A. J. Frances’s Reviews > Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationhood > Status Update

"The genealogy of secession--from 1861 back to 1798, and then to 1776--seems straightforward enough; it was a genealogy that jefferson's words and deeds authorized, and that Madison, defending the legacy of 1787, resisted to his dying day." (Page 145)

This section is about Jefferson's position on the Missouri crisis (whether or not to allow Missouri into the union as a slaveholding state), and it's interesting, but I'm struggling a little with all the details. I feel like I'll have to re-read this chapter and annotate closely to follow the argument better.

Onuf makes an intriguing argument that Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans viewed their political enemies as foreign and it resonates with modern American politics a little too much, unfortunately.

This section is getting into Jefferson's ideological issues with the Federalists (particularly Hamilton), and it's REALLY helping me understand the politics of the time better than I did before. Most fascinating has been the discussion of how Republicans had to come to terms with being in the minority during the 1790s by portraying those who disagreed with them as "foreign"--that is, corrupted by British influence.

"Even as the memory of the Revolution evoked images of transcendent brotherhood and union... it also taught young patriots to question the patriotism of their opponents and mobilize against them." pg. 76

I'm taking copious notes as I read, so it's slow going, but I'm getting exactly what I wanted out of this--a clearer understanding of Jefferson's politics. It's always been difficult for me, since I disagree with him quite a bit, but I feel it's important to comprehend given how much he influenced American self-identity.

A fascinating book that just so happens to make my blood boil because the subject is infuriating. Don't let the dull title fool you; this book goes hard.