Thomas Jefferson: The Revolution of Ideas [Hardcover]

R. B. Bernstein (Author)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press (Feb 17 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019514368X
ISBN-13: 978-0195143683
Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.2 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 572 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,353,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #82 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jefferson, Thomas

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Product Description

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–An honest look at Jefferson's life, accomplishments, and inconsistencies. Bernstein does not gloss over his subject's flaws and the controversies that surrounded him. The contradictions between Jefferson's beliefs and his behavior, while exposing his human side, are not used to denigrate him or to diminish his accomplishments. Obvious controversies, such as his owning slaves in spite of his writings, his relationship with Sally Hemings, his conflicts with George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, and his volatile friendship with John Adams, are supplemented with lesser-known facts. His determination to lead the life of a landed gentleman despite his inability to afford it; the continuous construction at Monticello that made it much less pleasant than the museum it is today; his pride in founding the University of Virginia and his disappointment in the conduct of the student body; and, simply, the rough edges of his personality are all effectively delineated. The development of Jefferson's religious beliefs is particularly well described, but a misquoting of the Virginia Bill for Religious Freedom results in an incomprehensible sentence. Overall, the book reads well, although some of the background events would benefit from more detail. Black-and-white photos and period prints complement the text. Attractive and appealing, this book is similar in reading level to Joyce Appleby's Thomas Jefferson (Times, 2003) and in content to Norman Risjord's Thomas Jefferson (Madison, 1994).–Jeffrey A. French, Euclid Public Library, OH
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Review

"An honest look at Jefferson's life, accomplishments, and inconsistencies. Bernstein does not gloss over his subject's flaws and the controversies that surrounded him.... Attractive and appealing." -- Jeffrey A. French, Euclid Public Library, School Library Journal

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Thomas Jefferson told his children and grandchildren that his earliest memory was of a trusted slave carrying him, at the age of two, on a pillow when his family moved from his birthplace, the Shadwell plantation, to the Tuckahoe plantation, along the James River above Richmond, Virginia. Read the first page

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great High School Introduction, Feb 11 2006

By Monty Rainey - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Thomas Jefferson: The Revolution of Ideas (Hardcover)

Having read and thoroughly enjoying Bernstein's earlier biography of Thomas Jefferson, I decided to give THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE REVOLUTION OF IDEAS, a look. Like his earlier work, this is a wonderful introduction to Jefferson, however this book is geared towards the school age reader.

Much of the text is identical to the earlier biography. The most significant difference is the addition of dozens of illustrations, from portraits of Jefferson's friends, family, and foes, and political cartoons.

My single knock on Bernstein's book is the same knock I had on his previous work. Bernstein adamantly portrays Jefferson as a "strict separationist", which in and of itself is accurate. However he fails to recognize that what constituted a "strict separationist" 200 years ago is much different than the definition given in today's climate of political correctness gone awry. Bernstein seems genuinely perplexed that Jefferson "sent Christian missionaries to establish schools in western territories to educate Native Americans - and convert them to Christianity." As with extremists today, Bernstein fails to understand that Jefferson's actions did not violate the First Amendment in that "Congress made no law respecting the establishment of religion."

I could spend all day writing about how mixed up people are about what the First Amendment means and how it was intended by our framers, but that strays from the subject at hand. All in all, this is a great introduction for school children and should capture their interest and perhaps, lead them into more indepth study of one of our greatest leaders.

Monty Rainey

www.juntosociety.com

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review 5.0 out of 5 stars