Thomas Jefferson, His Life and Words

If one truly wants to know what our Founding Fathers actually said about themselves it is best to read it in their own words. You will quickly find that they had a deeper relationship with the Creator than is popularly reported in modern times - even Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is replete with thankful references to God for the blessings on his life. For those interested in true American history, I recommend this as well as Benjamin Franklin's autobiography.

Few autobiographies offer such a candid and vivid view of the mind of the author. In this, Thomas Jefferson's autobiography, there is no doubt as to the authenticity of the man, the revolutionary and the statesman: the virtue, wisdom and strength that is visible as Jefferson describes both the minor and major events and moments in his public life of service where his reliance upon the essence of the early Republic's laws and the spirit of the national consciousness were blended with the author's unique insight as to how to maintain the delicate balance of Federal necessity, states rights and the influence of the foreign powers and their affairs upon the young nation. Unlike the autobiographies of other founding fathers (Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, etc.), whose own accounts are more personal and revealing about themselves as well as judgmental and temperamental about their personal experience with their peers, Jefferson has crafted an autobiography, which is true to form: the form of the man and his beliefs, which influenced national policy without every being advanced to replace it, which served a nation selfishly without requiring anything else in return except for the promise of posterity to "preserve, protect and defend" the liberties achieved and to forever more "admire, relish and respect" the eternal need to defend and uphold, at any cost, both the people and the commonwealth for future generations to behold. I think it funny that today's democratic-socialists have adopted Thomas Jefferson as their "founding father". If anything, this book redeems the reputation and spirit of Jefferson, not as a democrat or democratic-socialist, but as a Republican, dedicated and sworn to instituting a democratic-republican form of government free from the tyranny of dictators and protected from the ill-conceived attempts of men and women from within to manipulate and pervert a form of government conceived as "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The authors have selected from a lifetime of Jefferson's diverse public and private writings to provide readers with clear insight into the essential Jefferson - into the workings of his mind and the framework of his principles and beliefs, which are legendary. Besides holding a variety of public offices including the Presidency, Jefferson was one of the leading American architects of his time; he loved science, music and art, and was practical, broadminded, and public-spirited. Those qualities are very much in evidence in this anthology, with selections drawn from Jefferson's political, philosophical, theological, and personal writings.

"Thomas Jefferson: His Life and Works" is a window into one of the greatest minds to ever enlighten the American continent. This short book is divided into eight sections, each dealing with a different aspect of Jefferson life or outlook. Each section begins with a brief introduction followed by a collection of quotations from Jefferson's writings. Some are drawn from well known public writings, such as the Declaration of Independence, whereas others are to be found in Jefferson's private correspondence. In most cases the source of the quotation is given, inviting the reader to conduct further study.In the study of collections of quotations such as this, I often find the greatest insights not in the points which the speaker intended to make but in lessons to be learned by the contrast between the speaker's implied assumptions and the accepted standards of our day. An example of this is found in this book is Jefferson's statement on the public assemblies from which: "there would be excluded...women who, to prevent deprivation of morals ambiguity of issue, could not mix promiscuously in the public meetings of men." When I read statements such as this I think that, perhaps, the morals of our day do not compare unfavorably with those of past generations.Overall I consider this book to be a good introduction into the mind and life of Thomas Jefferson. While only scratching the surface of his thought, it does provide a sources for some quotations with which to leaven our speech as well as providing an encouragement for further study.