Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: Natural History in Early America

by Lee Alan Dugatkin

In the years after the Revolutionary War, the fledgling republic of America was viewed by many Europeans as a degenerate backwater, populated by subspecies weak and feeble. Chief among these naysayers was the French Count and world-renowned naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon, who wrote that the flora and fauna of America (humans included) were inferior to European specimens.

Thomas Jefferson—author of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. president, and ardent naturalist—spent years countering the French conception of American degeneracy. His Notes on Virginia systematically and scientifically dismantled Buffon’s case through a series of tables and equally compelling writing on the nature of his home state. But the book did little to counter the arrogance of the French and hardly satisfied Jefferson’s quest to demonstrate that his young nation was every bit the equal of a well-established Europe. Enter the giant moose.

The American moose, which Jefferson claimed was so enormous a European reindeer could walk under it, became the cornerstone of his defense. Convinced that the sight of such a magnificent beast would cause Buffon to revise his claims, Jefferson had the remains of a seven-foot ungulate shipped first class from New Hampshire to Paris. Unfortunately, Buffon died before he could make any revisions to his Histoire Naturelle, but the legend of the moose makes for a fascinating tale about Jefferson’s passion to prove that American nature deserved prestige.

In Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose, Lee Alan Dugatkin vividly recreates the origin and evolution of the debates about natural history in America and, in so doing, returns the prize moose to its rightful place in American history.

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, History Of Science, Natural History

184 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2009

About the author

Born in 1962, Lee Alan Dugatkin is a professor and distinguished university scholar in the department of biology at the University of Louisville. His main area of research interest is the evolution of social behavior.

Reviews

[Brad Kent]

This book is very much on brand for me, so of course I liked it. It was much slower than I anticipated, partly because it’s so thoroughly researched (there are easily 500 endnotes - also, why endnotes?). Super fascinating though, worth reading if you’re into early American ephemera.

The title, and the interview I heard that convinced me to buy the book originally, oversold the importance (and giantness) of the moose, not just in the history but in the book itself. Fully the first half of the book lays the groundwork by introducing Buffon and the theory of degeneracy. I like the book fine how it is, but the title, and sort of especially the cover, intimate Jefferson might’ve been a bit of a fabulist - in fact, he wanted a seven foot moose and it appears he got a seven foot moose.

I would’ve been especially interested to read about how the American response to the theory of degeneracy might have interacted with the perception of American exceptionalism. Though the volume represents quite a lot of work, I’m sure, I feel like a worthwhile chapter was left on the table.

Though this was published by the University of Chicago Press, some of the copy editing was really disappointing. Missing quotation marks, incorrect years, stuff like that. Of course I probably didn’t notice all of it.

[Kathy]

Well researched and clearly presented for those of us not familiar with Count Buffon's theory of New World degeneracy that had its way with leading European thinkers/natural historians for one hundred years. Jefferson did an admirable job in refuting those theories but did not live long enough to see them fade away. Try walking into a cocktail party today and query a sampling to determine how many people are familiar with the degeneracy theory. It may have popped up in my reading over the years, but I had no idea how strongly those beliefs were held.
Lucky to have purchased this book at one of Chicago's book fairs from the University of Chicago booth, but I admit to having it on the coffee table because I liked the cover. The moose story is a hoot!

[Donovan Foote]

I learned quite a bit about the "degeneracy theory" popular in Europe at the time of (roughly) the American Revolution. I really didn't know anything about this--something not covered in any history classes I ever took in school--and for that, I'm happy to have read this book. The cover and title would lead you to believe that this would be a bit more fun to read, but it's not exceptionally entertaining or whimsical. Its a really short book at 129 pages, so we're not talking about a huge time commitment, so in the end, I'm happy to have read it.

If I were to create a scale of Check it out from the library, buy it used, or buy it new, I would say Check it out from your local library!

[Jerry Wall]

Old world (Europe) and new world (United States) competing with old world positing that
new world is degenerate because of climate and topography. With Buffon (French natural history
encyclopedists) of the opinion that the new world is tainted with degeneracy with regard to European accomplishments because of too much swamp and too much weakness from poorer stock.
Jefferson sought to show up Buffon position by showing an exquisite animal (the giant moose)
demonstrating that native america was not degenerate.
Much back and forth between European old school views that new world could not possibly be an
improvement over accomplished Europe or even a worthy group.
Jefferson and Washington Irving and Emerson and Thereau demonstrating in their writings that
US was an accomplished and non degenerate country.

[Shane Woods]

3.5: As someone whose historical research has centered on natural history and American identity, I would deem this book an essential and a good introductory read to the topic. I think Dugatkin's writing is fairly easy to read (I tend to read slower with nonfiction), but at times I found the book's structure and timeline a bit off. Overall recommend.

[Liam]

"Published by the Royal Press of France between 1749 and 1788, the thirty-six volumes of Natural History: General and Particular, were designed to present the reader with what Buffon called 'the exact description and true history of each thing.'" (15)

[Miranda]

One of my favorite books that I read in college. It’s probably the only history book that has made me laugh.

[Gerry Dincher]

The topic is very interesting and delves into a concept I hadn't come across. Short read.

[Rosika]

A fun little historical aside involving the French, European pretentiousness, and a founding fathers rebuttal with a giant moose. Four stars, wanted more moose!! 🫎🫎🫎

[Adam Rabiner]

Lee Dugatkin and I were playground teachers together in the early 80s and he was kind enough to reconnect with me through social media and send me an autographed copy of his latest book. As a distinguished professor of biology at the University of Louisville and a successful author of several books on science, he's come a long way since our playground days. I really liked this book. It sheds light on a little known topic, namely that several prominent 18th century naturalists thought that America's (both north and south) climate induced an inferior form of plant and animal life and that Thomas Jefferson, and to a lesser extent other prominent statesmen went to great lengths to refute this theory of degeneracy, as it was called. The debate lasted about a hundred years, from the mid 1700s to the time of the Civil War. Now it's a debunked idea but you'd be surprised at how this claim set the stage for Americans' view of themselves. The book is extremely well written, the chapters are short and entertaining, and there are some nice illustrations. The book's theme is rather limited but at only 129 pages you won't become bored by the narrow topic.

[Tom]

What a curious book and what an unusual story! It mixes the history of natural history with the attempt by Thomas Jefferson to shut down a barrage of what we now call fake news.
It turns out that the great French naturalist Buffon maintained (in his multi-volume and much revised Histoire Naturelle) that life (animals, plants, people) in the New World was degenerate due to its cold and humid climate. Jefferson wanted to counteract this nonsense and tried to convince Buffon of his errors. At one point this involved having a giant moose skeleton and skin and horns sent to France at great effort and expense. (This part of the story takes on a Laurel and Hardy feeling.)
Now, Buffon is still considered the father of natural history (though I think Alexander von Humboldt a worthier candidate). This book left me with an appreciation for how foolish and downright pigheaded great intellectuals can be. It's good to be reminded of this now and again; it humbles you, for a while.

[Stella]

I believe I found this book through the Scientific American podcast and was quite excited about it. However, while I find the subject matter and time period the book covers to be incredibly compelling, the writing was just a little bit too sloppy for me to fully enjoy, and the copy editing left a lot to be desired in terms of allowing typos and the occasional mis-chosen word into the final text of the book.

[Gina]

I thought this book would be much better than it actually was. The story was enticing--Jefferson leads a great adventure involving a giant moose in order to disprove Britain's belief of America being a degenerate nation. But it was full of historical facts and figures, and I just don't like historical nonfiction.

[Geoff Winston Leghorn Balme]

A short and fun story of our early American socio-political-natural history. It gets a bit repetitive in places, and probably could have been tightened up -- especially when the author reviews various other copy-cat writers doing largely the same job Buffon was doing. But it's still a fascinating read.

[Bridget]

A concise and well researched popular history of science - good for laypeople or undergraduates, but lacking in any real analysis and primarily a summary of the topic of the theory of New World degeneracy theory. For more in depth analysis see Joyce E. Chaplin's "Subject Matter: Technology, the Body, and Science on the Anglo-American Frontier, 1500-1676."

[Mark]

Very academic, but nonetheless concise and interesting look at a subject I knew nothing about. Most of the history of early America covers the politics, battles and economics. This one shines a light on the debate about the natural history of the so called New world (see 1491) versus Old World.

[Michael Greening]

enjoyed the book, though there was a strange sense of not being entirely satisfied upon finishing...

[Rachael Carmen]

Click here to read my published book review.

[Judith]

Interesting read. Good history. Not much emotion.

[Jeremy]

A readable and engaging little book on an interesting episode in the history of science and the early years of the United States.

[Milt]

UofC free e-book mini read. excellent and informative

[AskHistorians]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorian...

[Erin Giglio]

An interesting and hilarious story, but I think one a little shorter than the author wanted it to be. There are a few chapters that feel a little bit tacked on to pad the book out.

[Ben]

Phenomenal, one of the best assigned readings I've had in a long while.