Thomas Jefferson: Author of America (Eminent Lives)

The reader needs to know the biographer as well as the subject. Hitch, before influencer was a word, was what was known as a public intellectual. Writing long magazine articles, books, after dinner speeches (usually under the influence of strong coffee, alcohol, and fine dining) on topics such as atheism and Thomas Paine, he honed his craft over many years. Starting on the usual British Left (supporting CND, human rights, feminism and so forth), he migrated in the late 90s to neo-conservatism. He wrote books critical of Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger and vocally supported the American misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. Aside: Remember those who start on the Left are essentially authoritarian and so 'imposing democracy by warfare? no problem! Also, you could argue he is not even the best writer in his own family - check out his brother Peter Hitchens absolutely on point on topics such as The End of Free Speech in the United Kingdom. However, much as I strongly disagree with almost all of his positions, I tip my hat to his writing craft and analytical skill. This book is useful to read on Kindle, because you might need a dictionary. Do you know exactly what adamantine means? How about Pharisaic?What about Jefferson? After a slow start dealing with upbringing, the Declaration, Sally Hemmings and other well tread paths, Hitch gets into his stride on the French Revolution, Paine, Burke, Lafayette, Madison, Adams, Hamilton and other key players. Hitch is really clearly in his wheelhouse here and offers a concise, dazzling array of analysis that almost reads like a Brandeis brief. Often the reader has to just pause and think for a moment, it's that good. Try this on Jefferson's first term, where Hitch focuses on 1. The Barbary Wars 2. Louisiana Purchase 3. Lewis and Clark expedition:"In some respects, the success of Jefferson's first term was a flaunting of the medals of his earlier defeats"..."He made use of Hamilton's banking system, of Adam's military and naval strength, of the once detested Atlantic alliance with Britain, and even the principle of the Alien and Sedition Acts"That is great writing and thoughtful analysis. Jefferson, always retreating to Monticello, the reluctant campaigner, was a very practical politician, using the tools available to him regardless of ideology. The Louisiana purchase was probably unconstitutional, but it was the bargain of the millennium.Interestingly, as Hitchens details, Jefferson was the first president to claim executive privilege. This was in regard to the Vice President Burr treason case over his adventures in the Spanish held southern states. Justice Marshall requested access to all government documents, Jefferson demurred.One of the last acts of Jefferson as President was signing the (snigger, sounds like a deal I currently have with my missus) Non-Intercourse Act, which replaced the unpopular Embargo Act. The NIA ensured no more American Pacific interventionist involvement in European affairs for over 100 years, and an almost uninterrupted economic ascendancy, until (that scoundrel tyrant) Woodrow Wilson.

The book is short and well written, captures Jefferson. easy, polished, satisfying read for sure. I would have liked it to be a bit less narrative and more in the words of Jefferson, Washington's and Hamilton.

Hitchens makes a convincing argument for the greatness of Jefferson as a President. This is a must read for those, like myself, who are not sold on the genius of Jefferson. Hitchens places the Jefferson Administration in context and argues that his achievements continue to shape America. Hitchens certainly does his best to stress the likelihood that Jefferson was an Atheist, and makes the case that Jefferson viewed religion as a proxy for conscience, and that the guarantee of religious liberty extends to the protection of all formulations of conscience. Hitchens also does not shy away from Jefferson's struggle with slavery and inability to choose a difficult right over the prevalent wrong.

Until reading this book, I simply looked at Thomas Jefferson as the Third President of the United States. What I now understand is his impact on:1) Creating the expansion of the country through the Louisiana Purchase and ultimately the impetus to include the lands from the East to the West coast.2) Creating the force behind a strong Navy and ultimately the Marine core moving the country from isolationism to active involvement.3) The movement that slavery was unacceptable although not truly recognizing Black people or Native Americans as truly equal to the “White” race.Understanding his importance and contributions in these areas makes this book an important read for anyone interested in the history of the United States.

Far from the breadth of Merrill Peterson's and R.B. Bernstein's memoirs of this most venerated and complex of founding fathers, Hitchens' treatment is compendiary and not particularly original. He clearly draws from superior and more comprehensive sources, without adding much other than his characteristic literary gait and gift of satirical wit.Author of America is bombastically written, with greater concern placed on gift of phrase and linguistic ingenuity than on revealing the man of Jefferson, the basic remuneration a reader expects in return for his or her entry fee. There are few interesting anecdotes to be found here outside of a lackadaisical retelling of Jeffersonian chronology; too few glimpses which allow us to scope beyond the political figure; too much emphasis on the takes of other biographers. And it all comes off as little more than a languidly regimented rehash of the tent poles of Jefferson's life.Ironically, each of the works Hitchens lists in the preface is a better allocation of your time than the one here.I did, however, find very poignant the quote below, which appears in the closing pages of the book:"The historian James Parton claimed roundly in 1874, "If Jefferson was wrong, America is wrong. If America is right, Jefferson was right." This oft-cited declaration is a failure, both as an epigram and as an aphorism. Leave aside the question of whether a man or a nation can be "right". Overlook the absurdity of making the "rightness" of a nation or country contingent on the rectitude of an individual. Forget that the "rights" which Americans declared are either inalienable or not, and either natural or not, and exist (or do not) independently of any man's will or character."The truth is that America has committed gross wrongs and crimes, as well as upheld great values and principles. It is a society chiefly urban and capitalist, but significantly rural or - as some prefer to say - pastoral. It has an imperial record as well as an isolationist one. It has a secular constitution but a heavily religious and pietistic nature. Jefferson is one of the few figures in our history whose absence simply cannot be imagined: his role in the expansion and definition of the United States is too considerable, even at this distance, to be reduced by the passage of time. But all the above strains and paradoxes, many of which he embodied and personified, would still have been present if he had never been born." (pp. 186-187)

Very good book if you want to know more details about Thomas Jefferson’s history as a politician.

Although written a little pretentiously by Hitchens, one should expect that...

Writing these brief (or eminent) lives is a tricky business - get to the essence of what the protagonist was about and tell the story of his/her life.Hitchens does a wonderful job as always but pin the middle of the book he gets a little booged down in Jeffersonian philosophies.Well worth reading, albeit without even the briefest reading list (although the author does make his preferred references pretty clear).

With Hitchens's characteristic incisiveness and aplomb, he writes an account of Jefferson's life that is both riveting and concise. No beating around the bush with Jefferson's flaws, and there is no shortage of anecdotal insight into the third president's tact and effectiveness. Well worth the read for anyone who has an interest in US presidential history and politics. Good stuff.

On a bookshelf next to the usual thousand-page biographies of America's Founding Fathers, Christopher Hitchens' little book might appear insignificant or shallow, but its diminutive length makes it a more accessible and powerful read. Hitchens trims away the patriotic fat to present this succinct and honest depiction of a man who was far too capable to be allowed to quietly retire, which Jefferson so often attempted to do. He doesn't waste any pages retelling the early history of the United States or exploring Jefferson's apparent contradictions from a modern perspective, which too often amounts to little more than academic filler. Instead, Hitchens presents many of the key events in Jefferson's life in a more personal context, examining Jefferson's beliefs, ambitions, hobbies, and relationships. This book also demonstrates the respect that its author held for Thomas Jefferson. It's neither as tongue-in-cheek as 'The Missionary Position', nor as digressive as 'Why Orwell Matters'. This little book is worth reading.