DescriptionHere's the third volume in Dumas Malone's distinguished study of Thomas Jefferson and his time. It deals with one of the most fascinating and controversial periods of Jefferson's life, including the final and most crucial phase of his tenure as secretary of state; his retirement to Monticello; his assumption of the leadership of the opposition party; and the crisis during the "half-war" with France, when political oppression was threatened and the freedom of individuals imperiled.
DescriptionIn Jefferson's Demons, Michael Knox Beran examines episodes of melancholia in Jefferson's life. In particular, he focuses on the journey Jefferson made to Europe in 1787 to escape the depression that set in due to his tumultuous experience as governor of Virginia following the Revolution and his wife Martha's death. Like Gary Wills' Lincoln at Gettysburg, Beran's revelatory narrative weaves together intellectual history with biography to show how Jefferson embraced the idea of classicism. In the end, the author offers a new assessment of Jefferson that demonstrates that this enigmatically cool and collected intellectual was also a man of great passion.
DescriptionThings start badly for Steve Allen when Sir Bertrand Russell - the 20th-century philosopher - objects to even the format of the show. Apparently, he feels it will give the 4th-century bishop, St. Augustine of Hippo, a forum to expound his faith. Thomas Jefferson mediates, but is little interested in their religious quarrels. For her part, Empress Theodora of the Byzantine Empire tells the story of her rise from the lowest classes to marry Emperor Justinian. It's a rollicking discussion, furthered by the interpretations of Ivor Francis (Augustine), Salome Jens (Theodora), Shepperd Strudwick (Jefferson), and John Hoyt (Russell). Allen provides the glue, the grace, and the creative genius to make the seventh volume of this award-winning PBS television series a fantastic examination of historic issues and stimulating conversation.
DescriptionIn this moving and intimate look at the final days of our most enigmatic president, Andrew Burstein sheds new light on what Thomas Jefferson actually thought about sexuality, race, gender, and politics. Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, leaving be…
DescriptionFew presidents embody the American spirit as fully as Thomas Jefferson. He was possessed of an unrivaled political imagination, and his vision accounts for the almost utopian zeal of his two administrations. Jefferson alone among his American peers antici…
DescriptionAfter Tripoli declared war on the United States in 1801, Barbary pirates captured 300 U.S. sailors and marines. President Jefferson sent navy squadrons to the Mediterranean, but he also authorized a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. H…
