Thomas Jefferson : a biography of spirit and flesh / Thomas S. Kidd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kidd, Thomas S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826.

Jefferson, Thomas.

Presidents--United States--Biography.

Presidents.

United States--Politics and government--1783-1809.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (320 p.) : 20 b-w illus.

Place of Publication:

New Haven, Connecticut : Yale University Press, [2022]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A revelatory new biography of Thomas Jefferson, focusing on his ethical and spiritual life “Set aside everything you think you know about Thomas Jefferson and religion, and read this book. This is the definitive account. It is well written, well researched, judicious, and entirely convincing.”—Timothy Larsen, Wheaton College Thomas Jefferson was arguably the most brilliant and inspiring political writer in American history. But the ethical realities of his personal life and political career did not live up to his soaring rhetoric. Indeed, three tensions defined Jefferson’s moral life: democracy versus slavery, republican virtue versus dissolute consumption, and veneration for Jesus versus skepticism about Christianity. In this book Thomas S. Kidd tells the story of Jefferson’s ethical life through the lens of these tensions, including an unapologetic focus on the issue where Jefferson’s idealistic philosophy and lived reality clashed most obviously: his sexual relationship with his enslaved woman Sally Hemings. In doing so, he offers a unique perspective on one of American history’s most studied figures.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

1. "If There Is Such a Thing as a Devil"

2. "I Speak the Sentiments of America"

3. "A Virginian Ought to Appear at the Head of This Business"

4. "It Is Not in My Power to Do Anything More"

5. "I Am But a Son of Nature"

6. "None of Us, No Not One, Is Perfect"

7. "The Little Spice of Ambition"

8. "Diamonds in a Dunghill"

9. "Strange Inconsistant Man"

10. "Coup de Grace"

11. "Dreams of the Future"

Conclusion: "All That Has Passed"

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-300-26532-8

OCLC:

1316709984