but led to complete failure in the form of the Embargo.Taken to escape the alternatives of national humiliation and war, the Embargo led first to humiliation and then, ultimately, to war.The system of war that Jefferson had hoped after hope to reform by the Embargo was not reformed.In the end, Jefferson came close to embracing measures which called into question almost every principle of government he professed to believe.
Empire of Liberty examines Jefferson's legacy for American foreign policy in the light of several critical themes which continue to be highly significant today: the struggle between isolationists and interventionists, the historic ambivalence over the nation's role as a crusader for liberty, and the relationship between democracy and peace.Written by two distinguished scholars, this book provides invaluable insight into the classic ideas of American diplomacy.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Empire of Liberty
By examining United States foreign policy between 1783 and 1809 in their book "Empire of Liberty," Robert W. Tucker and David C. Hendrickson put the myth of Thomas Jefferson under fire. Tucker and Hendrickson's central thesis is that Jefferson's statecraft wavered between two contradictory principles of liberty and empire. While president, Jefferson often found himself torn between pursuing a foreign policy role that provided examples of liberty, and a role as an "active crusader in international affairs" (Chaudhuri, American Political Science Review, September 1991). Tucker and Hendrickson claim that Jefferson tried in vain to accomplish both of these conflicting goals. The aim of his "new diplomacy" was to pursue the traditional ends of security and prestige while renouncing the traditional means of entangling alliances and wars that had been constantly used by European powers in the past (Mayer, Washington Post, August 2, 1990). Instead, Jefferson would rely upon what he called "peaceable coercion"--a foreign policy establishing security by commercial arrangements, through the force of American ideals. Jefferson believed that liberty and empire could go hand in hand in the formation of United States foreign policy.
Tucker and Hendrickson analyze several policies during the Jefferson administration to give historiographical context to their argument. The 1803 Louisiana Purchase is mentioned as a case in point. On the surface, the acquisition of almost half a continent at a negligible price was a great triumph of statecraft. Jefferson believed that this incredible land acquisition "preserved the republican character of the Union by removing the presence of dangerous neighbors and the prospect of wars that must result in the imposition of unbearable burdens on society" (Dallek, New York Times, July 1, 1990). It also insured that a predominantly agricultural political economy would be sustained while the United States experienced a steady increase in population. The Louisiana Purchase appeared to be clearly within the interests of the United States.
However, Tucker and Hendrickson point out that in order to make this purchase, Jefferson abandoned several of his sacred principles of liberty. In acquiring Louisiana, Jefferson abandoned his deeply held commitment to strict construction of the Constitution, which did not specifically mention a power to acquire territory (Dallek 1990). Tucker and Hendrickson question this abandonment of principle in light of the circumstances revolving around the purchase. They point out that Napoleon would most likely have not repudiated the agreement if action had been delayed, and that the speedy ratification of the treaty that Jefferson advocated was not necessary (Cunningham, Journal of the Early Republic, September 1991). Like Henry Adams, whose history of Jefferson's administration the authors admire and frequently draw upon, Tucker and Hendrickson emphasize the president's abandonment of strict construction in regard to the Louisiana Purchase as evidence of his desire to establish an empire.
This book has many notable strengths. Tucker and Hendrickson advance their ideas with a portrayal of Jefferson's statecraft that is very comprehensive. Most of the main foreign policy circumstances and events of the Jefferson era are described in detail--in addition to the Louisiana Purchase and policies regarding Native Americans, the authors provide comprehensive analysis on the maritime crisis with Great Britain, and Jefferson's views on Napoleon. Tucker and Hendrickson give a freshness to historical subjects of the Jeffersonian era that have already been mulled over by countless historians.
Along with its strengths, a couple weaknesses exist in "Empire of Liberty." Occasionally the authors press their points too hard. Although Jefferson somewhat abandoned his embrace of free trade in 1807, Tucker and Hendrickson exaggerate his original devotion to the principle. Additionally, labeling him as a "true believer in strict constructionism" until the Louisiana Purchase ignores his acceptance of Hamiltonian policies from the inception of his administration (Kaplan, Journal of American History, June 1991). Tucker and Hendrickson's critique of Jefferson's foreign policy is perhaps somewhat overbearing.
Regardless of any shortcomings Tucker and Hendrickson's analysis may have, they do an exceptional job of making a definite contribution to Jeffersonian literature. They create a picture of Jefferson somewhat different than the image conveyed by such historians as Gilbert Chinard, Merrill Peterson and Dumas Malone. "Empire of Liberty" tends to lean more towards to so-called "darker side" of Jefferson represented by the work of Leonard Levy. Overall, by provoking thoughts on Jeffersonian foreign policy, Tucker and Hendrickson's work contributes monumentally to the discourse on the life of Thomas Jefferson. ... Read more

Product Description

Thomas Jefferson was an avid book-collector, a voracious reader, and a gifted writer--a man who prided himself on his knowledge of classical and modern languages and whose marginal annotations include quotations from Euripides, Herodotus, and Milton. And yet there has never been a literary life of our most literary president.
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- In The Road to Monticello, Kevin J. Hayes fills this important gap by offering a lively account of Jefferson's spiritual and intellectual development, focusing on the books and ideas that exerted the most profound influence on him. Moving chronologically through Jefferson's life, Hayes reveals the full range and depth of Jefferson's literary passions, from the popular "small books" sold by traveling chapmen, such as The History of Tom Thumb, which enthralled him as a child; to his lifelong love of Aesop's Fables and Robinson Crusoe; his engagement with Horace, Ovid, Virgil and other writers of classical antiquity; and his deep affinity with the melancholy verse of Ossian, the legendary third-century Gaelic warrior-poet. Drawing on Jefferson's letters, journals, and commonplace books, Hayes offers a wealth of new scholarship on the print culture of colonial America, reveals an intimate portrait of Jefferson's activities beyond the political chamber, and reconstructs the president's investigations in such different fields of knowledge as law, history, philosophy and natural science. Most importantly, Hayes uncovers the ideas and exchanges which informed the thinking of America's first great intellectual and shows how his lifelong pursuit of knowledge culminated in the formation of a public offering, the "academic village" which became UVA, and his more private retreat at Monticello.
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- Gracefully written and painstakingly researched, The Road to Monticello provides an invaluable look at Jefferson's intellectual and literary life, uncovering the roots of some of the most important--and influential--ideas that have informed American history.

Customer Reviews (14)

Educational, insightful, and a great read
Originally purchased this book as a gift for a friend who loves TJ. Same day, without knowing that I had gotten it, he purchased it too. I ended up reading the book and absolutely loved it. I became a TJ and a Hayes convert. The book flows well, is very well researched, builds a well rounded TJ, without overly emphasizing his greatness or leaving out his shortcomings, and does all this by integrating TJ's life into the bigger picture of American history.

Inspiring
"The Road to Monticello" is a most enjoyable biography to read, and one that does justice to an incredible man. Enjoyable, because Jefferson's life-long dedication to study and knowledge is truly inspiring, making one realize the importance of self-study in a day and age where it has become almost abnormal to do so. Additionally, the attention to detail in this book is phenomenal. The book does not attempt to do the impossible of encompassing every aspect of Jefferson's life, but the things it does cover, are covered so well that the reader does not need to worry about filling in holes. The attention to detail also makes it a very personal account of Jefferson.

Hayes's writing is sophisticated and the book is well researched, something remarkable provided how many literary works it describes. Often, one gets the feeling that Hayes has truly made new discoveries about Jefferson not found anywhere else. It is an amazing scholarly work.

However, I have to warn people who are looking for a complete biography of Jefferson that this book is not it. I highly recommend it to those wanting to get to know Jefferson more profoundly in terms of what he studied and what mattered to him, or for those simply looking for inspiration from a great man.

Book on books
If all you want to know is what books Jefferson purchased, then this is the book for you.

tghe road to monticello
This is a good book for people who want to read about the books that Jefferson read and had in his library.You would need to read some other book on his life to get the historical perspective.It is well written but I think most readers would think it is extreamly dry.

This one is for the Bibliophiles
One of the most interesting biographies I've ever read. If you're looking for relational or historical details of Thomas Jefferson's life- this is not the book for you. If you have a borderline unhealthy love for books- hit that purchase button.

This book can be summarized on page 564, "The Retirement Library" where Jefferson comments to Adams that "I cannot live without books."

Hayes did an excellent job relating Jefferson's life through the spectrum of books he read- from boyhood until his deathbed. Whether you like Jefferson or not- it is easy to appreciate his thirst for knowledge. Each chapter was perfect in length. Hayes' use of the English language is refreshing- I always enjoy learning plenty of new words.

I actually cried...almost sobbed...in the chapter that his wife died. People seemed much more romantic then...Martha wrote "Time wastes too fast, every letter I trace tells me with what rapidity life follows my pen. The days and hours of it are flying over our heads like clouds of a windy day never to return- more everything presses on." And Jefferson responds, "and every time I kiss thy hand to bid adieu, every absence which follows it, are preludes to that eternal separation which we are shortly to make." ahh, what a good book. ... Read more

Product Description
Thomas Jefferson chapter from Facts about the Presidents, featuring data on the president-s background, life, and administration. Here you will find comprehensive,-uniformly arranged data on birth, family, education, nomination and election, congressional sessions, cabinet and Supreme Court appointments, vice president, first lady, and more--highlighting both the personal and political. Bibliographies guide readers to additional information on the president. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Facts about the Presidents
I know this product well of old. I have previous editions. I enjoyed the current edition. I am a history lover so this well within my experience

Now in a fully updated eighth edition
Now in a fully updated eighth edition, "Facts About The Presidents From George Washington To Barack Obama" is an essential, core addition to every school and community library. Divided into two distinct parts, "Facts About The Presidents" offers biographical data on all 44 of America's presidents, as well as comparative data with respects to presidential chronology, family history, personal background, education and career, residence, physical characteristics, death and burial, commemoratives, and general statistics. Of special note is the section devoted to presidential elections, conventions, candidates, election returns, the vice-presidents, and more. "Facts About The Presidents" is an 816-page compendium of superbly researched, organized and presented information covering everything from presidential vetos to presidential salaries, making it an invaluable reference for students as well as an engaging browse for non-specialist general readers with an interest in those who have held the office and responsibility of presiding over the nation from its founding to the present day.
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Product Description

Thomas Jefferson designed his own tombstone, describing himself simply as "Author of the Declaration of Independence and of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia." It is in this simple epitaph that R.B. Bernstein finds the key to this enigmatic Founder--not as a great political figure, but as leader of "a revolution of ideas that would make the world over again."
       In Thomas Jefferson, Bernstein offers the definitive short biography of this revered American--the first concise life in six decades.  Bernstein deftly synthesizes the massive scholarship on his subject into a swift, insightful, evenhanded account.  Here are all of Jefferson's triumphs, contradictions, and failings, from his luxurious (and debt-burdened) life as a Virginia gentleman to his passionate belief in democracy, from his tortured defense of slavery to his relationship with Sally Hemings. Jefferson was indeed multifaceted--an architect, inventor, writer, diplomat, propagandist, planter, party leader--and Bernstein explores all these roles even as he illuminates Jefferson's central place in the American enlightenment, that "revolution of ideas" that did so much to create the nation we know today. Together with the less well-remembered points in Jefferson's thinking--the nature of the Union, his vision of who was entitled to citizenship, his dread of debt (both personal and national)--they form the heart of this lively biography.
       In this marvel of compression and comprehension, we see Jefferson more clearly than in the massive studies of earlier generations. More important, we see, in Jefferson's visionary ideas, the birth of the nation's grand sense of purpose.

Customer Reviews (48)

There must be better Jefferson biography out there
Bought this book based on the reviews here.Enjoyed the book. But as some other reviewers said, it's not a page turner. The writing... is just ok. Having read the Founding Brothers (highly recommend it), this book somehow doesn't provide the richness in writing or in content.

Revolutionary Enigma
Well written. Well organized. Enjoyed this read very much.

Learned several things about the period and Jefferson's role in it. Learned very little about the man. This is a brief recounting focusing on Jefferson's political life. Despite the fact that the man wrote literally 1000s of letters, Jefferson remains one of the most, er, "hidden" figures in American History from a personal standpoint.

Bernstein acknowledges this with his closing paragraph in the book:

"...whether he would even comprehend the United States in the first years of the twenty-first century, Jefferson's shadow looms large over us, thanks to the conflicting influences of his thinking, doing, and - most important - his writing. That truth alone requires each generation to reacquaint itself with the life and work of Thomas Jefferson, and to grapple with his ambiguous legacies."

If you are lookin' for a brief catalog of important events driven or influenced by our third president, this is a book fabulous for that purpose.

If you are lookin' for an indepth character evaluation and to learn more about the man himself, you'll need to look elsewhere. Good luck with that. From what I've been able to determine such a book does not exist. I have come to the conclusion that it never will.

The great enigma of the Revolutionary period. Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson Lite
When Dumas Malone wrote Jefferson's biography, it took him six volumes at about 500 pages a pop. Bernstein does it in a single volume with a mere 200 pages. Clearly, some detail is missing, but for what it is, "Thomas Jefferson" gives a lot of bang. Bernstein outlined the work using the three accomplishments Jefferson requested to have listed as his epitaph: author of the Declaration of Independence, author of a statute of religious rights, and father of the University of Virginia.

Bernstein highlights these accomplishments and couches their significance in descriptions of the culture, economics, and political climate of the time. A number of Jefferson's achievements get glossed over in the process. His eight years as president, for example, fly by in about eight pages.

For a short book on a long subject, however, Bernstein performs admirably. I strongly recommend it for readers who want to learn about Jefferson, but don't want to learn everything about him.

Society's patterns are rooted in history.
If you're curious about Thomas Jefferson the man and the nation he helped to create, then I strongly recommend this book. It gives a reasonable picture of the mindset of 18th century American intellectuals who were greatly influence by Enlightenment thinking.Jefferson responded strongly to Enlightenment ideals as he struggled to forge his identity as a Patriot and as a Southern gentleman.

Alas, he was unable to find a practical way of fusing those ideals with the republican system he helped to create. The result is the acrimonious political system of modern America.

excellent introduction to Jefferson
This book is concise and easy to read, which is important to maintain the reader's interest. You'll learn many things about Jefferson that you didn't know, especially his nuanced feelings about slavery. What's most interesting is the often overlooked time Jefferson spent in Europe. Understanding this period of Jefferson's life is crucial to understanding his sympathy for the French Revolution, which was one of a couple of major points of contention between Jefferson and Hamilton. (By the way, the Jeffersonians and Hamiltonians were the first major political divide in America.)

Bernstein achieves what is very difficult: withhold judgment on Jefferson and let the facts speak for themselves. After reading several books about the Founders, I've found that Jefferson is an idealist to a fault and much too faithful in the goodness of men. Also, his determination not to choose sides between the French and British was one of a series of mistakes made by Presidents Adams through Madison that left America open to attack from the British in 1812.

My only complaint of this book is that the chapter on Jefferson's second term in office is rather brief. Besides that, it is pleasantly informative and balanced. ... Read more

Product Description

Recent biographies of Thomas Jefferson have stressed the sphinxlike puzzles of his character—famous champion of freedom yet lifelong slaveholder, foe of miscegenation yet secret lover of a beautiful slave for 30 years, aristocrat yet fervent advocate of government by the people. E. M. Halliday's absorbing and lucid portrait recognizes these and other puzzles about this great founder, but shows us how understandable they can be in light of his personal and social circumstances.

Halliday takes readers deep into Jefferson's private life—exploring his childhood, his literary taste, and his unconventional religious thinking and moral philosophy. Here, too, are his adamant opinions on women, the evolution of his ideas on democracy and freedom of expression, and fresh insights into his relationship with Sally Hemings.

A series of related essays follows the biography, including a clear-eyed view of the relationship between history and fiction. Throughout the book, Halliday writes in a chatty, almost gossipy tone, noting the Marquis de Lafayette's "formidable expanse of forehead," describing Jefferson's "tall, lean but muscular figure," musing that "September in Paris, while less celebrated in love songs than April, can be a wonderfully sexy time of year." Entertaining, informative, and eminently readable, Understanding Thomas Jefferson will leave readers feeling that they do. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

please change the title.
The title is seriously misleading as this book is mainly about Jefferson's relationships with women and his postcript really doesn't make sense. The book is short so there wasn't too much waste of time, but I would have picked other books if I had known.For somebody as brilliant, complex,and erudite as Jefferson, this book did not do justice.

A cursory Understanding
Written shortly after DNA testing seemed to "prove" Thomas Jefferson fathered at least one (possibly all 6) of slave Sally Hemings's children, Halliday has sex on the brain. Purporting to be about all aspects of Jefferson's personality, Halliday keeps coming back to the Hemings thing over and over. Obviously intended for a popular audience, the book seems shallow and unconvincing. There is no doubt that Jefferson was an enigma, a contradiction in many things (one who could, for example, espouse that "all men are created equal," but declare that blacks were inferior and should not intermingle with whites), which Halliday admits, but Halliday seems fuzzy and speculative on issues of Jefferson's religious beliefs and "Romantic" (capital R) impulses. Also many of Halliday's judgments seem tempered by 20th-century principles and prejudices that he then levels against Jefferson's 17th-century background. He is critical of past Jefferson scholars (Dumas Malone, Merrill Peterson, and Joseph Ellis) as being too determined to defend their hero Jefferson (especially against the Hemings charge), but he nowhere shows the same insights and scholarly perceptions as these biographers. Disappointing, all in all.

Blinkered Author
I do not criticize this work because it dwells chiefly on Thomas Jefferson's personal life; it seems to me that that is a perfectly legitimate topic of scholarship.If reading about the lives of "great men" (or "great women") ought to be good for anything, it ought to help us examine how they dealt with the contradictions and difficulties of every human's life.But I do criticize this book because I think the author himself becomes what he calls a "blinkered historian," especially when dealing with Jefferson's relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings.

Unlike many historians, whose gyrations to avoid the idea that Jefferson had a sexual relationship with Hemings he points out, E.M. Halliday accepts the liason has having occurred. However, even he cannot comfortably accept that Jefferson must have begun the relationship with Sally when she was only 14-going-on-15. To avoid having to feel that Jefferson seduced this very young girl, who was dependent on him and without recourse, Haliday too resorts to contortion to justify the future president:Sally must have seduced HIM in order to achieve a better and more secure life. And, he thinks, her mother might well have put her up to it.

This is a distinction without a difference.Even if the young Sally DID seduce Jefferson for the motives Halliday speculates about, the choices she made (if indeed she had any) were made in the context of the fact of her slavery.No matter how you slice it, it was the institution of slavery that shaped Sally's life:either Jefferson directly took advantage of her, or she was forced by her condition to use her wits to improve her lot as best she could.In either case, Jefferson, who knew all too well the evils of slavery, cannot be absolved of his self-indulgence.

November 7, 2008:For those interested in the dynamics of the Jefferson-Hemings relationship in the context of Virginia slavery, the book "The Hemingses of Monticello" may be helpful.

If you could read one book on Jefferson, don't choose this one!
I started out very excited by this book.Based on my readings, I was convinced that Jefferson had had a liason with Hemmings, unquestionably based on the circumstanital evidence.(I did not know about the DNA testing at the time).I was looking forward to this book because I knew Halliday thought it to be fact, and I didnt want a biographer who masked over real history.It started out as an easy read.It quickly disintegrated into a book of sleazy guesswork and disjointed facts.I knew more about Jefferson's sex life than I did his presidency.I cant remember EVEN ONE mention of who his vice president was.Did he even talk about the election?Not that I recall.I do remember Halliday speculating about whether Jefferson masturbated.(forgive the image but you get the idea now of what Im talking about). The time chronology is all over the place, nothing is in order.The tone changes chapter by chapter.One minute he is talking about Hemmnings, the next chapter is spent degrading all the other authors who have written about Jefferson, of course none of them have it right according to Halliday.I have never seen an author so unprofessional to spend an ENTIRE chapter (entitled "Blinkered Historians) on why the other biographers were wrong.In retrospect, even if David Ellis did have it wrong about the Hemmings affair (which he did), I feel my time would have been spent much more wisely reading him, even if it is a little harder to read.I also fealt that Hallidays own personal beliefs and interests seeped into the book.Because some parts of the book were not credible, I wasnt sure what to believe.Examples, the specuations about the sexual details.Another example was when he claimed Adams believed that government and power should be intrusted to the aristocratic and the rich families of America.That is really not true, while Adams did belive that the federal gov't needed certain powers, he did not believe in elite rule.He was criticized for being a monarchist in his time, but that was really nothing more than politics, he believed in a multi-faceted gov't.Okay so that was a tangent, long story short, I fealt that I walked away much less enlightend about jefferson than I had hoped.

Better title-Understanding Jefferson's sex history
This book is a very easy to read seemingly well documented work but it will not provide the reader with Thomas Jefferson in historical context. If your interest is in what Mr. Jefferson accomplished during his life and the many great achievements that he participated in on behalf the formation of the United States I would pass up this work.If your interest lies in his carnal side and his personal sexual history this might be more your speed.Had I known this was the piece of fluff that it turned out to be I would not have wasted my money on this work.This book would probably be a good basis for daytime TV couch potato fare.It is hardly a good work of historical content and most likely would have been rejected by any Masters level thesis committee.Most of this book could be condensed into one chapter.
On a number of occasions Mr Halliday lets his own personal political bias color his image of Mr. Jefferson pushing this work even further from the vein of relevant history.
I picked up this work based upon the recommendations on the inside cover.I have always been impressed with the historical works of Mr. Ambrose but I believe that there must have been more to his review.
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Product Description
It was a contest of titans: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two heroes of the Revolutionary era, once intimate friends, now icy antagonists locked in a fierce battle for the future of the United States. The election of 1800 was a thunderous clash of a campaign that climaxed in a deadlock in the Electoral College and led to a crisis in which the young republic teetered on the edge of collapse.
Adams vs. Jefferson is a gripping account of a true turning point in American history, a dramatic struggle between two parties with profoundly different visions of how the nation should be governed. Adams led the Federalists, conservatives who favored a strong central government, and Jefferson led the Republicans, egalitarians who felt the Federalists had betrayed the Revolution of 1776 and were backsliding toward monarchy. The campaign itself was a barroom brawl every bit as ruthless as any modern contest, with mud-slinging--Federalists called Jefferson "a howling atheist"--scare tactics, and backstabbing. The low point came when Alexander Hamilton printed a devastating attack on Adams, the head of his own party, in "fifty-four pages of unremitting vilification." The election ended in a stalemate in the Electoral College that dragged on for days and nights and through dozens of ballots. Tensions ran so high that the Republicans threatened civil war if the Federalists denied Jefferson the presidency. Finally a secret deal that changed a single vote gave Jefferson the White House. A devastated Adams left Washington before dawn on Inauguration Day, too embittered even to shake his rival's hand.
Jefferson's election, John Ferling concludes, consummated the American Revolution, assuring the democratization of the United States and its true separation from Britain. With magisterial command, Ferling brings to life both the outsize personalities and the hotly contested political questions at stake. He shows not just why this moment was a milestone in U.S. history, but how strongly the issues--and the passions--of 1800 resonate with our own time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Adams vs. Jefferson:The Tumultuous Election of 1800
I have read all of Professor
Ferling's books and have enjoyed all of them. This book is an excellent book that illustrates one of, if not the most important elections in America's history. It is a virtual outline of the many more that succeeded it.

As one who reads a great deal of historical books, I believe that Professor Ferling comes extremely close to Cicero's admonition to historians to (1) never dare utter an untruth (2) suppress nothing that is true and (3) record history with no suspician of partiality or malice in the writing. The professor brings to life the election of 1800 in terms of today's world.I think a reader would enjoy the book. I highly recommend reading his other books which go into greater detail on the Revolutionary period and the wonderful men that played vitally important roles in our nation's history.

I read most of Professor Ferling's books through the local library system and was impressed enough with his writings to purchase all of them for my own reference.

Price watch
Excellent book!! My only concern is a "list price" on Amazon of $19.99, which is a paper sticker overlying the book's listed price of $14.95 - so that the discount is in fact $1.

I would expect somewhat less devious pricing from Amazon!

Excellent history
This is excellent history in that the book does not overwhelm the reader with detail but gives one enough to understand the relationship between Jefferson and Adams.

Exciting excursion into American history
Packed with history, this reads like an adventure story. A must read for fans of the founders and especially valuable for its enduring lessons about the roots of our party system.

The United States gets back on the republican track in 1800 (4.5*s)
While the particulars and the intrigues surrounding the election of 1800 made it the most raucous election held to that point in US history, it was, more importantly, according to Thomas Jefferson, the culmination of the American Revolution begun twenty-five years prior. It was, in his mind, no less than the repudiation of the elitist Federalist era that had lasted the long decade dating from the Constitutional Convention in 1787. More so than the election, the author focuses on the events and decisions of that decade that gave rise to a political party, the Republicans, who opposed the entrenched party of government, the Federalists, all of which did lead to the first Presidential election with identifiable political parties. Some of the most capable political figures in American history were players in the 1790s. While John Adams held the offices of both Vice President and President in the 90s, it was Alexander Hamilton who was the driving force behind the Federalists and their policies of nationalism and commercialism. Both Jefferson and James Madison were greatly disturbed by the power and size of the federal government, the militarism of the Federalists, and their rejection of republicanism, or average citizen empowerment.

Most of the leading figures in colonial society in the decade after the Revolutionary War came to understand that the Articles of Confederation left the United States in a helpless state, almost on the edge of collapse. When those elites met in Philadelphia in 1787, they had no intention of constructing a true democratic republic; in fact, they feared the democratic initiatives of recent years in various states. The design of the US Constitution, with its roadblocks at every turn, virtually guaranteed that popular initiatives could not be realized. However, it was not fully appreciated at the time just how much power some, namely Hamilton, wanted to exert through the central government.

Early on in the Washington administration, both Madison and Jefferson knew that Treasury secretary Hamilton's initiatives to fully fund US war debts (a boon to speculators in War bonds), to assume the wartime debts of the states, and to establish a central US bank were designed to enhance the interests of commercial elites. However, it was the US involvement in European affairs that engendered the strongest opposition throughout the decade. The official neutrality position of the US towards British-French hostilities in 1793 merely confirmed to many that US elites had far too much respect for aristocratic British society. Democratic-Republican societies (the forerunner to the Republican Party) emerged at this time to denounce the failure of the US to support the French in their efforts to establish a republican order.

When the French began preying upon US shipping in 1796, largely as a result of the US pro-British stance, the Federalist reaction was militaristic. The French refusal to accept US envoys in 1798 caused the Quasi-War with France to reach a fever pitch. Both Hamilton and Adams had to exert a moderating influence to keep ultra-Federalists from forcing a war with France. However, they did ram the Alien and Sedition Acts through Congress which were designed to curtail critical commentary of the policies of the US and its officials. Numerous newspaper writers and editors were jailed under the Sedition Act. It is the black spot on Adams' presidency that will not go away.

As the author points out, the republican political societies and the partisan opposition press did profoundly impact the perceptions among average Americans who now saw Federalists as social elites and who were increasingly alarmed at their militarism, policies favoring elite commercial interests, including tight-money monetary policies, pro-British and anti-French stances, and their ignoring of First Amendment rights to a free press. The first significant evidence of a shift among voters was the takeover of the New York assembly by the Republicans in 1800, virtually guaranteeing Jefferson all of New York's electoral votes, since that body selected the electors.

The author describes well the peculiar electoral system of that era whereby the two Congressional caucuses actually nominated two candidates for President, reflecting the fact that electors actually cast two votes for President, one vote of which could not be for a candidate from his state. The top two vote getters became President and Vice President regardless of party. If no candidate received a majority of votes in the Electoral College or the top two tied, then the House of Representatives decided the election with each state getting one vote. In 1800, the vote of nine states out of sixteen was required to win the election. Another variable in the election process was the manner in which electors were selected. In some states the legislature chose, in others popular voting by district or statewide selected electors, with states frequently changing the system between elections.

Into this novel electoral system stepped the candidates for President in 1800: John Adams and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina were nominated by the Federalists and Jefferson and Aaron Burr of New York by the Republicans. As the author points out, there was far more politicking in the election of 1800 than ever before. In the first place, the Republican press had greatly expanded. If anything, the Republicans were more organized with pamphlets, parades, dinners, picnics, etc. The Federalists, sensing their cause as being lost, mounted scurrilous on Jefferson concerning his alleged atheism and radicalism. And there are the intrigues of Hamilton before the election and of Burr once the election moved to the House of Representatives because of the tie between Burr and Jefferson. Wiser heads did finally prevail in the Congressional contest, averting a potentially dire political crisis. As it was, the election represented the first peaceful transfer of power from one faction to another in US history.

The author captures well the fact that the 1790s and the election of 1800 were very pivotal times in US history. The promise of the American Revolution was slowing ebbing away. Perhaps there are those believe that the direction of US history was firmly cast by the Revolution. This book makes clear that is not the case. The thinking and efforts of Jefferson, Madison, republican societies and newspapers were instrumental in changing the course that the Federalists had set for the US and the greater society. Jefferson was overjoyed that the US had finally been able to cast off the Toryism of the Federalists and hopefully begin anew on the path promised by the Revolution.
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