Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"[A]uthoritative, judicious, clearly written and remarkably complete....It is the best short biography of Jefferson ever written, and is highly recommended for those who want a brief and historically reliable account of this incredibly complicated character." Gordon S. Wood, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"[A] capable, interpretive survey of Jefferson's long and verbose life....[T]he author strongly emphasizes Jefferson's democratic ideals and his practical enactment of them in his political career." Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
Review
"The author is especially adept at placing Jefferson's accomplishments in context without oversimplifying them, which in a book only 250 pages long and aimed primarily at general readers is an impressive feat." Library Journal
Review
"Bernstein has brought as much clarity to a famously elusive subject as anyone can, and he's done it all at concise, readable length." Christian Science Monitor
Review
"R. B. Bernstein has produced a fascinating, extremely intelligent examination of the life of Thomas Jefferson. With a clear eye and deft historical touch, Bernstein reminds us why studying Jefferson and his world will always remain central to understanding the development of the American character." Annette Gordon-Reed, author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy
Review
"Bernstein's Jefferson is a brilliant success. There is nothing like it in the literature." Peter Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History, University of Virginia
Review
"It is difficult to be objective about Thomas Jefferson, but this book succeeds wonderfully. Neither attacking Jefferson for his sins nor lauding him for his accomplishments, Thomas Jefferson does equal justice to Jefferson's political, intellectual, and personal life in a concise biography that can be enjoyed by all. Bernstein has given us an admirably balanced life in context." Joanne B. Freeman, Professor of History, Yale University
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [199]-238) and index.
About the Author
R. B. Bernstein is Adjunct Professor of Law at the New York Law School and director of online operations at Heights Books, Inc. The author or editor of eighteen books on American constitutional history, including Are We to Be a Nation? and Amending America (both nominees for the Pulitzer, Bancroft, and Parkman Prizes), he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Table of Contents
Introduction ix
1 A Young Gentleman of Virginia (1743-1774) 1
2 "We hold these truths..." (1763-1776) 15
3 The Hard Work of Revolution (1776-1784) 36
4 "Behold me at length on the vaunted scene of Europe!" (1784-1789) 55
5 "The parties styled republican and federal" (1789-1793) 81
6 Touching Earth (1794-1797) 105
7 "The reign of witches" (1797-1801) 117
8 "We are all republicans, we are all federalists" (1801-1805) 135
9 "A splendid misery" (1805-1809) 158
10 Enthusiasm and Anguish (1809-1826) 170
Epilogue: "Take care of me when dead..." 191
Notes 199
Chronology 229
Bibliographical Essay 235
Index 244