Thomas Jefferson: Draftsman of a Nation

by Natalie S. Bober

Thomas Jefferson’s was one of history’s greatest voices for the importance of individual freedom. His eloquence on this fundamental right became the cornerstone of our nation and a central theme of the Enlightenment. And yet, Jefferson presided over a society that depended on slavery and was himself the holder of numerous slaves. How are students of history to reconcile this contradiction in the third president? Now celebrated biographer and historian Natalie Bober presents a life of Jefferson that does not evade this difficult question. Bober explores the slave community that built and maintained his home, Monticello--and what their lives under Jefferson tell us about him and about slavery as an early American institution. To assess fully what Jefferson might mean to our time, we must first understand what it meant to be a man of his own time. From the first page, the world he inhabited is made vivid--and so, too, is Jefferson himself, standing before us as a freckled and, for the eighteenth century, unusually tall young man. Bober follows him through a life in which the presidency was just one of many accomplishment. As designer of Monticello, he was one of the great architects of his era; as founder of the University of Virginia, he was one of the nation’s early champions of higher education. His greatest legacy is perhaps as author of the Declaration of Independence, a nearly unrivaled instance of words giving tangible meaning to life. The Jefferson revealed here is distinguished by his often contradictory nature but also by his optimism, his curiosity, his exceptional sense of history (including the history still to be made). While primarily aimed at young readers, the book is a substantial work of scholarship, based on several years research of primary-source materials (including black oral history) and the most current writings, and like Bober’s earlier works should attract students of history of all ages. This book faces the fact that Jefferson was a flawed human being--and insists that this does not disqualify him as a hero.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

376 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2007

Reviews

[bjneary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Jefferson was a great man but a flawed one as well. Jefferson was self-confident and a man of his time, living in Virginia; he owned slaves and loved being in the spotlight and education was most important to him. His life as President is chronicled as well as his importance in the birth of his country, America and the” proposition that all men are created equal.” Primary and secondary sources are combined to tell a complete and revealing story of Thomas Jefferson, essential for term papers in American Studies. Includes chronology, family tree, and index.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Jefferson biography written for the ya set. Well written and the focus is his life, not just his time in office. While it doesn't talk about his inventions and contributions to agriculture, it does mention that he was interested in these things. Give a more fleshed out look at his life and, while it doesn't go in depth into a lot of his more controversial ideas and actions, it doesn't gloss over them.

Inspiring look at one of our founding fathers. We, probably, wouldn't have many of our freedoms today if it wasn't for him.

[Roger Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent study of one of the most interesting American Presidents. Having just visited Monticello, the book took on a special significance. The author does not shy away from the more controversial aspects of his life, particularly slavery and his relationship with Sally Hemmings.

[Hans Hoffmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple but good read on one of the founding fathers

[Linda Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

READ: March, 2012