 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | 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. |
Average Customer Rating:   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. An Objective and Concise Biography of an Enigmatic Man R.B Bernstein's biography, Thomas Jefferson, is a wonderful introduction to the world of Jefferson scholarship and to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. In particular I would recommend this work, a relatively brief read of 216 pages including the introduction, to anyone who would like to know more about Jefferson without delving into the weighty and esoteric tomes that have frequently been turned out by Jefferson scholars.
Aside from its relative brevity, another unusual aspect of Thomas Jefferson is the author himself. Mr. Bernstein is a 1980 graduate of the Harvard Law School, and had a brief career in the law, before returning to academia to study for a PhD in History. Bernstein's legal training is evident throughout the work. Bernstein's book reads like an exceptionally well laid out legal brief, and is devoid of much of the conjecture found in many biographies. The result is both good and bad, depending upon the reader. For me, personally, I found the work to be exceptionally well-balanced, clear, logical, concise and meticulously annotated. On the other hand, if you are a reader looking to understand the melodrama surrounding Jefferson's life, then you should probably look for another biography
With the possible exception of Lincoln, no U.S. President ever has been as enigmatic as Jefferson. Jefferson lived to be eighty-three years old, and for over sixty of those years he was a power player on the national and world stage. By his very nature, Jefferson was a conflicted man with three distinct personalities. On a societal level he was the ultimate idealist. The U.S. Declaration of Independence that he wrote in 1776 still resonates over 230 years later with free and enslaved peoples throughout the world. Second, politically he was a pragmatist. Although fearful of an excessively strong Federal Government, his presidency was marked by a sweeping expansion of Federal powers under his direction. Finally, on a third, and more personal level, Jefferson was a part of the Virginia plantation aristocracy: he was vain, egotistical and hypocritical living a lavish lifestyle that he could ill afford and that could only exist as a result of the institution of slavery.
In addition to his enigmatic nature, Jefferson also kept and maintained meticulous, almost obsessive records and correspondence throughout his lifetime, thereby providing lifetime employment for generations of colonial history scholars. Entire books have been written about topics as esoteric as Jefferson's purchases of wine as a result of his record keeping. (As a matter of fact, at least FOUR books have been written about Jefferson's wine purchases!)
Bernstein's biography attempts to explain and resolve the many apparent contradictions in Jefferson's life. Bernstein starts in the introduction by explaining the three schools of historical thought surrounding Jefferson - the "prophet of disunion" (1860-1920), the "god of democracy" (1930-1965) and the "sphinx like Jefferson" from 1965 and beyond. Next Bernstein discusses the eight major tenets, or "stars" in Bernstein's terms, of Jefferson's revolutionary ideas. Bernstein points out that certain "Stars" remain today such as independence and self-government, while others have faded over time such as Jefferson's belief that America should be an agrarian republic. The introduction of this book is well worth reading in its own right, and should not be skipped!
The body of the book takes a rather traditional approach to his subject's life dividing it up chronologically. Once again, Bernstein's legal background deserves special praise in his brief and succinct description of the Alien and Sedition Acts and again with an exceptionally clear and brilliantly concise description of the importance of the Marbury versus Madison Supreme Court case. I have watched numerous authors and university professors attempt and fail to explain these two important pieces of American history while Bernstein succeeds mightily.
Finally, Bernstein in an Epilogue analyzes the scholarship surrounding the issue of whether Jefferson fathered some of his slave's, Sally Hemings', children. Bernstein concludes that it is highly likely that he in fact did so. His handling of this topic is done in a sensitive yet detailed manner with the results being neither salacious nor prudish.
So, to summarize, if you are interested in reading a book on Jefferson as `history written large' along the lines of David McCullogh's masterwork, John Adams, I would recommend considering a different Jefferson biography. However, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in obtaining a concise, well-written overview of Jefferson's life and the times in which he lived. Bernstein has created an excellent resource for those interested in learning more about our third President.
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