Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography

by Merrill D. Peterson

ISBN: 0195019091

The definitive life of Jefferson in one volume, this biography relates Jefferson's private life and thought to his prominent public position and reveals the rich complexity of his development. As Peterson explores the dominant themes guiding Jefferson's career—democracy, nationality, and enlightenment—and Jefferson's powerful role in shaping America, he simultaneously tells the story of nation coming into being.

Genres: History, Biography, Presidents, Nonfiction, Politics, American History, American Revolution

1072 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Merrill Daniel Peterson was a history professor at the University of Virginia. After spending two years at Kansas State University, Peterson earned his B.A. at the University of Kansas and then took his Ph.D. in the history of American civilization at Harvard University. Before teaching at the University of Virginia, he taught at Brandeis and Princeton.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

“Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation” by Merrill Peterson was published in 1970 and is considered by many to be the best, and most complete, single-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson. Peterson, who died in 2009 at the age of 88, was a prolific author, having written about Woodrow Wilson, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, among others. He was also a professor of history, teaching at Brandeis and Princeton before moving to the University of Virginia in 1962 to succeed Dumas Malone, another legendary Jefferson scholar.

Peterson’s “Thomas Jefferson” was my fifth and final biography of Jefferson – counting Malone’s six volume series only once. Having now lived and re-lived Jefferson’s life from the perspective of many authors, I was eager to experience this weighty, thousand-page classic. In most ways I was not disappointed, though there were a few bumps along the way.

From an academic perspective, Peterson’s biography serves as a thorough and detailed reference on Jefferson, comprehensively chronicling nearly all of his legislative, diplomatic and political activities. Had I not recently read Dumas Malone’s even more comprehensive series on Jefferson, I would have thought not a single detail could possibly have been left aside. Peterson’s biography is often interesting, usually meticulous, and always informative.

Although he seems to skim over certain events rather quickly – such as the Marbury vs. Madison case and the suicide of Meriwether Lewis – I found his treatment of other historical matters such as the Burr Conspiracy and the Louisiana Purchase unusually thorough and interesting. And although Peterson’s sympathies with Jefferson are not difficult to uncover, his partisan tendencies prove much less obtuse than I had been warned to expect.

It is only fair to highlight that this biography may not provide the casual Jefferson fan with a fun and carefree experience. Most readers will find this is not a book to be read purely for pleasure. It is often dry and distant, almost appearing to be a lengthy political news story crafted by a punctilious Associated Press reporter without a publication deadline. Except in this case, the story is assembled with paragraphs that routinely take up more than an entire page.

Disappointingly, Peterson provides little insight relating to Jefferson’s immediate family, and even less of his friends and more distant relatives. This is a book focused nearly exclusively on Jefferson’s professional, rather than personal, life. Exceptions to this include his academic, scientific and literary interests and talents. Peterson also seems not to follow Jefferson’s attitudes towards slavery to any final conclusions, leaving the obvious contradiction between his stated views and his lifelong ownership of slaves to be judged by history – or the reader.

Readers unfamiliar with Jefferson’s life will, at times, become lost in a sea of complex details. Those with some familiarity merely risk losing the forest for the trees, particularly when topics turn to foreign affairs. But for those with a full understanding of the times, Peterson’s biography will fill in interesting details the reader probably did not even know had been missing. In one area, Peterson’s biography does feel stuck in a time warp, however: on the topic of Jefferson’s rumored relationship with his slave Sally Hemings, Peterson had no access to the evidence that has only recently come into existence. In the book he finds the relationship “difficult to imagine” but (wisely) goes little further.

Structurally, the book is smartly divided into eleven sections reflecting the major periods of Jefferson’s life (and further subdivided into topical, rather than chronological, chapters). However, it is both weighty and dense. As a result, though Peterson’s writing style is straightforward and easy to read, it is not always as easy to comprehend or completely digest.

Overall, however, this is an excellent, substantive and comprehensive study of Jefferson that should appeal to anyone with a serious interest in presidential history. Peterson’s book is designed to be read for enlightenment and with serious purpose, not necessarily for “fun”. It requires some patience and a bit of stamina, but in return is immensely enriching and rewarding. For its nearly pure focus on Jefferson scholarship – devoid of contrived conspiracy theories and imputed psychic intuitions – it is nearly perfect. As an instrument of entertainment, to be read at leisure with a cocktail by the pool, it is less well-suited.

Overall rating: 3¾ stars

[Henry Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merrill Peterson was one of the most respected historians of the late 20th century. His work on Thomas Jefferson was already well regarded and accomplished when he wrote Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation. This biography of Jefferson, while occasionally being superseded by the research of Professor Gordon-Reed in the matter of the Hemings family, is still the best work on Jefferson’s whole life. Although sometimes getting into minute details about Jefferson’s agricultural and scientific pursuits, Peterson’s biography presents the Renaissance Man and Founding Father in full, a sometimes deliberate and too idealistic man whose brilliance and devotion to principle in a practical way made him indispensable to the American experiment. Peterson’s work should be read by anyone interested in American or European history. Rating: 4.5/5

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best epitaph ever written about Thomas Jefferson came from one of his successors. When John F.
Kennedy hosted a group of Nobel Prize winners he said that he was glad to be hosting the greatest
collection of human minds ever in the history of the White House except possibly when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

Not even his severest critics ever said Jefferson was dumb. His mind ran into so many directions. His
plantation Monticello was always a work in progress with Jefferson interested deeply in horticulture.
He played the violin well He invented the roll top desk. And as we know he was most interested in
political philosophy and wrote one of the greatest works in that field.

Jefferson was born in 1743 in Virginia to a prosperous planter family who apparently recognized that
they had a prodigy child. He got the best education they could give him which meant William and
Mary College. The stirrings for independence from Great Britain interested him and he immersed
himself in the struggle especially after being elected to the Second Continental Congress.

Where he wrote the document that secured his immortality the Declaration of Independence It is
the document that expressed our reasons which he said were self evident for separating from
Great Britain. There isn't any subsequent nation being born that hasn't used some variation on
his words.

He was Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781 then part of the team negotiating the Treaty of Peace
with the British. He became our 2nd Minister to France succeeding Ben Franklin. Jefferson was a
Francophile. He was at home with the court of Louis XVI yet kept in touch with the forces for
reform there. They tossed the Bourbon monarchy out in 1789 the same year George Washington
called him home to serve as Secretary of State.

In that Cabinet he clashed with Alexander Hamilton who was Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton
even though he served in the military in the Revolution thought we were best served emulating the
society there. He was as much an Anglophile as Jefferson was a Francophile. They clashed over
foreign policy.

And they clashed over Hamilton's financial plans mostly over his idea of a National Bank. The
years 1790 to 1793 were those of intrigue and influence as both sought to win Washington over to
their point of view. Hamilton served with Washington in the revolution so he had the advantage.
Jefferson resigns at the end of 1793 and the opposition to Hamilton crystalizes around Jefferson
and James Madison as a two party system emerges.

When Washington retires in 1797, Jefferson is elected Vice President serving with John Adams.
Adams and he were at one time good companions. But came apart as Adams favored the Hamiltonian policies if not the man himself. Adams was defeated for a second term in 1800 in one
of two first times the election went to the House of Representatives. Jefferson and his running
mate Aaron Burr due to a bit of intrigue by several parties received a tie vote in the Electoral
College.

Jefferson prevailed and became our third president serving two terms from 1801-1809. His first
term was a great success and he doubled the size of America with the Louisiana Purchase. We got
quite the chunk of real estate and Jefferson sent the exploring team of Meriweather Lewis and
William Clark to explore and see what we now had. Lewis and Clark were the first of many expeditions west. They were as much scientific as anything else reflecting the interest of the man
in the White House.

Jefferson won a smashing re-election and the election was the first under the 12th amendment
which allowed for separate ballots for president and vice president. Aaron Burr didn't run again
and instead got himself involved in a plot to take over the western territories for which he was
arrested and tried unsuccessfully for treason. Jefferson's administration took a hit politically for
failing to deliver a guilty verdict. Lots has been written about that, but Burr himself was ruined
politically.

But what was worse was Jefferson's decision to forbade trade with both Great Britain and France
as war was starting again between the countries. Both plundered Amercan shipping with the
English impressing American seaman saying many were deserters from them and some probably
were. The Embargo plunged his popularity above the Mason-Dixon line into the depths as smuggling became rampant. Jefferson was glad to turn things over to his successor James Madison.

In retirement Jefferson was an honored elder statesman. During his ex-presidential years he was
best known for founding the University of Virginia. He died as did John Adams on the 4th of July
1826.

Jefferson left one giant imprint on the founding of America. With what he preached in his
writings and the policies he was indispensable. He articulated our reason for being.

[Andrew Canfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exhaustive biography of the third president’s life is difficult to fit into one volume, and Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation certainly could have been broken up into multiple lengthy books.

This work of nonfiction is an excellent resource for nearly every aspect of Jefferson’s public and private lives. Beginning with his early life in mid-eighteenth century Albemarle County, the esteemed historian Merrill D. Peterson walks readers through Jefferson’s law training under George Wythe and the attentiveness to detail invested in the planning and construction of Monticello. Based largely on the ideas of Italian architect Adrian Palladio, this project’s initial phase took over a decade to complete. The desire to maintain a natural aesthetic in Monticello’s layout was a common thread running throughout its planning.

Considering the book’s one thousand plus page length, there are not many aspects of Jefferson's early, middle, or late life that go unremarked upon. Even the story of a brief romance with Rebecca Burwell, a fling prior to his marriage with Martha which ended in the future president’s ultimate rejection, is not overlooked in Thomas Jefferson and The New Nation.

The outbreak of conflict with England naturally consumes quite a few pages.

Jefferson’s 1769 ascension to Virginia’s House of Burgesses serves as precursor to a growing foray into politics, one which leads to him finding a voice in the debates over separation from England. Although the two shared differences, his efforts largely coincided with fellow Virginian Patrick Henry’s in this regard. Six years later--at the age of just 32--Jefferson’s call to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia ultimately led to his high regarded writing skills being called on to draft the Declaration of Independence.

Unfortunately, his time as Virginia’s governor was marred by the British invasion. Turning their efforts southward after stalemate in the northeastern colonies, the likes of Banastre Tarleton, Benedict Arnold, and Charles Cornwallis at first scored huge successes in the south. As Virginia’s defenses fell, Governor Jefferson (who was responsible for having the militia prepared to fight) and his family were even forced to flee the state capital, with the governor barely evading capture and being forced to face down accusations of cowardice in the face of the approaching British enemy.

Although Monticello was spared, Jefferson’s Elk Hill plantation was ransacked by enemy soldiers.

Following American victory in the Revolutionary War, Jefferson had the first of two withdrawals from retirement. With his wife Martha’s passing one year after the war’s conclusion, he was willing to embrace the distraction of appointment as representative to France. Tasked with improving the new nation’s relations with European governments, Jefferson was in France at the outbreak of their own 1789 revolution. Strongly supportive of the democracy movement, he pushed back against opponents critical of the growing mob violence. Jefferson felt these were merely birthing pains on the way to an embracing of democracy, although he departed Paris with his appointment as the nation’s first Secretary of State before the violence really reached its peak.

Tug of war with Federalists defined Jefferson’s time as President Washington’s Secretary of State. His disagreements with Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton over how to handle state debts and establishment of a National Bank were only tips of the iceberg when it came to the growing chasm between Federalists and Jeffersonian republicans. The establishment of early factions (political parties) can be traced to Jefferson’s struggles against Hamilton in the Cabinet, and this spilled over into the foreign policy sphere when it came to either supporting France or England. Washington chose to issue a Proclamation of Neutrality, but debates over the Jay Treaty made clear Federalist support for England was pitted against Francophiles’ opposition.

The author documents Jefferson’s years as Secretary of State, and, following the 1796 election, as the second vice-president, with ample care. Estrangement from John Adams, his own president, could largely be chalked up to the clash with Federalists.

Even petty issues came into play in spats with Federalists. Maryland Federalist Attorney General Luther Martin attempted to smear Jefferson with accusations that he took the side of Native Americans over white settlers after the public outcry over the murder of Native American Chief Cresap’s family members.

His push to ensure a Bill of Rights were added to the new Constitution was not the only action he and James Madison took which angered many Federalists and chafed President Adams.

The two men spearheaded drafting of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions after passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, essentially endorsing nullification and interposition on the part of state governments against federal laws they viewed as unconstitutional. This position, one which took away the Supreme Court’s ability to be final arbiter of constitutionality, was an extreme one which ultimately would be wielded with disastrous results by slaveholders several decades later.

His letter to Philip Mazzei, thought to be private but later leaked, featured jabs at Federalists which caused both Washington and Adams to become suspicious of Jefferson’s true loyalties.

The growing national schisms only further intensified thanks to the controversial 1800 election. The Electoral College tie with Aaron Burr ruined Adams’s reelection chances, and the ensuing wheeling and dealing in the House of Representatives officially elected Jefferson but, thanks to Alexander Hamilton’s intervention against Burr, further added to the young country’s divides. The retelling of the 1800 election makes for great reading, and Peterson uses his knack for writing to skillfully tell this story.

Jefferson’s ascension to the presidency wraps up the book’s massive first section, and there is seemingly little that is not discussed in the course of this richly detailed but immensely readable prose.

Despite much of his pre presidential years being devoted to national causes, Peterson’s version of Jefferson appears more interested in shaping Virginia’s post-revolutionary government than that of the nation’s at large. As a member of the state’s House of Delegates he appeared very hands-on in shaping the state constitution. Jefferson requested that The Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom be listed on his gravestone as a top lifetime accomplishment, and this document reflected his relentless promotion of religious tolerance.

Often falsely accused of being an atheist by political opponents, Jefferson in fact held unorthodox Christian beliefs and used this statute to argue for freedom of conscience in religion. Seemingly a deist scornful of doctrine but happy to see the utilitarian uses to which religions could be put, he was one of many early backers of separating sectarianism from influencing public policy. Modern readers cannot help but wonder how appalled Jefferson would be today of five Supreme Court members enforcing their Catholic beliefs on three hundred thirty million Americans; the sight of modern supporters of theocracy breaking down the wall between religion and state in the twenty-first century would no doubt leave him quite deflated.

He poured a lot of his efforts into ensuring Virginia had a strong system of public education, and the book does a wonderful job of detailing the trailblazing ideas he brought to the education policy table. This passion ultimately led to his creation of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Curtailing capital punishment, compiling exhaustive details of this state’s flora and fauna; Jefferson’s efforts on behalf of his home state were extensive.

Jefferson’s time as president featured an array of highs and lows. Although he attempted to soothe passions with a proclamation that “We are all Federalists, we are Republicans” during his 1801 Inaugural Address, the evolution of American democracy would undercut any of his efforts at conciliation.

The Louisiana Purchase was arguably the crowning achievement of his administration and yet left him accused of hypocrisy over the expansion of arbitrary presidential powers. This 1803 deal was covered with an ample historical eye for detail by Peterson, and very little of its wheelings and dealings went unmentioned.

The Corps of Discovery under Meriwether Lewis and William Clark is tied into Jefferson’s relentless fascination with scientific discovery and Indian languages. His discovery of bones which he claimed belong to a “megalonyx” turned out to merely be the remains of a since extinct North American sloth, but his relentless interest in fossils and geology never seemed to wane.

As evidenced by these researches, Jefferson’s interests extended well beyond the political. He served for decades as the American Philosophical Society’s president and was a constant defender of the quality of North America’s wildlife specimens.

Claims that American flora and fauna were somehow inferior to those in Europe frequently frosted the Virginian and earned rebuttals from his pen.

The Louisiana Purchase proved quite unexpected from a leader who came of age claiming strictly limited governmental powers, but it showed the political dexterity, when necessary, which he possessed. Jefferson was of the mind that constitutions were not meant to bind future generations, viewing it as wildly unpragmatic for since-passed individuals to bind the hands of their children and grandchildren in circumstances which they might never have foreseen.

Other successes of his administration are analyzed, with drastic reduction of the public debt and an avoidance of war with England after inflamed passions caused by the Chesapeake-Leopard incident qualifying as pluses. The rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte cooled the republicans’ ardor for France, and the dictator’s time as an expansionist ruler even reduced the admiration Jefferson had held for France during the country’s tumultuous revolutionary days.

The commander-in-chief’s willingness to greenlight raid pirate bases in Tripoli, an attempt to end seizure of ships and subsequent demands for tribute, was a gamble which ended well. The success of this mission ensured American commerce would be left alone by Islamic pirates plying the coasts of North Africa.

It was Jefferson’s second term as president, earned in 1804 with relative ease against South Carolina Federalist Charles C. Pinckney, which was possibly better off not having happened. As with many presidents after him, it was this second go-around which took a lot of the luster off a productive first one.

His support of the Embargo Act of 1807, a law which required strong federal violations of individual liberty to enforce, made a mockery of his claims to believe in limited government. Perhaps more than any other decision as president, this one tarnished his legacy and left voters with a sour taste in their mouths.

The crippling of much of America’s economy this act resulted in damaged Jefferson’s popularity, and it arguably contributed little to its ultimate objective of ensuring European belligerents stopped interfering with the country’s trans-Atlantic commerce. It all but brought New England shipping to its knees; this was a region not prone to support Jefferson’s policies in the first place (this portion of the country provided some of the lone holdouts when it came to the Louisiana Purchase’s lowering of their property values), and their anger was joined by that of Jefferson’s fellow southern planters by the conclusion of his second term in office.

Although DNA evidence had yet to prove it at this book’s publication, James Callender’s accusations that Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemming did merit discussion in this book. Peterson seemed prone to disbelieve these accusations and treat it mostly as slander, although this was not part of a broader pro-Jefferson partisanship.

Over the course of the book he is more often than not willing to critique Jefferson’s decisions, and on no other issue was Jefferson’s promotion of liberty more contradicted than the issue of slavery. Even Jefferson admitted to internal conflict over this economic system, and he comes across as more enlightened than most other slaveholders of his era were.

Attuned to the basic unfairness of the institution, Jefferson nonetheless admitted to not seeing a viable short term alternative given the ignorance slaves had been kept in by their masters and his belief that African-Americans could not coexist among whites. This strange mental balancing act was one the book takes the time to look at and revealed a man, although certainly by no means a believer in racial equality, constricted by the political realities of the age in which he lived. An entire book could be dedicated to his internal conflicts on this one issue alone.

Jefferson’s decade and a half out of office give him time in repose at Monticello. His repairing of the break with John Adams is undertaken courtesy of numerous exchanges of letters, and he was well aware of the growing sectional controversies which seemed to be only getting worse. His death on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence's signing also happened to be the same day John Adams passed away, and these two members of the founding generation would long be remembered as patriots despite their differing ideologies.

Thomas Jefferson and The New Nation has to be the best single volume biography of the Monticello sage. It is perhaps only exceeded by the five volume biography written by Dumas Malone, but Peterson’s book is deserving of a high level of praise as well. He gives a fair minded assessment of Jeffersonian America while not overlooking his time before and after serving in the highest office.

Lovers of history will not be disappointed. One aspect after another is laid out without rushing, yet the book rarely feels slow thanks to the suppleness of Peterson’s writing. It certainly earns five stars, and the book’s contribution to knowledge about Jefferson’s life makes it a commendable addition to American history bookshelves.

-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado

[Leslee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. It only took 2 months, but I finished it :-) And I'm glad I did, even though it was challenging at times.

This is the longest of the presidential biographies I have undertaken. As the name implies, it certainly focuses more on TJ's service to the nation than on his personal life. For example on page 950 of a 1000 page book, it introduces us to Francis Walker Gilmer as "like a son" to TJ. What?? Who is this guy and where has he been the first 70 years of the book? But there is still lots of interesting non-US topics - Jefferson's time in the VA assembly and governorship, all of his hobbies between his time in Washingon's cabinet and his own presidency, and his personal views on religion, education, and of course, government.

I still would have liked to get a more detailed understanding of his personal relationships with the other founding fathers, not just as they related to the government. Peterson generally has good excuses for Jefferson's falling outs (fallings out?) with Washington, Adams, Monroe, but I'm not completely convinced that Jefferson only had good intentions; the implication is generally that the other person in the argument took Jefferson's actions personally, when they weren't meant as such. You'd think he'd learn his lesson and be a little more diplomatic in his friendships after the first ones took a dive.

The challenges of this book are as follows:
-Lots of detailed descriptions of foreign policy situations, which were difficult to understand for someone not familiar with treaties and trade policies.
-Peterson tends to jump around in time within a chapter. For example, when he starts to address the Jay Treaty, he jumps back several months to the Whiskey Rebellion, then gets back to the Jay Treaty. I really had to focus to understand what happened in what order.
-Peterson also rarely includes a first name when mentioning people the second and subsequent times. This is fine for Jefferson and Washington, but when TJ is President, does "Adams" refer to John or JQ? And there are several Smiths, Pinckneys, Randolphs, and Livingstons to keep straight. I recommend taking copious notes to refer back to at each mention :-)
-This is a problem with the edition I had, but TONS of typos. This is really distracting and this book does not lend itself to distraction.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book 35 years ago when it came out in paperback. I wondered what it would be like to read it again after 35 years of further study and the reading of many, many more books on the subject and especially on the era. I am really glad I made the decision to do so.

From the notes I made in the margins of the book the first time I read it, I could tell I was having problems mentally grasping the concept of who Jefferson really was. There were too many contradictions to have to deal with in his life, his attitude toward slavery which bordered on absolute disgust and hatred of the practice but then owning so many for so many years. His desire to be a natural philosopher and farmer and have nothing to do with politics but then his absorption into the political process of doing just that, Governor of Virginia, Ambassador to France, Secretary of State, Vice-President and finally a two term President. Lastly, his belief in a small government with the states in the real driver's seat of decision making even at the federal level but then his move to make the Louisiana Purchase which basically insured (and he knew it) that the federal government would be very large and loom over the states like a sovereign king. 35 years ago these contradictions confused me. Not so much any more. We are never who we seem to be or even who we think we are.

Jefferson epitomized in his life what the nation itself was becoming, something no one could have imagined. The revolutionary years made brothers of these men and building a nation tore them apart. From the heady days of the Constitutional Congress, the nation almost immediately began moving in two different directions. Federalists and large government, Republicans, small and limited government. There has been no definitive decision made yet on this issue as we now enter into the 2016 election cycle. We are still arguing about it and I think that would have pleased Jefferson.

If you want to really know the man he was, this is the book for you. It is extremely well written and thoroughly researched. An added benefit to you if someway you end up with my copy is you get the additional challenge of reading my notes in the margins. I argue with my 35 year old younger self.

May our arguments never end!

[Robert Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography of Jefferson is increasingly out of date; you should not stop with this book if you want to understand Jefferson fully. I also found that much of the bulk of the book comes from the extensive writing about context, not from relating the details of Jefferson's life. That's good and bad at the same time. Good, you understand more about Jefferson's world and its impact on him. Bad, you don't get the details of his actual thinking and performance in that world. You miss the how, not the why. Unfortunately, with Jefferson, the how is much more important than the why. Often there is no why with Jefferson.

Another problem with the book: no footnotes or references. I'm not big on content footnotes, but if you make a claim about what the subject said or did in a serious history, you need to tell us the source. There are no sources at all in this book, only a generalized bibliography. If you want to trace a quote to the letter Jefferson wrote, tough. It's made worse in that Peterson often quotes from a different time period than the one he's detailing to back up an assertion about how Jefferson thinks. So you can't even approximate the date of the quote or fact. In a 1,000-page biography, I can understand why the publisher did this, but you can't really call this "definitive" as a result.

[John Breker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A triumph among biographies of Thomas Jefferson. In no small undertaking, Merrill Peterson aptly captured the essence and detail of Jefferson's life in one volume. Peterson gives extensive attention to Jefferson's long public career, from Virginia legislator to U.S. President, focusing on his policy decisions and the reactions from the public and his contemporaries. The 1000-page tome is no introductory text to Jefferson or the early American period; prior knowledge of the events and actors is recommended. For new entrants to Jefferson scholarship, I must suggest something more navigable, like American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson.

[Tim Horine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book. I have to say it wasn’t entirely what I was looking for. I would have liked to have more details about TJ’s personal life. This was a very very good telling of his roles and contributions to the start of our country. It was well written and well researched.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me better understand the contribution of Jefferson to the New Republic. Hamilton, Madison, Monroe, and J. Q. Adams remind for me. Recommended!

[Zachary Hadsell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prior to reading this book, most of my knowledge of Jefferson came from McCullough’s biography of John Adams. While I was sure that McCullough was fair in his assessment of Jefferson, I also acknowledged that much of it was in contrast to Adams and painted him in antagonistic terms to drive the narrative of Adam’s story.

The thing that fascinated me and confused me the most about McCullough’s depiction of Jefferson was his seemingly contradictory nature. He condemned slavery yet owned slaves. He lived an exquisite lifestyle that he could ill afford and remained indebted to the end of his life. I was looking for a book that would explore these contradictions and perhaps offer an insightful analysis of such a complex man. Unfortunately this book did not address those contradictions.

While I was disappointed by the lack of character analysis, I was also pleasantly surprised by the rest of what Peterson offers in this book. He dedicates dozens of pages to each of Jefferson’s incredibly diverse interests and talents: philosophy, writing, diplomacy, statesmanship, paleontology, agriculture, mathematics, literature, religion, inventions, politics, architecture, and law. Peterson left me in awe of Jefferson’s talents and his ability to excel in so many fields simultaneously.

Peterson touches on each of these topics while he explores Jefferson’s life in mostly chronological order. He starts with Jefferson’s law studies in Virginia and takes the reader through his time in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the revolution and the Declaration of Independence, his time as Virginia Governor, congressman, minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President, President, and his retirement at Monticello. He spends about 100 pages on each of these moments of Jefferson’s life and explores many of the complex circumstances that Jefferson and the nation faced. Even with Peterson’s ability to describe these events concisely, it still takes him over 1,000 pages to touch on all these topics.

Ultimately I’m glad I read this book and I now have a strong grasp of how Jefferson’s contributions helped shape the U.S. in so many important and profound ways. I still don’t feel like I have an understanding of Jefferson the man; but neither does Peterson. After decades of study Peterson was appalled to conclude that Jefferson was an “impenetrable man”. Even so, I plan to read Ellis’ book American Sphinx to get more insight on Jefferson’s character.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading 1070 pages of this biography, I SHOULD feel that I have a good understanding of Thomas Jefferson. I wish I could say that but I can't. This is the second biography (the other being Page Smith's) I've read about Jefferson, and the second which is disappointing. While I felt I gained a good understanding of many of the political events surrounding Jefferson through Peterson, I felt that Jefferson remained very illusive in terms of who he was as a man. I felt I gained a much better idea about him through reading McCulloch's biography of Adams or Chernow's biographies of Washington or Hamilton. I also feel that Peterson downplayed some of Jefferson's greatest failings. Chief among them was Jefferson's position on slavery, his probable relationship with Sally Hemmings (which was scarcely mentioned), and little explanation offered for how Jefferson owned 200 slaves yet Peterson presents him as someone (who almost) opposed to slavery. In fact Peterson seems to go out of his way to label Jefferson's slaves as family, servants, etc., rather than what they were really, slaves who were intended to serve as tools to enrich Jefferson and support his wealthy lifestyle. I also felt that Jefferson's key political relationships with Adams and Hamilton weren't examined sufficiently either. While they were both mentioned often, I felt it was often at a superficial level. These men were often political adversaries, who shaped Jefferson's political actions immeasurably -- something Peterson fails to capitalize on adequately. Jefferson was a consummate politician who was often ruthless (i.e., how his political venom poisoned his relationships with Adams -- until it was repaired late in their lives after their political careers were over -- and Washington) and was always opinionated. We don't see that ruthlessness much though through Peterson's pen while we do get his views on many of the key issues of the day. Additionally, Peterson's writing style was often wordy, rarely concise, and sometimes inaccessible. I continued along with this book, despite considerable flaws because I wanted to understand Jefferson better. I did accomplish that goal somewhat. But I will now be reading a third biography about him to hopefully get a better understanding of this complex man. After 1070 pages, I feel I shouldn't have to do that.

[Mojambo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best single volume biography of Jefferson. Takes a very forgiving stance on Jefferson and is a suitable counter-balance to some of the more critical modern Jefferson biographies.

[Craig Bolton]

Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography (Galaxy Books) by Merrill D. Peterson (1986)

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice one-volume bio and I have read many.