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Getting Jefferson Right: Fact-Checking Claims About Thomas Jefferson
Nearly two centuries after his death, Thomas Jefferson continues to be the subject of competing claims about his public policy and his private beliefs.
In Getting Jefferson Fact-Checking Claims About Thomas Jefferson, two conservative scholars examine key claims frequently made by religious conservatives about Thomas Jefferson. Using Jefferson's correspondence, accounts of Jefferson's contemporaries, and other primary sources, Throckmorton and Coulter separate fact from fiction.
In the first edition, the authors focused on claims made by David Barton in his book The Jefferson Lies. That book was subsequently pulled from publication by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson due to historical errors. However, The Jefferson Lies was subsequently republished and took issue with the conclusions of Getting Jefferson Right. In this second edition of Getting Jefferson Right, Throckmorton and Coulter respond to the second edition of The Jefferson Lies as well as claims about Jefferson in a new book by Stephen Wolfe titled The Case for Christian Nationalism.To address these Christian nationalist claims, Throckmorton and Coulter take on the following questions and much
-Did Jefferson sign his presidential documents, "In the year of our Lord Christ?"
-Did Jefferson and other Founders finance a Bible in 1798 to get the Word of God to America's Families?
-Did Jefferson found the Virginia Bible Society?
-Was Jefferson an orthodox Christian, who only rarely expressed questions about orthodox Christian doctrine?
-Did Jefferson approve laws providing federal funds to evangelize Indians?
-Did Jefferson edit the Gospels of the New Testament to remove sections he disagreed with?
-Did Virginia law keep Jefferson from freeing his slaves?-Did Jefferson father children with Sally Hemings?-Did Jefferson attempt to influence the construction of the Bill of Rights?
The aim of the authors is to get Jefferson right.
Praise for Getting Jefferson
Getting Jefferson Right is an intellectual and historical take down of David Barton's pseudo-history of Thomas Jefferson by two Christian professors who teach at a conservative Christian college. Michael Coulter and Warren Throckmorton have done their homework. Anyone who reads this book must come to grips with the untruths and suspect historical interpretations that Barton regularly peddles in his books, speaking engagements, and on his radio program. I have yet to read a more thorough refutation of Barton's claims.
--John Fea, Chair of the History Department, Messiah College and author of Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction
In Getting Jefferson Right, Throckmorton and Coulter provide a valuable public service to readers in at least two important respects. First, they expose some of the tactics increasingly employed by so-called Christian leaders to obfuscate and manipulate the facts of the past to advance various social and political agendas. And second, they supply us with a model of patient, nuanced truth-seeking that should be the unwavering standard of every historian and of every Christian.-Jay Green, Professor of History, Covenant College, and author of Christian Five Rival Versions.
Getting Jefferson Right is an excellent example of the art of historical contextualization, of trying to tell the whole story, not just part of it. For those reasons, the work should become a standard reference.
In Getting Jefferson Fact-Checking Claims About Thomas Jefferson, two conservative scholars examine key claims frequently made by religious conservatives about Thomas Jefferson. Using Jefferson's correspondence, accounts of Jefferson's contemporaries, and other primary sources, Throckmorton and Coulter separate fact from fiction.
In the first edition, the authors focused on claims made by David Barton in his book The Jefferson Lies. That book was subsequently pulled from publication by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson due to historical errors. However, The Jefferson Lies was subsequently republished and took issue with the conclusions of Getting Jefferson Right. In this second edition of Getting Jefferson Right, Throckmorton and Coulter respond to the second edition of The Jefferson Lies as well as claims about Jefferson in a new book by Stephen Wolfe titled The Case for Christian Nationalism.To address these Christian nationalist claims, Throckmorton and Coulter take on the following questions and much
-Did Jefferson sign his presidential documents, "In the year of our Lord Christ?"
-Did Jefferson and other Founders finance a Bible in 1798 to get the Word of God to America's Families?
-Did Jefferson found the Virginia Bible Society?
-Was Jefferson an orthodox Christian, who only rarely expressed questions about orthodox Christian doctrine?
-Did Jefferson approve laws providing federal funds to evangelize Indians?
-Did Jefferson edit the Gospels of the New Testament to remove sections he disagreed with?
-Did Virginia law keep Jefferson from freeing his slaves?-Did Jefferson father children with Sally Hemings?-Did Jefferson attempt to influence the construction of the Bill of Rights?
The aim of the authors is to get Jefferson right.
Praise for Getting Jefferson
Getting Jefferson Right is an intellectual and historical take down of David Barton's pseudo-history of Thomas Jefferson by two Christian professors who teach at a conservative Christian college. Michael Coulter and Warren Throckmorton have done their homework. Anyone who reads this book must come to grips with the untruths and suspect historical interpretations that Barton regularly peddles in his books, speaking engagements, and on his radio program. I have yet to read a more thorough refutation of Barton's claims.
--John Fea, Chair of the History Department, Messiah College and author of Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction
In Getting Jefferson Right, Throckmorton and Coulter provide a valuable public service to readers in at least two important respects. First, they expose some of the tactics increasingly employed by so-called Christian leaders to obfuscate and manipulate the facts of the past to advance various social and political agendas. And second, they supply us with a model of patient, nuanced truth-seeking that should be the unwavering standard of every historian and of every Christian.-Jay Green, Professor of History, Covenant College, and author of Christian Five Rival Versions.
Getting Jefferson Right is an excellent example of the art of historical contextualization, of trying to tell the whole story, not just part of it. For those reasons, the work should become a standard reference.
- GenresHistory
393 pages, Paperback
Published January 15, 2025
18 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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July 12, 2025
"How can you trust a historian who makes up history?" - Joseph Ellis
3rd President Thomas Jefferson has been in the news recently as politicians try to claim the mantle of his legacy. Even earlier this year (2025) Speaker of the House Mike Johnson quoted a prayer from Thomas Jefferson. The problem? It was never uttered or written by Jefferson. Johnson would have known this if he had read Getting Jefferson Right by Drs Throckmorton and Coulter.
This book's main nemesis is fake historian David Barton. Barton has made the circuit in conservative circles in such arenas as Turning Point USA and Kirk Cameron's Monumental documentary. Conservative homeschooling curriculums routinely cite Mr. Barton's books as evidence that the United States is a Christian nation.
Dr. Throckmorton and Dr. Coulter, professors at Grove City College in Pennsylvania destroy Barton's assertions by providing documented evidence of Jefferson's real views of the Bible and religion. The picture that emerges is one in which Jefferson may have had sympathies with Universalism and enjoyed aspects of Jesus' moral teachings but could care less about the evangelical and theological nature of Christianity. In other words, there is no evidence that Jefferson supported the large scale dissemination of Christian material in the country. Rather, Jefferson wanted to promote Greek and Latin figures and teaching, much as he did in developing the University of Virginia.
Dr. Throckmorton and Dr. Coulter also provide ample evidence that Jefferson did indeed argue and want to maintain the separation of Church and State. Jefferson did not envisage this country as a 'Christian Nation,' but rather as an establishment of Enlightenment principles.
The book is laid out in chapters developing different themes, such as Jefferson's view of Church and State and his view of the Bible. Breaking down Barton's assertions, the writers then provide a treasure trove of documents that easily back up their views.
This book is clearly written, devoid of jargon and can be easily digested. While this book is written specifically about Jefferson, it does have implications for the entire Christian Nationalist debate.
I highly recommend this book for All Americans, all Christian church goers, all students of history and all who have a vested interest in the future of our Republic.
Grade: A
3rd President Thomas Jefferson has been in the news recently as politicians try to claim the mantle of his legacy. Even earlier this year (2025) Speaker of the House Mike Johnson quoted a prayer from Thomas Jefferson. The problem? It was never uttered or written by Jefferson. Johnson would have known this if he had read Getting Jefferson Right by Drs Throckmorton and Coulter.
This book's main nemesis is fake historian David Barton. Barton has made the circuit in conservative circles in such arenas as Turning Point USA and Kirk Cameron's Monumental documentary. Conservative homeschooling curriculums routinely cite Mr. Barton's books as evidence that the United States is a Christian nation.
Dr. Throckmorton and Dr. Coulter, professors at Grove City College in Pennsylvania destroy Barton's assertions by providing documented evidence of Jefferson's real views of the Bible and religion. The picture that emerges is one in which Jefferson may have had sympathies with Universalism and enjoyed aspects of Jesus' moral teachings but could care less about the evangelical and theological nature of Christianity. In other words, there is no evidence that Jefferson supported the large scale dissemination of Christian material in the country. Rather, Jefferson wanted to promote Greek and Latin figures and teaching, much as he did in developing the University of Virginia.
Dr. Throckmorton and Dr. Coulter also provide ample evidence that Jefferson did indeed argue and want to maintain the separation of Church and State. Jefferson did not envisage this country as a 'Christian Nation,' but rather as an establishment of Enlightenment principles.
The book is laid out in chapters developing different themes, such as Jefferson's view of Church and State and his view of the Bible. Breaking down Barton's assertions, the writers then provide a treasure trove of documents that easily back up their views.
This book is clearly written, devoid of jargon and can be easily digested. While this book is written specifically about Jefferson, it does have implications for the entire Christian Nationalist debate.
I highly recommend this book for All Americans, all Christian church goers, all students of history and all who have a vested interest in the future of our Republic.
Grade: A
Displaying 1 of 1 review