In 1800, the land held by the new United States was small compared to what was called Louisiana. Louisiana was named for King Louis XIV. It was part of a large claimed area in the New World called New France. It stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains.
Traces the life of the tall red-headed Virginian, from his early education and involvement in the American Revolution to his activities as the nation's third president and last years at Monticello.
"Builds on incidents from Jefferson's life to uncover the shy, quiet nature of the man who would become the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States. Important dates in his life are appended, as are quotes from his lectures." From the publisher's description
Relates the history of Thomas Jefferson's home in western Virginia, including what life was like there for himself, his family, their slaves, visitors, and descendants, and how Monticello became a museum.
The grand houses created by 18th-century Virginians are a huge tourist draw, but what does their design tell us about the natures of the men who built them? The auhor "illuminates the fortunes, motivations, and aspirations of the wealthy and powerful owners who built their 'homes' with the object of securing their status and impressing the public."
Among those included are the houses of Governor Alexander Spotswood, William Fitzhugh, the Lee family of Westmoreland, and Thomas Jefferson. Historians and students of architecture should enjoy this unusual approach to the time period.
Annette Gordon-Reed, a professor of law, doesn't take a position for or against the proposition that Sally and Jefferson had a loving relationship. However, Gordon-Reed has strong evidence that they could have had a long relationship.
As envoy for the new nation, Jefferson found great intellectual stimulation among the Parisian intellectuals during his five years there which was to translate into an enlightened idealism for the United States. Drawn from original source material and includes references to the women in Jefferson's life.
Jefferson's dream of filling the land he purchased with independent farmers was not to be realized. Much of the land would be worked by slaves, solidifying the institution's hold on the new nation. Kennedy, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, has also used interesting yet obscure historical characters to add depth to his story.
