Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Joseph J. Ellis

3.92 · Rating details · 28,110 ratings · 727 reviews

Following his subject from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to his retirement in Monticello, Joseph Ellis unravels the contradictions of the Jeffersonian character. A marvel of scholarship, a delight to read, and an essential gloss on the Jeffersonian legacy.

Get A Copy

Paperback, 440 pages

Published April 7th 1998 by Vintage (first published January 31st 1997)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about American Sphinx, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown

Best American History Books

1,968 books — 2,406 voters

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

Best Presidential Biographies (nonfiction)

410 books — 509 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.92 ·

Rating details

· 28,110 ratings · 727 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Dec 25, 2016 Brian rated it it was amazing

It started when I was reading Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage, this niggling feeling of discomfort I get when reading a book when the author seems to be taking opportunities to lionize his/her subjects – or at the very least, portraying them in a simplistic, single facet. I’ve had this issue with Ambrose before (and I know enough about his writing to stay away from his excoriated Eisenhower bio), and while I enjoyed his bio of Meriwether Lewis, it was his portrayal of Thomas Jefferson that had me sc ...more

flag 95 likes · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Darwin8u rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

“God was not in the details for Jefferson; he was in the sky and stars.”
― Joseph J. Ellis, American Sphinx

description

Ellis' biography of Thomas Jefferson's character is a more difficult task than one might imagine at first. Jefferson while brilliant with words is also a founding father of smoke. He was comfortable with ambiguity, but saw things in black and white. He had a great ability to mask his feelings and deceive himself. He was a visionary and prophet in the mountains whose biggest creation was not ...more

flag 29 likes · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2011 Nathan rated it did not like it

Shelves: franklin-library, history

I suppose I knew what I was getting into with this book. The subtitle hints at the fact that this is a pretty thoroughgoing psychological history, rather than a historical narrative. Ellis posits Jefferson as an inscrutable figure shielded from effective analysis by a contradictory philosophy as well as a reserved personality. Both of which may be true, but both of which made this book scanty on real insight. Ellis doesn't spend much time asking why Jefferson was the way he was (a pretty worthwh ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2013 David rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography-us-presidents

The only American President whom I have read about who seems dark but good. I can see now more clearly how other Founding Fathers distrusted him and kept him at arm's length. A truly strange fellow, hence America, while good and well-meaning is dark and strange, and even as an American I would not be shocked by a reversal of all that we believe in because of the character of one president. From Sphinx, I am grateful that his dark side never was allowed to overshadow the character of the rising r ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 Jonfaith rated it liked it

A provocative survey of an enlightenment thinker and statesman who could never outdistance his contradictions. My friend Mark Prather selected this for samizdat and a number of us read such and with a formality of discussion. The passage of a couple decades would likely have adjusted those younger impressions.

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2007 Mike Mcfarland rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: history fans

Shelves: non-fiction

This book is more a series of portraits than a biography. It doesn't tell Jefferson's story in one long arc, but rather captures him at significant periods of his life. This method works well for Ellis (see: Founding Brothers), probably because the broader view allows him to write more lyrically than a stick-to-the-facts biography would allow.

What emerges from Jefferson's portraits is a man with extraordinary powers of self-delusion. These powers enabled him to bemoan slavery while owning slave ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2010 Damian rated it it was ok

As I read "American Sphinx", an odd thing happened. The more I learnt about Jefferson the less I liked him. The Jefferson of Ellis' biography is an arrogant, obsessive ideologue, whose successes are the lucky results of others' hard work, and whose failures are inevitable given his substantial flaws. As someone who was looking to like Jefferson, this was all pretty disappointing.

Ellis' biography follows Jefferson from his first entrance into public life right until his providential death on Jul As I read "American Sphinx", an odd thing happened. The more I learnt about Jefferson the less I liked him. The Jefferson of Ellis' biography is an arrogant, obsessive ideologue, whose successes are the lucky results of others' hard work, and whose failures are inevitable given his substantial flaws. As someone who was looking to like Jefferson, this was all pretty disappointing.

Ellis' biography follows Jefferson from his first entrance into public life right until his providential death on July 4th 1826 (and the same day as his friend/enemy John Adams). Over the course of this journey, we see Jefferson evolve from a quiet but brilliant polemicist into the leader of the "Republican" faction, which calls for a small and relatively weak central government.

In modern terms, Jefferson of course would have been a contradiction: a progressive who fought his entire life for smaller government. It's this defying of modern political boundaries that allow both sides today to claim as their own.

If Ellis has "an angle", it is his attempt to delve into Jefferson's psyche. His contradictions were too overt, argues Ellis, yet his dialogue too sincere to be hypocrisy. His conclusion is that Jefferson was a master not (just) of deception but of SELF-deception -- he "compartmentalized" certain ideas in parts of his brain where they needed not be bothered by other contradictory ideas that he held just as sincerely. Thus, the small-government president who purchases Louisiana from the French, the anti-slave crusader who is himself a slaveowner, the self-indulgent aristocrat who surrounds himself with luxury, yet spend his entire life in crushing debt, and passes his debt to his children when he dies. This is not hypocrisy, argues Ellis, this is "compartmentalization".

Of course such an argument sounds ridiculous when stated so baldly, and I think for good reason. Ellis is attempting to draw deep psychological conclusions from sources that are entirely public: letters that Jefferson wrote, often with the intention of their being published. Positions he publicly took, or speeches he gave. Each and every one of these had an agenda, and while we may want to believe in "compartmentalization" since it leaves intact the image of the honest Jefferson, there's another much more obvious explanation that Occam demands we accept: political expediency.

Even if -- horror of horrors -- Jefferson turns out to have been a politician, he remains one of the most visionary and influential of our history, and if I took one major realization away from this book, it was this: that one of the central essences of our American flavor of democracy -- the conscious limiting of the rights and powers of the central government, and the constant clamoring for smaller and less at the federal level -- comes directly and almost singularly from Jefferson. Had it been up to Washington, Adams and Hamilton, early democracy in the United States would not doubt have taken a far more European form. As is, Jefferson and his disciples (Madison and Monroe) provided a crucial opposition voice at a crucial time -- a voice that continues to resonate in today's conservative circles and the Tea Party movement. And while I might not agree with that voice all the time, I'm glad it's there.

I would not recommend this book to others as an introduction to Jefferson for three reasons. The first, the psycho-babble described above. Second, the book's odd chronology -- it leaves large gaps in the Jefferson story, including for example, his entire tenure as Secretary of State under Washington, and his second term as president. Was this period really so uneventful, that it doesn't deserve mention? (And really practically no mention is given.)

Third is, I really can't be sure that the portrait Ellis is painting might not itself be a politically skewed one. His portrayal so one-sided that one puts down the book longing for a more objective take. I suspected throughout that Ellis felt his own conclusion so strongly -- that Jefferson was a self-deceiver -- that he was arguing it with his every decision of inclusion or omission. The result is a Jefferson that is at best, a self-deceiver, at worst, a craven hypocrite.

One way or another, Jefferson -- whether the Jefferson of American Sphinx or the Jefferson of Wikipedia -- DOES end up disappointing, if only because the soaring of his ideals clashes so jarringly with his somewhat uglier reality. ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jul 08, 2018 Laurie rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-revolution, 2018, non-fiction, biography, presidents, history

After my frustration with Meacham's Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, I was hopeful Ellis would give me a better grasp on Jefferson's character. He did not disappoint. Jefferson it is still hard to grasp, he is elusive but Ellis captures Jefferson's contradictions, hypocrisy, a little paranoia, his ideologies and his issue with slavery. Since this was a focused character assessment, it wasn't a true biography. He skips Jefferson's early life, and while he addresses many of the major historical ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2012 Jeff rated it did not like it

"American Sphinx", Joseph J Ellis. 1996. Historical revisionist, Joseph J. Ellis, ostensibly enjoys championing himself as a renegade historian, unafraid to attempt to topple one the most well respected and admired of America's founding fathers. Recklessly wielding his anachronistic values upon Thomas Jefferson, "American Sphinx" escalates into a full contact assault on one the most important and revered figures in western culture. Thomas Jefferson is no longer the successful plantation owner, b ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2022 Frank Theising rated it really liked it

Shelves: bio-presidents

American Sphinx is not a standard beginning-to-end biography but more of a character study that attempts to explore the thought life of Thomas Jefferson at key points in his life. As such, I would really only recommend it to those who already have a general grasp of Jefferson’s life and career. As the title suggests, Jefferson was a complicated man who had a wide range of opinions and views over his eight decades of life. As such, there is something in his writings for nearly every conceivable g American Sphinx is not a standard beginning-to-end biography but more of a character study that attempts to explore the thought life of Thomas Jefferson at key points in his life. As such, I would really only recommend it to those who already have a general grasp of Jefferson’s life and career. As the title suggests, Jefferson was a complicated man who had a wide range of opinions and views over his eight decades of life. As such, there is something in his writings for nearly every conceivable group to grab onto and call their own. Over the course of American history, the mantle of Jefferson has been claimed by populists, states’ rights advocates, nullifiers, abolitionists, slave owners, atheists (or agnostics), religious liberty advocates, New Deal Democrats, and limited government Goldwater-Reagan era conservatives. As should be obvious, many of these groups mentioned above are diametrically opposed in their worldview and desired political objectives.

So in this book, Joseph Ellis looks back at key periods of Jefferson’s political career to explore his writings and add much needed context. Ellis examines Jefferson’s role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, his time as a diplomat in Paris, his self-imposed “retirement” following his resignation as Secretary of State under Washington, his return to political life as president, and his final retirement to Monticello with a heavy emphasis on his correspondence with John Adams. Additionally, he covers the controversial topic of his alleged sexual liaison with slave Sally Hemmings and paternity of her six children (he argues against Jefferson being the father, though I understand he has changed his position following the release of DNA analysis after this book was published).

I didn’t take many notes on this one, but there was one key recurring observation I did want to write down. While rivals (most notably Hamilton) looked at the world as it was, and from it developed political or economic solutions, Jefferson tended to start with his ideal vision or solution and then force the world into his mold. This seemed to occur repeatedly in a wide range of issues including his views on “pure” Republicanism, his idealization of family life, his unwavering faith in an agrarian economy, etc. Since the world rarely conformed to his idealized theories, it resulted in several moments when Jefferson was forced to break with his own stated beliefs in order to accomplish big things (most notably the Louisiana Purchase).

Despite my preference for standard, chronological biography, I was surprisingly impressed with this book and think the author did a really good job placing Jefferson’s writings in their historical context and helping the modern reader (whatever his or her political persuasion) to gain a better understanding of a very complex man. 4 stars.
...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2010 Jamie Collins rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history-and-biography, american-history

I enjoyed this very much. It's not a straight biography of Jefferson, but as the subtitle says, it's an attempt to analyze his character. The book is very readable if you are reasonably familiar with the important people and events in the early years of America.

It's a fascinating study of the man's inherent contradictions, the most obvious being that Jefferson was a slaveowner who became famous for his writings on equality and personal freedom.

In my 1996 edition of this book, Ellis writes that h ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2017 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

I am clearly overwhelmed by this book. There are so many things that standout in this analysis of Jefferson and his influences in development of American government. I feel compelled to go into more detail than usual, purely for my own dissection of the aspects that seemed so pertinent to our current political situation. I had read this with the idea of balancing the negative perspective on Jefferson in the book “Hamilton.” Ellis is both critical and complementary, writing on Jefferson’s weaknes I am clearly overwhelmed by this book. There are so many things that standout in this analysis of Jefferson and his influences in development of American government. I feel compelled to go into more detail than usual, purely for my own dissection of the aspects that seemed so pertinent to our current political situation. I had read this with the idea of balancing the negative perspective on Jefferson in the book “Hamilton.” Ellis is both critical and complementary, writing on Jefferson’s weaknesses, then steering toward his strengths and accomplishments. The author gives voice to both Jefferson’s detractors and his defenders, the real human man as opposed to the glossy textbook image. My own impressions remain mixed. Among the things that confirmed my opinions, was Ellis’s explorations of Jefferson’s many inconsistencies in his principles versus actions,

Jefferson’s years in France fell at the time their revolution was brewing and did much to shape his ideas about generational sovereignty - “the earth belongs to the living.” One should not in his opinion make acts that would bind another generation. In an ideal world perhaps, but was this a realistic understanding of human nature? “Moreover the doctrine of generational sovereignty was yet another version of his utopian radicalism. Madison was surely correct to declare the entire belief wildly impractical and utterly incapable of implementation, but that was beside the point. For the vision of each generation starting from scratch, liberated from the accumulated legacies of past debts, laws, institutionalized obligations and regulations, allowed Jefferson to conjure up his fondest dream, a world where the primal meaning of independence could flourish without any restrictions, where innocence had not yet been corrupted.” The debts and burdens of one would not be passed on to the next? Interesting from many angles but also in light of the fact Jefferson was heavily in debt for the lifestyle he insisted was necessary for a diplomat in Paris, AND heavily in debt on the estate he inherited from his father in law.

He was in general opposed to a strong central government. In a letter to Abigail Adams, he wrote, “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere.” Ellis analysis goes on to say, “His remarks suggested that his deepest allegiances were not to the preservation of political stability but to its direct opposite.” He opposed Federalist visions of an energetic national government because in his view it undermined the original intentions of the American Revolution, wherein lay the opposition to any power accumulated by the King and court. Jefferson hated the balances of power, disliked the Judiciary the most, followed by the Senate. Leaving states to domestic governing and laws and the federal government controlling international relations and policies would have been in line with his philosophy, . But how could this rapidly growing country present a unified front on the global stage if we are so divided regionally, especially two plus centuries later, on our current trajectory? And there appears to be the SAME agrarian/southern vs. urban intellectual/northern divide that has evidently haunted this country for centuries! Fascinating.

Neither was Jefferson an initial supporter of the Constitution, although being in France during its writing, he was negative from afar, preferring the indirect representation through his friends Madison and Monroe. Evidenced in another letter, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” If he couldn’t find support for changes to the Constitution, then his interest lay more in developing a Bill of Rights. While he held obvious affection for his life in France, he was also intensely critical of certain elements of monarchy and lifestyle in his private letters. He totally misinterpreted the potential for violence in the developing stages of the French Revolution and assured his government that changes could be possible without a drop of blood being shed. Later in life, it was shown he doctored some notes so as to not give the impression his fondness for France had created a blind spot.

His internal battles of ideology versus action is further evidenced in his claim that he wavered and backed off taking a firm public stand on abolition and kept slaves himself. There are numerous documented examples of correspondence where it is evident he is addressing his widely varying comments to please its intended audience. He had an intense dislike for conflict and a strong sense of refinement as well as an idealized vision of government. This doesn’t even address the Sally Hemmings business as this book came out before the DNA evidence was in. My edition however does contain an addendum. Jefferson realized there was a difference between Northern and Southern ideas on abolition, and hoped the North would leave the South to work out its own solution. His expectations included gradual emancipation, AND extradition or relocation of the slave population, the latter he also came to realize was no longer possible as the years went by. He was troubled by the Missouri Question. His idealized vision of the westward expansion diluting and diffusing the slavery problem was also unrealistic. In addition, Jefferson does little to champion any causes for the Native American population. While he treated leaders with respect and admiration “mingled with a truly poignant sense of tragedy about their fate as a people… the seeds of extinction for Native American culture were sown under Jefferson.”

Ellis keeps stressing that Jefferson portrayed himself as a private man who disliked conflict, but was also strongly opinionated, competitive and managed his conflicts from afar. During his tenure as secretary of state he felt he was a misfit. In those years, the foundations for the republican party were laid in firm opposition to the Federalists. “And he dispensed political invective of his own, or rather had surrogates do it in his behalf…” He ran away from open differences of opinion. Madison was often the one to do his bidding and this “placed an extremely talented spokesman at the point of attack while allowing Jefferson to remain behind the scenes and above the fray,” but this arrangement “gave credence to the charge that Jefferson was a devious manipulator who played cowardly games with the truth.” This was certainly true in his feud with Hamilton, “fueled by his own personal demons.” His obsessive opposition to Hamilton’s banking system was a reflection of his own indebtedness. He wanted to fix publicly what he couldn’t fix privately.

Ellis is not completely critical by any means. Perhaps one of Jefferson’s greatest contributions during his presidency was the Louisiana Purchase. He wrangled the deal while going against his own goals of retiring the national debt and was accused of being unConstitutional, lacking Congressional approval thus wielding improper use of executive power. He didn’t stick to legalities if he thought the outcome was still in the nation’s best interests. His internal contradictions continued in terms of not allowing representatives in the newly acquired territory any voice in Congress. There is agreement on the importance of neutrality in a still developing nation even though the methods of implementation were in question. Jefferson was also spearheading the early development of public education and what would become the University of Virginia. Interestingly enough, his ideas on university education were very reflective of his ideology of lack of central control. He rejected class levels, traditional rules and any curriculum requirements - no specific courses of study. AND it should be self governing.

America is also not the Christian nation that so many of today’s conservative right wing argues and it was certainly not in our responsibility to convert anyone. Jefferson had written that he didn’t care what his neighbor’s faith was, twenty gods or no gods, it didn’t matter. This caused a fervor among the Federalists who accused him of being an atheist and a heretic. Jefferson wrote a response about the merits of Jesus as a role model and was later quoted in a letter to Benjamin Rush as saying he did reject “the corruptions of Christianity, but not the genuine precepts of Jesus himself.” While he viewed himself a Christian, he wanted to separate a pure simple faith, especially in the moral merits of the person of Jesus, from its institutionalized incarnations. He clearly believed in separation of church and state.

Ellis suggests that Jefferson descended into a “nearly pathological mentality” in his last years, partly due to mounting debts, and “self imposed isolation” that resulted in his sources of political information being “highly partisan and narrowly provincial.” That being said, one can not remove Jefferson’s much debated legacies from their historical context. Ellis puts it quite eloquently when he says, “It should be abundantly clear that the ingrained reticence of historians to translate Jefferson across the ages is rooted in more than mere timidity, it is grounded in a fuller appreciation of the sea of change that separates his world from our own. To extend the image of sand castle on the beach, it is not just that successive waves of change have swamped Jefferson’s core convictions, it is also that the shape of the entire shoreline has been completely reconfigured.” Times have changed and then again they have not.

While of opposing viewpoints and often in conflict with each other, Jefferson and Adams mended their friendship in their later years. Writing frequently in a manner which appeared to be posturing for posterity, they sometimes argued ideology and other times either avoided the discussions or simply agreed to disagree. What had been the real goal of the Revolution? Their differences still ran deep. I loved some of the comparisons Ellis draws of the two men in the final chapters. “Criticism of an idealist by a realist.” Theirs was a clash between “a romantic optimist and an enlightened pessimist.” “The classic debate between a rationalist and an empiricist.” “Something obviously more than a liberal and a conservative. Jefferson’s formulation rendered all political history into a moral clash between benevolent popular majorities and despotic elites…” to which Adams answers, “The fundamental Article of my political Creed is that Despotism, or unlimited Sovereignty, or absolute Power is the same in a Majority of a popular Assembly, an Aristocratical Counsel, an oligarchical Junto and a single Emperor.” Wow - how pertinent is that for today!? “For better or worse, American political discourse is phrased in Jeffersonian terms as a conversation about sovereign individuals who grudgingly and in special circumstances are prepared to compromise that sovereignty for larger social purposes.” ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2013 Steve rated it really liked it

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2013/...

“American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson” by Joseph J. Ellis was published in 1996 and won the 1997 National Book Award in Nonfiction. Ellis is a well-known author and history professor focusing on the revolutionary era. He is probably best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning book “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation” and has written about Presidents Washington and Adams as well.

“American Sphinx” has been described by some as a “psy http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2013/...

“American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson” by Joseph J. Ellis was published in 1996 and won the 1997 National Book Award in Nonfiction. Ellis is a well-known author and history professor focusing on the revolutionary era. He is probably best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning book “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation” and has written about Presidents Washington and Adams as well.

“American Sphinx” has been described by some as a “psychological history” of Jefferson, but it is really much more than that: it is part character analysis, part personality profile and part history book. What it is not is a traditional biography or even an abbreviated narrative of Jefferson’s entire life - but as I have discovered by now, this is par for the course for a Joseph Ellis book on a revolutionary-era president.

Instead of following the story of Jefferson’s life in a single, continuous arc “American Sphinx” focuses on five significant periods in his life, observing his thoughts and actions during each of these periods and considering what can be learned about this enigmatic man. In this manner Ellis reflects on the many contradictions Jefferson presents as well as the difficulty he offers those who wish to portray Jefferson either as a hero or a villain, when he is certainly far more complex than that. (Not unlike many of us, he is a little of both…)

But rather than focusing dogmatically on just those five specific periods of his life (while he was in Philadelphia during the Second Continental Congress, in Paris as a diplomat, at Monticello after resigning as secretary of state, during his first presidential term and during his ultimate retirement to Monticello), Ellis pulls as much historical context from the “uncovered” periods as is needed to fully understand appreciate the points he makes and the conclusions he draws.

This book has been called dense by some and, less frequently, one-sided. But it is certainly neither. In contrast to his previous character analysis (“Passionate Sage” about John Adams written three years earlier), Ellis’s book on Thomas Jefferson is surprisingly sprightly and effervescent, lacking the overly-academic feel of the earlier work. And it is remarkably well-balanced; throughout “American Sphinx” Ellis is careful to note Jefferson’s brighter and darker sides, observing his flaws and singing his praises where due.

Of particular interest toward the end of the book, Ellis examines Jefferson’s legacy – noting those aspects which have survived the past two-hundred years undiminished (his emphasis on religious freedom, for instance) and which have been forced to bend to the will of American history and changing times (his zealous pursuit of limited government in almost all circumstances…except when he was president, of course). It is at this point that one of Ellis’s central points – that Jefferson’s actions cannot be easily judged outside the context of his time in history – is most forcefully made.

Overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed “American Sphinx,” particularly as Ellis’s previous character analysis (on John Adams) possessed an overly dry and academic tone. ”American Sphinx” on the other hand was colorful and dynamic, while also deep and insightful. But make no mistake- this is not the perfect book for someone just getting acquainted with Jefferson. Even though Ellis replays a great deal of Jefferson’s life in order to fully support his conclusions, this is not a comprehensive account of Jefferson’s entire life. However, as a third or fourth book on Thomas Jefferson, “American Sphinx” truly excels.

Overall rating: 4¼ stars ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jun 19, 2021 J.M. Hushour rated it it was amazing

"Since this affinity for idealized or idyllic visions, and the parallel capacity to deny evidence that exposed them as illusory, proved a central feature of Jefferson's mature thought and character, it seems necessary to ask where it all came from."

Jefferson. Near-mythical Forefather and father to five children by his slave Sally Hemings. Declaration-writer and holder of one of the worst records for a presidential term (his second). Louisiana Purchaser and dedicated hypocrite whose first term pr ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 Christopher Saunders rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-reads, favorites

Joseph Ellis's American Sphinx expertly probes the life, beliefs and public image of Thomas Jefferson, the Third President, author of the Declaration of Independence and the intellectual motor of the American Revolution. Like Ellis's other works, it's not a conventional biography; instead, Ellis uses specific events to chart how Jefferson's character evolved, or didn't, in reaction to developments around him. Indeed, reaction might be the key, for Ellis's portrait of Jefferson emphasizes the Man Joseph Ellis's American Sphinx expertly probes the life, beliefs and public image of Thomas Jefferson, the Third President, author of the Declaration of Independence and the intellectual motor of the American Revolution. Like Ellis's other works, it's not a conventional biography; instead, Ellis uses specific events to chart how Jefferson's character evolved, or didn't, in reaction to developments around him. Indeed, reaction might be the key, for Ellis's portrait of Jefferson emphasizes the Man of Thought who'd prefer to quietly contemplate events (as when he coolly scrutinized the Constitutional Convention from Paris) than to be thrown in the midst of them, where self-contradiction became inevitable. His defining trait, arguably, was a reflexively Manichean worldview that painted him, and his allies, as innately good and those who opposed him as evildoers, whether King George and Tories or rivals in the House of Burgesses or George Washington and Alexander Hamilton (those like John Adams, friends who often quarreled with Jefferson, found their status constantly shifting). And a visionary who, in his own words, "like[d] dreams of the future more than the history of the past." This high-minded detachment lent itself to crafting the rhetoric and ideology that sustained a Revolution, but much less in shaping or administering an actual government.

Ellis's portrait, while not unsympathetic, does stress Jefferson's flaws and contradictions. Jefferson the small government advocate who unilaterally affected the Louisiana Purchase; Jefferson the Jacobin who cheered Shays Rebellion and the French Revolution while despising Haiti's slave revolt; Jefferson the staunch advocate of free press who encouraged his allies to persecute Federalist critics; and, most particularly, Jefferson the fierce critic of slavery who owned (and, in Sally Hemings' case, bedded) a great many slaves, viewed blacks and Native Americans as innately inferior and considered emancipation impossible. Uncharitably, this results in a Jeffersonian worldview that borders on solipsism; if I do or believe this thing, there is no contradiction - it must be right. But Ellis's point is less that Jefferson was a hypocrite than that, like most men and women, he found ways to compromise his beliefs in service of daily life. Sometimes, this benefited the nation; in others, it proved harmful. Either way, it resulted in a self-proclaimed idealist who proved as pragmatic, even Machiavellian as the Federalists he despised.

Perhaps, Ellis suggests, posterity is unfair to Jefferson; for all his self-evident brilliance, he was only a man, and it's unfair to place him on a pedestal. Certainly Jefferson, despite recent focus on his slave-owning, retains a power to inspire Americans across partisan lines which only Washington and Lincoln (and perhaps Martin Luther King) can match, giving even minor shortcomings disproportionate weight. On the other hand, statesmen attract (and deserve) greater scrutiny than your average citizens. And by holding a mirror up to this Sphnix, Ellis allows us to see him as a man of transcendent genius and earthly contradictions, brilliant achievements and unforgivable faults - all of which left an indelible impact on the United States of America. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

May 26, 2021 Jon rated it really liked it

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis is part biography, part history, but more so an illuminating character study of the enigmatic third president of the United States. Ellis analyzes Jefferson through five distinct periods of his life including: in Philadelphia during the Second Continental Congress (1774-75), in Paris as a diplomat (1784-89), at Monticello following resignation as President Washington’s secretary of state (1794-97, during his first presidentia American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis is part biography, part history, but more so an illuminating character study of the enigmatic third president of the United States. Ellis analyzes Jefferson through five distinct periods of his life including: in Philadelphia during the Second Continental Congress (1774-75), in Paris as a diplomat (1784-89), at Monticello following resignation as President Washington’s secretary of state (1794-97, during his first presidential term (1801-04), through to his retirement and death back at Monticello (1816-24).

Jefferson is revered most notably for many things: as a noble statesman, a philosopher, a planter, a diplomat, a lawyer, an architect, a president, and most proudly, the father of the University of Virginia. But Jefferson was also a cunning politician, deceptive, duplicitous, conniving, quixotic, a white supremacist who impregnated his black servant Sally Hemmings, and most infamously- a slaveholder. How could the author of the Declaration of Independence, an apostle of freedom, who famously wrote that “all men are created equal,” be so hypocritical? What did he really believe? Ellis seeks to unravel these contradictions of the Jeffersonian character.

The central premise of Ellis’s study are Jefferson’s inconsistencies and contradictions, of which there are many. Jefferson, who fancied revolution, never served in the military, preferring to avoid confrontation and wage his battles behind his desk at Monticello surrounded by his books. American Sphinx is best served as a supplemental study of Jefferson, as it's not intended to be a cradle to the grave examination. One critique I would add is the glaring omission of Jefferson’s time as secretary of state, depriving a more in-depth analysis of his intellectual battles with Alexander Hamilton, which were so foundational to the creation of the country. Yet Ellis’s approach is an enjoyable way to read history, a sober assessment that seeks to chip away at the Jefferson paradox. But Jefferson’s enigma is why he remains so fascinating. An American Sphinx. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 04, 2008 Suzanne rated it liked it

Shelves: biography, american-history

I loved the title. The iconic image of Jefferson takes a bit of a hit in this non-traditional biography. He was a brilliant, creative, imaginative and inventive man who helped transform our world with his vision on the role of government and in his writings. He was also a deeply flawed human being. He loved beauty and lived so beyond his financial means that, at his death, his beloved Monticello had to be auctioned off. He despised slavery yet, without them, could not afford his lifestyle. Since ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2020 Lost Planet Airman rated it liked it

Shelves: the-strenuous-life

An in-depth look at Thomas Jefferson in context of his time; erudite yet accessible. Not sure how to rate it as I have no basis for comparison. Liked it but I am not in love with scholarship, so... 4? 3.5, probably.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 06, 2022 Annie Monson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022, non-fiction, history

You know the feeling when you’re reading a five-star book within the first page or two?

Ellis’s comfortable expertise, precise and poetic analysis, and comprehensive synthesis combined with the irresistibility of the Founding Fathers and revolutionary era…? Well, I was hooked.

Ellis’s other master quality is that he is fair about Jefferson: neither overly complimentary, nor excessively critical.

For all of Jefferson’s idealism, contradictions and even deviousness, perhaps we needed him to give us ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it really liked it

Thomas Jefferson, according to the author, was an American Sphinx. And, indeed, there is an elusive quality to Jefferson. As the biography outlines, he could be as vicious a political assassin as there was (e.g., his attacks on John Adams through others, while trying to keep his own hands "clean"), but he did not appear to want to accept or confront this in himself.

At one time, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were great friends, founding cousins, as it were, of the new republic. Both added grea Thomas Jefferson, according to the author, was an American Sphinx. And, indeed, there is an elusive quality to Jefferson. As the biography outlines, he could be as vicious a political assassin as there was (e.g., his attacks on John Adams through others, while trying to keep his own hands "clean"), but he did not appear to want to accept or confront this in himself.

At one time, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were great friends, founding cousins, as it were, of the new republic. Both added greatly to the republic as diplomats abroad. However, Jefferson's "dark side" led to a rupture that lasted some time before they began to repair that relationship.

Ellis' statement following begins to identify his approach to Jefferson (page xvi): ". . .affection and criticism toward Jefferson are not mutually exclusive postures. . . " He goes on to say that (page xvii): "As I have found him, there really is a core of convictions and apprehensions at his center. Although he was endlessly elusive and extraordinarily adroit at covering his tracks, there were bedrock Jeffersonian values that determined the shape of the political vision he projected so successfully onto his world and that remain such a potent factor in ours." Ellis characterizes Jefferson as (page 26) ". . .a flawed creature, a man who combined massive learning with extraordinary naïveté, piercing insights into others with daunting powers of self-deception, utter devotion to great principles with a highly indulged presumption that his own conduct was not answerable to them."

This volume traces his adult career from the Constitutional Convention (and his role in authoring the Declaration of Independence) to his service as a diplomat in Paris to his work in the Washington Administration and retirement to Monticello to his service as President and his subsequent retirement. His great accomplishments and his sometimes nasty actions are documented, as are his continuing unsuccessful efforts to establish a sound economic footing for his plantation. There is also a useful appendix on Sally Hemings.

This is not a massive biography, but it is useful and does a nice job of portraying the "Sphinx"-like quality of one of the most fascinating of our Founders.
...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 30, 2016 Renee rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, 2016, history

American Sphinx posits that Thomas Jefferson is not a hypocrite but such an ardent political idealist that he compartmentalized the aspects of himself that he psychologically could not deal with and so self deceived himself. Isn't that the very definition of a hypocrite?

I've perused several reviews who believe Ellis is biased negatively against Jefferson, and that's just not true. I think Ellis is an ardent fan of Jefferson, but wisely, he doesn't shy away from Jefferson's faults; however, he a ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2008 Matt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: america-fuck-yeah, biography, historyonics-american

I've only read one other book about Jefferson but I've read several others about the founding fathers and I'm absolutely convinced that this is the best I'll ever read about Thomas Jefferson.

Ellis writes incredibly well- poetic, detailed, erudite as all hell, and smoothly- with grace.

He captures what must have been Jefferson's consciousness. Not his mind or soul or heart so much as all three put together and the cloud of ideas and opinions he carried with him, as we all do.

Complex man and a com ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2014 Christine Boyer rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Jefferson fanatics, early American history, Louisiana Purchase, slavery, Monticello

Okay, this is a specific review. Yes, I liked it. However, beware, it is not for everyone. First, it is not a biography of Jefferson. There is no starting from a baby, learning about family, and going to the end. This is all about Jefferson's key writings and his philosophical ideas with regard to governments. Ellis starts with Jefferson writing the Declaration, then the next chapter is his years as Sec. of State in France, etc. And you can tell that Ellis is a professor because the writing felt ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 01, 2019 Karen rated it liked it · review of another edition

After reading Ron Chernow's biography on Alexander Hamilton, my opinion of Thomas Jefferson was very low. I vowed to read a Jefferson bio so that I could learn more about the man and his beliefs and philosophies. Based on this bio, I feel that he was a man who, like Hamilton, was passionate about this country and without question, he was a founding father who dedicated his life to building democracy in America. However, he was a conflicted and manipulative person who was driven by self interest ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 30, 2018 Joseph rated it it was amazing

Wow. I can honestly say this is the best TJ biography I have ever read. The narrative is crisp, clear and concise. The author relates Jefferson's life through a series of vignettes that come together to form the book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Founding Fathers, American history, and Presidential history buffs as well. An excellent read. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2019 ShirleyS rated it liked it

Shelves: biography, presidents, non-fiction

The more I read about Thomas Jefferson the less I like him.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 19, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it

Oh Mr. Jefferson, what are we going to do with you?

American Sphinx is my second book about the founding fathers this year, all sparked by my desire to read Hamilton after watching the musical. I still haven't gotten around to that one, but now I've read about Adams and Jefferson!

I wanted to read about Jefferson after reading David McCollough's biography of John Adams because McCollough didn't present Jefferson in a very favorable light, which was surprising to me and I wanted to know if it was ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2018 Sara Shefchik rated it really liked it

The second half of this book was more intriguing than the first. Ellis gives several examples of paradox in the politics/philosophies of Jefferson. One must consider the context when reading about any of our founding fathers but I can’t help but being pushed away from Jefferson towards Hamilton on the political spectrum of the time. Nonetheless, Jefferson is very intriguing. I now believe that no politician should ever quote Jefferson because he lived in a very different time and his philosophie ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2018 Kathleen rated it really liked it

I get the sense you either love him or you don't. We're not talking hate, necessarily, just a sliding spectrum of dislike ranging from never having considered the Jeffersonian point of view to a deep concern for what is at best naivety and at worst willful duplicity. Ellis provides only the highlights of Jefferson's life, focusing on periods of accomplishment or intellectual growth, but it is a solid starting point for understanding how Jefferson fits into the early narrative of the American exp ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 10, 2020 Deacon Tom F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A very powerful book. The strongest sections were the last two chapters. They served as both a summary as well as a comparative analysis of Jefferson in history.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Nonfiction Naviga...: The Man, the Myth, the Legend: Thomas Jefferson	2	2	Dec 07, 2016 10:11AM
Goodreads Librari...: Please add/update details	3	13	Mar 23, 2016 09:46AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

History

826 users

Biography

678 users

Nonfiction

297 users

Politics > Presidents

204 users

North American Hi... > American History

202 users

Politics

85 users

Military History > American Revolution

70 users

Biography Memoir

58 users

Presidents > Us Presidents

48 users

Historical

36 users

See top shelves…

About Joseph J. Ellis

Joseph J. Ellis

1,058 followers

Joseph J. Ellis, a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College, is a nationally recognized scholar of American history from colonial times through the early decades of the Republic. The author of seven books, he is recipient of the National Book Award in Nonfiction for American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson and the Pulitzer Prize for Founding Brothers. He lives in Massachusetts. ...more

Books by Joseph J. Ellis

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789

More…

64 Top Nonfiction Books to Read for Women's History Month

March is Women’s History Month, dedicated to the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. Some...

Trivia About American Sphinx: ...

2 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from American Sphinx: ...

“Jefferson appeared to his enemies as an American version of Candide; Hamilton as an American Machiavelli.” — 6 likes

“In Jefferson's mind great historical leaps forward were almost always the product of a purging, which freed societies from the accumulated debris of the past and thereby allowed the previously obstructed natural forces to flow forward into the future. Simplicity and austerity, not equality or individualism, were the messages of his inaugural march. It was a minimalist statement about a purging of excess and a recovery of essence.” — 4 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — American Sphinx by Joseph J. Ellis

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Joseph J. Ellis

Books by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Articles

Trivia About American Sphinx: ...

Quotes from American Sphinx: ...

See a Problem?

Preview — American Sphinx by Joseph J. Ellis

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Joseph J. Ellis

Books by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Articles

Trivia About American Sphinx: ...

Quotes from American Sphinx: ...

new topic
Discuss This Book