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Hitchens brings the character of Jefferson to life as a man of his time and also as a symbolic figure beyond it. Conflicted by power, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and acted as Minister to France yet yearned for a quieter career in the Virginia legislature. Predicting that slavery would shape the future of America's development, this professed proponent of emancipation continued to own human property. He negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with France, doubling the size of the nation, and authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition, opening up the American frontier. The Barbary War, a lesser-known chapter of his political career, led to the building of the U.S. Navy and the fortification of America's reputation regarding national defense. In the background is the fledgling nation's struggle for independence, formed in the crucible of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, and, in its shadow, the deformation of that struggle in the excesses of the French Revolution. --From publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
--Jim, 5/28/2010
#1- Hitchens, who does not cite any passages in the book, discusses the concept of separation of church and state. He says that pre
#2 Without citing a source, Hitch tells us that TJ noted a lack of poetic and artistic creativity amongst black people (slaves). He believed this could be solved by a transfusion of white blood into the black person. 21st century readers will find this utterly ridiculous and racist, even if it was thought up 230 years ago. My logical extension of that idea is to inject myself with the blood of Albert Einstein or heaven forbid Michael Jordan, and I could be a "superman."
#3 Hitch speaks to a clash of cultures between Saxon England and the post battle of Hastings Norman conqueror influence. I never explored the situation with any depth, being an American. I would like to explore that concept further. My present interpretation is thatthe anglos were a relatively undeveloped and perhaps tribal society, the the Normans were more sophisticated.
I was also struck by the relative freedom that the early presidents had to make executive decisions like the Louisisana Purchase without the approval of Congress. It is intersting how government has progresses to the point where everything has to be discussed at length and approval granted by the legislative branch.
Hitch provides a continetal view of the birth of the US, with obvious insight from the English side. He uses some pretty fancy words also, and I had to keep my dictionary nearby.