Another biography geared for the general public. I purchased this one at the Monticello gift shop. The narrative is concise but includes all major events and aspects of Jefferson’s life. From his time in the Virginia House of Burgesses to Secretary of State to third President of the nation, we learn of his strong feelings about what politics should and should not be. After being reminded of the challenges of his presidency, I understand more why he chose to leave that off of the epitaph of his grave marker. This book also discusses his difficult view of slavery, including his relationship with Sally Hemings.

If Ellis’ American Sphinx or Meacham’s The Art of Power are too heavy for your liking then Bernstein’s work is an excellent way to learn more about this Founding Father.

This is a book that I normally would not have picked up on my own. I selected it for the Seasonal Challenge's Lewis and Clark task. I was apprehensive about reading it because I'm not a huge reader of non-fiction historical books, because I tend to find them dry and boring. But, I heard good things about this one and figured that I wouldn't be completely lost since I know a great deal about Thomas Jefferson (being a kid, growing up in VA, we learned A LOT about him!). And, overall, it was okay. I didn't hate it. But, I also didn't love it. It wasn't particuarly engaging - definitely read like a history text and it took me some time to get through it despite it being a fairly short book. Although I did learn some new things, reading this book did help me to see just how much I already know about Thomas Jefferson which was interesting. Overall, I'm glad that I gave it a read but I don't think I'll be rushing out to read more of this type of book. It just doesn't captivate me enough!

Good short biography

This is a short biography that briefly touches upon the main events and thoughts of Jefferson's life.I was impressed by how objective it is--Bernstein neither condemns Jefferson for his faults nor exalts him for his achievements. And I liked Bernstein's final conclusion that whether we like Jefferson as a person or a politician or not, he matters because he wrote the Declaration of Independence--a document that has inspired ideas of freedom throughout the world.

This book was so high level that it was hard to be interested in it. Thomas Jefferson seems like he's an interesting historical character, but this book is so blah, that you'd never know. It lacks detail on the political climate of the time that shaped his decisions and actions. It's the kind of book you'd read for a high school book report; full of basic facts and generic. I hope I can find a better biography on him.

Rating this book was tough for me. I'm not sure if my rating is coming from the book itself or the fact that the book changed my opinion on Jefferson's character. I hadn't given an awful lot of thought to Jefferson; I know the basics, but not the in-depth perspective. Thomas Jefferson is a complete hypocrite. Although he claimed to be a Republican with a belief in strong state government and weak Federal government, he stretched the powers granted by the Constitution to the limits. Examples include the Louisiana Purchase, the exploration of the country by Lewis and Clark, and finally, the declaration of war on the Barbary pirates; all done without the approval of Congress.

Even more troubling are his views on race. Although he claimed not to support slavery, he owned approximately 200 slaves. He said that if slavery were to end in the United States he would not want the former slaves to be allowed to stay in the country. He believed that a "colony" outside of the US be established to relocate the freed slaves. He claimed that people of color could never match the intellectual capabilities of whites. While he thought so poorly of blacks, he didn't have a problem sleeping with one of his slaves and fathering several children with her.

I wish that these things were taught in school, as i don't believe that we would revere Mr. Jefferson like we do if these things were more well known.

I believe that R.B. Bernstein did a very good job showing the intricate life of Thomas Jefferson in his book "Thomas Jefferson". The book not only talks about Thomas Jefferson's life in politics, but also his personal life. It has many interesting facts, quotes, articles and images. It also has descriptive detail which makes it a more engaging read, unlike reading a boring textbook that just lists the facts. At times the book can be a bit slow and hard to understand, but this sometimes helps to make it a good challenge. I almost guarantee that you will learn something new about Thomas Jefferson if you read this book!

When I read John Adams' biography, Thomas Jefferson was portrayed as a jerk, so I wanted to read his side of the story. Well, he's still a jerk, but I enjoyed reading his biography. This is a shorter biography, but enough to get the idea.

If you think Franklin and others were complex, get ready for Thomas Jefferson. This is a clearly written, well balanced account of our 3rd President and author of our Declaration of Independence, moreover it covers all the contradictions of this great American. My only grousing is that the book is a little thin for a dedicated history junkie, but then it's much simpler that reading the 75 (and growing) volumes of Jefferson's writings and is highly recommended.

This was an interesting summary of Thomas Jefferson. Touched on all several aspects of his life but I'll have to read something else to get a more comprehensive view of our 3rd President. Great book if you're looking for a brief overview.

Writer of the Declaration of Independence, notably two-faced, father of illegitimate children with his slave (the half-sister of his wife), Defender of States rights, A man who deplored the idea of overstepping constitutional authority, and yet did so many times during his presidency. There's a lot of interesting things to be said about Thomas Jefferson.
After reading John Adams, which paints a very negative picture of Jefferson, I was curious to read this.
This book sets out to tell the story of a controversial man from an unbiased perspective, a trick that it mostly pulls off. The book might have been more interesting if it had chosen a bias and it certainly could have done with more depth. It was filled with short descriptions that would send me running to google for details, like: "While American and French warships clashed on the high seas" without explaining which side started it or exactly what was going on or where.
Overall, the book left me feeling a bit like I learned more about Jefferson's life from John Adams than I did from this.

***1/2
A balanced, introductory biography with a good eye for historiography, which leaves you wanting more on most counts.

Only a few of the political crises wore my patience thin, such as the first generation evolution of the presidential election system, the first bank of America or Jefferson's conflict with the juridiciary. They cannot fully be denied attention, as the often Jefferson vs. Hamilton centered, republican vs Federalist debate is instrumental in understanding the political adolescence of the U.S. all the way up to Reconstruction and beyond.

Current events musing:

Two and a half centuries later [this year] the Federalist philosophy has become a necessity in a global, post industrial world. Will it accommodate a return to isolationism? Jefferson's metaphor with the tree of liberty & the blood of patriots, based upon him witnessing the pre-jacobite phase of the French revolution under the apparent guidance of the liberal aristocracy ... has been adopted by some very twisted heirs.