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Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson's Image in His Own Time
Of all the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson stood out as the most controversial and confounding. Loved and hated, revered and reviled, during his lifetime he served as a lightning rod for dispute. Few major figures in American history provoked such a polarization of public opinion. One supporter described him as the possessor of "an enlightened mind and superior wisdom; the adorer of our God; the patriot of his country; and the friend and benefactor of the whole human race." Martha Washington, however, considered Jefferson "one of the most detestable of mankind"--and she was not alone.
While Jefferson's supporters organized festivals in his honor where they praised him in speeches and songs, his detractors portrayed him as a dilettante and demagogue, double-faced and dangerously radical, an atheist and "Anti-Christ" hostile to Christianity. Characterizing his beliefs as un-American, they tarred him with the extremism of the French Revolution. Yet his allies cheered his contributions to the American Revolution, unmasking him as the now formerly anonymous author of the words that had helped to define America in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson, meanwhile, anxiously monitored the development of his image. As president he even clipped expressions of praise and scorn from newspapers, pasting them in his personal scrapbooks.
In this fascinating new book, historian Robert M. S. McDonald explores how Jefferson, a man with a manner so mild some described it as meek, emerged as such a divisive figure. Bridging the gap between high politics and popular opinion, Confounding Father exposes how Jefferson's bifurcated image took shape both as a product of his own creation and in response to factors beyond his control. McDonald tells a gripping, sometimes poignant story of disagreements over issues and ideology as well as contested conceptions of the rules of politics. In the first fifty years of independence, Americans' views of Jefferson revealed much about their conflicting views of the purpose and promise of America.
Jeffersonian America
While Jefferson's supporters organized festivals in his honor where they praised him in speeches and songs, his detractors portrayed him as a dilettante and demagogue, double-faced and dangerously radical, an atheist and "Anti-Christ" hostile to Christianity. Characterizing his beliefs as un-American, they tarred him with the extremism of the French Revolution. Yet his allies cheered his contributions to the American Revolution, unmasking him as the now formerly anonymous author of the words that had helped to define America in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson, meanwhile, anxiously monitored the development of his image. As president he even clipped expressions of praise and scorn from newspapers, pasting them in his personal scrapbooks.
In this fascinating new book, historian Robert M. S. McDonald explores how Jefferson, a man with a manner so mild some described it as meek, emerged as such a divisive figure. Bridging the gap between high politics and popular opinion, Confounding Father exposes how Jefferson's bifurcated image took shape both as a product of his own creation and in response to factors beyond his control. McDonald tells a gripping, sometimes poignant story of disagreements over issues and ideology as well as contested conceptions of the rules of politics. In the first fifty years of independence, Americans' views of Jefferson revealed much about their conflicting views of the purpose and promise of America.
Jeffersonian America
328 pages, Hardcover
Published August 29, 2016
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About the author
Robert M.S. McDonald
8 books8 followersRobert M.S. McDonald is Professor of History at the United States Military Academy. He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia, his M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his M.St. from Oxford, and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He has published several journal articles and essays and is editor of Thomas Jefferson’s Military Academy: Founding West Point (University of Virginia Press, 2004), Light & Liberty: Thomas Jefferson and the Power of Knowledge (University of Virginia Press, 2012), and Sons of the Father: George Washington and His Protégés (University of Virginia Press, 2013). He is author of Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson's Image in His Own Time (University of Virginia Press, 2016).
He has published several journal articles and essays and is editor of Thomas Jefferson’s Military Academy: Founding West Point (University of Virginia Press, 2004), Light & Liberty: Thomas Jefferson and the Power of Knowledge (University of Virginia Press, 2012), and Sons of the Father: George Washington and His Protégés (University of Virginia Press, 2013). He is author of Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson's Image in His Own Time (University of Virginia Press, 2016).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 9, 2017
Nice read.
Really outlines how libertarian Thomas Jefferson was and how, in retrospect, it is quite disingenious that the Democrats claim Jefferson as their own -- Republican-Democrat was his party (before parties really existed) and upon contemplating the presidency and public persona of Thomas Jefferson, he was truly "live and let live" and in my eyes among the top presidents (along with Coolidge).
Learned about this book on listening to a Cato podcast, thus the Libertarian outlay of the book is not surprising.
Not groundbreaking, but a good read.
Really outlines how libertarian Thomas Jefferson was and how, in retrospect, it is quite disingenious that the Democrats claim Jefferson as their own -- Republican-Democrat was his party (before parties really existed) and upon contemplating the presidency and public persona of Thomas Jefferson, he was truly "live and let live" and in my eyes among the top presidents (along with Coolidge).
Learned about this book on listening to a Cato podcast, thus the Libertarian outlay of the book is not surprising.
Not groundbreaking, but a good read.
July 1, 2017
Rich in Detail
This is an very focused look at Jefferson the man, his philosophy and his life. The controversy over his life continues to this day, but despite any criticism the honor of his authorship of one of the greatest documents in history remains his.
This is an very focused look at Jefferson the man, his philosophy and his life. The controversy over his life continues to this day, but despite any criticism the honor of his authorship of one of the greatest documents in history remains his.
February 17, 2021
Fascinating examination of how Jefferson was perceived by the public in various points in his life and career and how Jefferson actively sought to shape his image. While some of the material in this work covers material that has been discussed in other works, there were also some fascinating new insights. Highly recommend for folks interested in Jefferson.
October 2, 2017
Very useful study of Jefferson. This work contains lots of biography, but is not focused on Jefferson's life as such. As the title notes, this book deals with Jefferson's image. We might say it deals with his press, public personae, or status in the eyes of the public.
Jefferson had both staunch defenders and equally staunch detractors. Whatever action he took raised the ire of those who opposed him, while pleasing his followers. Jefferson was not an innocent bystander in all this. He worked on image himself. He could be quite coy about political ambitions and quite bold about promoting himself. Any notion that politics in the early republic was a tame, gentlemanly affair is quickly dispelled in this book.
It is always a delight to read the story relating to the reconciliation of Jefferson and John Adams. It is rare for two people to share so many years of cooperation, the opposition to each other, and finally reconciliation.
Jefferson had both staunch defenders and equally staunch detractors. Whatever action he took raised the ire of those who opposed him, while pleasing his followers. Jefferson was not an innocent bystander in all this. He worked on image himself. He could be quite coy about political ambitions and quite bold about promoting himself. Any notion that politics in the early republic was a tame, gentlemanly affair is quickly dispelled in this book.
It is always a delight to read the story relating to the reconciliation of Jefferson and John Adams. It is rare for two people to share so many years of cooperation, the opposition to each other, and finally reconciliation.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews