The Real Thomas Jefferson (American Classic Series)

The Real Thomas Jefferson: The True Story of America's Philosopher of Freedom (The American Classic Series, Vol. 1) [Andrew M. Allison, M. Richard Maxfield.
Table of contents

After reading Adams and Washington's letters, one can't help but be amazed at the difference in both style and form; it is small wonder that Jefferson was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence as most all of his writings far surpassed those of the authors of this book in terms of clarity. Presidential career - This is where this book really skimped over Jefferson's terms, spending about 50 pages over eight years. High points are certainly the Louisiana Purchase, and repealing the worst acts of the Adams administration; however Jefferson's embargo acts and naval Barbary "war" were both black marks on his second term.

Americans were happy however, as the string of republican presidents that followed indicates. Vice President - It's hard to imagine any Vice President that followed to be as bad as Aaron Burr, an individual charged with treason, that went on the lamb after killing Alexander Hamilton and had guises of seceding to start his own country. Made for an interesting read though. She seemed like a nice enough lady, and he never remarried.

Post presidency - Jefferson's primary post presidency achievements were serving as the first president of a university and being the nation's most prolific letter writer, which due to his copies of each letter has greatly aided historians.

The Real Thomas Jefferson: The True Story of America's Philosopher of Freedom

His architectural ideas also continued to contribute to modern design. Book overall - What a letdown after the last two particularly Zernow's awesome Washington book. If you're looking for a book that goes into detail like "then he was elected to the state house" with no explanation beyond that, or that only relays one story regarding Jefferson's slaves an account of when he returned after a long absence and was greeted by crying and cheers of joy for his return but skips over his failures to actually do anything as politician or slave owner to aid in his anti-slavery sentiments, then this is the book for you.

Also check the footnotes, and see how few scholarly texts are cited. I gave it a 2nd star because it includes Jefferson's writings at the end, but this is not a great choice for fair analysis or in depth history of our third president. Mar 06, Jeff Stockett rated it really liked it Shelves: This book was amazing. I love the approach that it took to Thomas Jefferson. There are so many books at there that purport to know who Jefferson was and present an interpretation of him. This book did not try to interpret him at all. The premise behind this book and the reason for the title of "The Real Thomas Jefferson" was that we will get the most accurate picture of him if we let him speak for himself.

Most of the book is drawn from letters that he, himself, wrote. There are also excerpts fr This book was amazing. There are also excerpts from letters and writings of people that knew him. A few things that really impressed me about Thomas Jefferson: First, I was really impressed by his accomplishments as president of the United States. He worked to repeal the alien and sedition acts.

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He won a war against pirates in Tripoli who were not allowing ships to enter the Mediterranean peacefully. He negotiated with Napoleon and executed the Louisiana purchase nearly doubling the size of the United States. He paid down a large sum of the debt. He made peace with the Native Americans. He did all this and still was able to significantly lower federal taxes. I sure wish we could have a president of that caliber today. Second, I was impressed with his religious beliefs. There are those historians today who wish to pain Thomas Jefferson as a mere deist, one who believes there was a creator but that creator started the universe and walked away.

According to Jefferson's own writings, that is not an accurate picture of him. His beliefs were very personal to him, so he wasn't one that was actively preaching Christianity. However, he called himself a Christian and even carried around a version of the New Testament that he made himself by compiling only those parts that are the words of the Savior himself. Thomas Jefferson even went so far as to say that he believed in the pure Christianity of the Bible and that he believed that there would be a restoration of the ancient Christianity that would take place within the United States.

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He believed that all Christian sects were corrupt which is why he never identified with any of them but that the religious freedom in the United States would allow for "pure" Christianity to return. The last thing I really liked about Thomas Jefferson was his true desire to just be with his family and study his books.

He never really wanted to be a politician but did it out of love for his country. I definitely recommend reading this book for anyone who wants to know more about who Thomas Jefferson really was. It is a fascinating look at one of our greatest founders.


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View all 4 comments. Feb 20, LaRae rated it really liked it Shelves: This book is extremely factual, and therefore a bit dry, but overall an excellent overview of the life, both public and private, of Thomas Jefferson. Mar 04, Madeline rated it it was amazing Shelves: One of the most loathsome, disgusting practices of which I can think is telling disparaging lies about our Founders and our American heritage And subsequently writing it in history books!

Perhaps no Founder, however, has been more slandered than Thomas Jefferson. The Real Thomas Jefferson discusses how he has been depicted through the years: An atheist, racist, profligate demagogue with coarse manners and vulgar appearance, among other things. Then it tells how Jefferson really was, not in the One of the most loathsome, disgusting practices of which I can think is telling disparaging lies about our Founders and our American heritage Then it tells how Jefferson really was, not in the author's own words, but in Jefferson's writings, as well as the words of the people who knew him and those who have really studied his life.

I think this quote describes everyone who met him, with their preconceived notions: Smith entered and introduced the stranger to me as Mr. Such was my embarrassment I could scarcely listen to the conversation carried on between him and my husband I felt that I had been the victim of prejudice, that I had been unjust Yes, not only was he great, but a truly good man! It spans his whole life and all the things he accomplished. I started this book barely knowing anything about Jefferson. After reading it, I feel as though I knew him, the real him, not the "imaginary being who is of no relation," as he said.


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Such a wonderful biography. Feb 16, Mary Lou rated it really liked it Shelves: Covers the basics in easy-to-read prose with abundance of quotes, alphabetized by topic for easy reference. May 13, Travis rated it liked it Shelves: This was a very informative book.

I read it to my kids it is pretty easy-going. One of the parts of this book that surprised me, surrounded his early education. Thomas Jefferson's parents were keenly interesting in his education and instilled inspired requirements in him to work diligently and consistently on his education.

They sent him to a Scottish minister for 5 years where he was required to study the classics along with Greek, Latin, and French. He was pretty fluent by the time he hit 14 This was a very informative book. He was pretty fluent by the time he hit 14, when his education took him away from home.

He boarded with a minister named James Maury for two years, where his education was bolstered in history and science. His formal schooling was formidable and rigorous. He had a solid foundation of study habits and his mind was prepared and trained when he started studying law with George Wythe. May 04, Celeste Batchelor rated it it was amazing Shelves: I typically do not love biographies, but I truly loved this one. I found it very well written and paced in a way that kept the reader engaged. The first half of the book goes through Thomas Jefferson's life while the second is a reference for topics and what he wrote or thought about them.

Both are worth the shelf space to keep handy. I'm thankful to have read about this great man. I enjoyed learning what he was passionate about and what motivated him. I wish I would have read this sooner. I wish I typically do not love biographies, but I truly loved this one. I wish all Americans would read this book and catch a glimpse into the true meaning behind the Constitution of the United States of America, what these brave Founding Fathers sacrificed, and compare with today's political environment. Oh how I wish the citizens of this great nation would see things through more than the colored lens of the moment and think through to the full end as people like Thomas Jefferson teach us.

Thomas Jefferson - Author of The Declaration of Indepence & 3rd U.S. President

Jan 17, Sierra added it Shelves: I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. I laughed, I cried, seriously. It was a wonderful peek into the life of an amazing man and one of the most influential men during the founding of our country. There are so many false claims about him that paint him and the other founders in an unflattering light.

Read reviews that mention founding ben washington fathers jefferson george country learn thomas men today writings learned founders america early words biography documented nation. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. This is really well written. I reads like a novel keeping the reader engaged through out the book. Especially in these times when our rights are at risk, it is so important that we know and understand our founding.

This is one of three similar books, the other two are on George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. All three are excellent books. Each of these books bring to life our founders. I utilize customer reviews heavily when I am trying to decide on a purchase and consider reviews a valuable tool for us as consumers to make informed choices as to where we spend our money. Sometimes I will come back and give more information should I notice new things along the way.

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When looking at reviews I do take into consideration personal preference that may not reflect the product itself. I will do my best to acknowledge when something in my review is personal preference as opposed to something about the product itself. If you find my review helpful please click the helpful icon at the bottom. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful.

You'll really feel like you know Ben Franklin and he's not the person that you were taught about in our defective educational system. He was really a great man, loving and devoted and a friend of freedom and humanity. Incomparable to anyone in politics today - maybe Alan West. When he invented the Franklin stove he didn't patent it because he didn't want to increase the cost of it - he wanted all people to have access to his great invention. He met with many of the great minds of the time including Adam Smith. He was a very physically strong and disciplined person. When he makes statement about early to bed, early to rise - he's trying to share his secrets of success.

It's unbelievable the risks these founders took to provide their posterity with freedom - they risked everything including their lives. Once again a grand slam of history! Anyone wanting to meet our real founders that find themselves without access to a secret government time machine or the lifeboat or haven't found a time machine duffle bag can rely upon the "Real" series on our founders.

It is beyond a doubt a great adventure into the lives of those men who risked everything to give us this amazing Republic!! You will learn the truth about how they felt about a lot of the nonsense liberals attempt to claim today thus giving you intellectual ammunition to destroy the enemy of truth; the American leftist!! One person found this helpful. These 3 books come with a time-line, Life Story, and an index and thumbnail s of the individual by contemory.

All of which make these books great reference books for any library. So a brilliant quote on almost any subject is just a minute away. The Real Benjamin Franklin is an easy read, well structured, well documented every page is footnoted. It gives you a general feeling for the man, the times, and his possition in it. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Another treasure from the Center of Constitutional Studies. I love this book and it's quotations from the great man, Benjamin Franklin. I also love the glossary of topics at the ends containing Franklin's words of intellect and wisdom.

This book is a great history of Early American history, but this time it's from the point of view of Ben Franklin in his words and writings.

The Real Thomas Jefferson - Thomas Jefferson, Andrew M. Allison - Google Книги

Should this be the book for someone just starting to read about Benjamin Franklin I found this book to be enlightening, entertaining, educational and inspiring. The only reason that I gave it 4 out of 5 stars rather than a full 5 star rating is the lack of consistent chronological flow. Too many places in the book the authors seem to take rabbit trails, that while very interesting lead to a disjointed flow to the natural progression of the story. Other than that I was very pleased with their product. It was well researched and footnoted.

This "American Classic Series" of biographies, also G.


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Jefferson is absolutely the best format for biographies I have ever read. They have unfortunately soured my attitude toward all others. Regarding Franklin, if I could talk to anybody dead for a day, I would pick B. Franklin or Leonardo Da Vinci. Publisher National Center for Constitutional Studies.

Richard Maxfield , Paperback. The Real Thomas Jefferson Very readable, not slow or boring at all. Thomas Jefferson This is an easy to read book, and it is very informative. Jefferson It explained why Jefferson was poor when he died which is something that I had wished to know for some time. Fundamentals of Pathology - Pathoma: Step 1 Review By Dr. Holy Bible King James Version: History Paperback Thomas Jefferson.