Thomas Jefferson and the American Ideal

by Russell Shorto

Written and illustrated under the direction of the distinguished historian Henry Steele Commager, this biography of the third president will inspire young readers with a sense of accomplishment and pride. Handy classroom resource materials contained in each volume. One of our great political idealists, Jefferson played the key role in writing the world-shaking Declaration of Independence, and in establishing America's democratic form of government.

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1987

About the author

Russell Shorto is the author, most recently, of Revolution Song, a new narrative of the American Revolution, which the New York Times called a "remarkable" achievement and the Chicago Tribune described as "an engaging piece of historical detective work and narrative craft." He is also the author of The Island at the Center of the World, a national bestseller about the Dutch founding of New York. Shorto is senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute and was formerly the director of the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam.

Reviews

[Gillian Brownlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this from my local library because I didn't have the energy for a full blown biography. It was a nice idea, and this was a decent enough book, but I have to wonder what was left out because of the intended audience. Not one mention of Sally Hemming...Makes me wonder about all of the "Jefferson was anti-slavery!" stuff that the author was spouting. I guess I need to find a full length Jefferson biography after all...