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Summary: A Critical But Sophisticated Look At Jefferson
Review: American Sphinx is not a comprehensive biography of Jefferson. Rather, Ellis focuses on periods of Jefferson's life which he believes are most illuminating of Jefferson's character. The book does cover the most interesting periods of Jefferson's life, from the writing of the Declaration of Independence to his death.The book does an excellent job of portraying Jefferson. The portrayal, howeve, is not very positive. Jefferson's ideas were simplistic--Ellis emphasizes over and over again that he viewed things as black or white, that he could not see shades of gray. He tended to put people in categories of either being for him or against him. He worked hard to undermine those who he considered to be his enemies. Jefferson was not straightforward and he was not honest. For example, he wrote a book to try to convince people that he subscribed to Christian ideals, even though he was not a Christian, in order to try to make himself look better. And he doctored documents from earlier in his life to make it look as though he was more forward thinking than he was. Jefferson was a sphinx because he was secretive; he did not want people to know where he really stood. He did not like conflict, so he shaded what he said so that it would be more acceptable to his audience. Behind the scenes, he liked to manipulate things so they would come out the way he wanted. Of course Jefferson did make great contributions. According to his Ellis, his greatest were in three areas: the Declaration of Independence, the Lousiana Purchase, and his insistence on the separation of church and state. Ellis portrays Jefferson as being more of a visionary than a theoretician. So, for example, his contribution to the founding of America lay with the Declaration rather than the Constitution. Jefferson preferred to deal with lofty ideals and to avoid the specifics of what they actually meant in practice. Jefferson was very much an idealist, and as portrayed by Ellis, had only a vague grasp of practical reality. This is a book that anyone interested in Jefferson should read. It is not the final word--Ellis for example gives only very limited attention to Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings and its implications--but it is a very scholarly and persuasive interpretation of Jefferson's character and thought.
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Summary: An american stinx
Review: I have read quite a few slow books but this really tops it off. It is a slow and boring book. Ellis portrays Jefferson, an American hero, as bland as Fiber One.
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Summary: Great book on Jefferson's wiley character!
Review: How is it that democrats, republicans, socialist, and every other wing nut- on the left or right- can claim Jefferson as their own? In this well written an insightfull book, Joseph Ellis does some serious mining into Jefferson's character. What he digs up is a man riddled with contradictions- that lived and governed in a land of contradictions. The fact that Jefferson has been able to repeatedly extricate himself from serious damage to his reputation is an indicator to just how big a 'sacred cow' he has become. The truth is, he did more good than bad- and no matter what anyone digs up on him he will still be America's touchstone of liberty. I think that Ellis comes to terms with Jefferson in this book. The author, like most people who have studied his life, can't seem to help but accept Jefferson for what he was- a visionary of flawed character who was very much stuck in the economic and political realities of his time. I think this book does a fine job of painting Jefferson in all his colors. I recommend however, that if you haven't read other biographies of Jefferson, do so before reading this one. Although it can stand on it's own, I thought that having read several other books on him first was helpful.
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Summary: Ellis Stirs Debate--But Stops Short of Solving the Riddle
Review: This is a fine analysis of the peculiarities of Thomas Jefferson's character, but for those looking for final answers to the debates that still surround Jefferson's life this book will not fill that role. Perhaps no book ever will. For all the ink that has been spilt in this century regarding our third president, the problems Americans appear to have with the "paradoxes" of his character appear to be a singularly modern phenomenon. Liberal historians seem incapable of reconciling Jefferson's unwillingness to part with his slaves with his pronouncements on political freedom; conservatives, on the other hand, are far too willing to be apologetic for Jefferson's record on slavery. Few people seem to be satisfied with leaving Jefferson within the context of his time--everyone wants to appropriate him or denigrate him according to modern standards of efficacy or evil. Ellis certainly is right in cautioning us in making use of Jefferson's memory today, but perhaps all of us have been too unfair to Jefferson. Many of our accepted conventions, currently moral and righteous, end up appearing reprehensible in retrospect. Slavery was one of these conventions accepted, and hated, in its day. We may find in centuries to come, for example, that abortion is as reprehensible as slavery was in Jefferson's time, and look back in disgust at the early 21st century and wonder how people could have condoned it. Riddles have a way of looking very different when viewed through another perspective--solving the riddle of this American sphinx still demands more scholarship and more debate.
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Summary: Insightful Overview of Jefferson's Character
Review: American Shinx is a welcome addition to the many books written about our complex third president and founding father. So many biographies are filled with exasperating detail; I found this to be a welcome change. Mr. Elias presents a nice account of Mr. Jefferson's character without inundating the reader with so much information that "fatigue" sets in. Most early biographies of Jefferson elevate his life and status to that of a near-God, perfect and flawless. More recently, biographies have presented Jefferson as a politically incorrect lecherous exploitative individual, shallow and superficial. This book presents Jefferson in a balanced perspective, neither elevating him to divine status nor castigating him for his human failings. This is an excellent commentary on the life of a man shaped by his times.
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Summary: Skates along the edge...but doesn't fall in
Review: In my opinion, it's an all-too-common mistake to judge historical figures by the standards of the present, applying current fashions of political correctness to characters from another time. (Will future vegetarians villify the heroes of today because they ate meat?) This modern trend, which tends to reduce the icons of the past to near villain status, has been applied most viciously to Thomas Jefferson, even going so far as to cause some "revisionist" historians to call for an end to positive interpretations of the Jefferson legacy. This is, of course, ridiculous...Jefferson was what he what he was, contradictions and all, but in the end his politial vision was his legacy of real importance. This book skirts close to the "revisionist" camp, especially when discussing Jefferson's contradictory attitudes toward slavery. Fortuantely, though, the author manages to maintain objectivity (an all-to-rare trait in today's historical writings), balancing the apparent weaknesses in his makeup with his awesome contributions. Two comments: First, I wouldn't complain too loudly about Jefferson's "selective" interpretation of Saxon/Norman history, evidenced in his "Summary View" and elsewhere. Great men and women throughout history have used the past to create their own internal myths, which in turn motivate them to create concrete realities by their actions. Finally, they become myths themselves. This is part of human nature...as Joseph Campbell so eloquently articulated. The world should be grateful for this type of "self-delusion". Second, I remain highly suspicious of the timing of the Jefferson/Hemmings DNA evidence in the midst of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. It seems that Jefferson can still influence politics even two hundresd years later.
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Summary: Father of our country
Review: I never cared a thing for history until I was forced to read this book for a required class. After reading the book, I took my spring break in Washington D.C.. I learned so much about how America came to be. I now have a deep respect of Thomas Jefferson and the country he helped form for me. This book is written like a novel so it is easy to read. I strongly urge people with even a little intrest in history to read it.
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Summary: Good historical perspective
Review: Jefferson always has been an American icon--and this book helped put a human face to the legend. In college, my history professor was staunchly pro-Hamilton and this book played out the rivalry in grand style. Two episodes were of particular interest to me: first, the emphasis Jefferson placed on the Declaration of Independence. Sepcifically--his intuition that the Declaration would be a national icon. Second, the picture the author gives of Jefferson's "whig" political heritage and the idealistic Saxon legends on which his minimalistic governmental principals are founded. An interesting spin on this second issue is which political parties have appropriated Jeffersonian principals as their own throughout American history. In sum, this is a wonderful look at a first-generation viewpoint of America. I recommend it!
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Summary: American Sphinx
Review: This book traces the political life of Thomas Jefferson from the time he wrote the Declaration of Independence to his death on July 4. The book tells of his writings to John Adams and others while it takes an informative look at his views and perspectives. You should read this book if you want to get a good idea of how Jefferson thought. This is a good book to get to know Jefferson but it does not always portray him as a hero that he is sometimes believed to be. Overall this is a very good book.
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Summary: American Icon Revealed
Review: This book is a first rate study on an enduring icon in Americam history. Ellis obviously loves his subject matter and brings the great man to life. His writing style is erudite without couching the book in specialized terms that hide more than they reveal. As far a Jefferson is concerned, and what Ellis has brought to our attention, is that he was above all a visionary, concerned with centralized governments with too much power. Interestingly, over two hundred years latter, this is still the concern of many politically minded people. In terms of Jefferson's character, what a fascinating individual. A writer of prose of pure genius. This book sensitively communicates the fact that Jefferson was human, with all the human frailties that go along with the condition. Heroes do have feet of clay, but Ellis has managed to expose Jefferson's defects without pulling him down. Jefferson is even a greater man with all his faults; a far cry from the Romantic image I had of him as a young man growing up, when history was a myth-making exercise not concerned with truth. Ellis should again be commended for this wonderful portrait of America's most famous 'Enlightenment Man', who stands amongst the greatest of his era: Voltaire, Franklin, et al. I recommend this text about one of the most inspirational and intriguing men in American history.
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