The Seductions of Thomas Jefferson

WVe do not have to venerate Thomas Jefferson the man in order to recognize that an adroitness with the English language made him an essential force in extending-if he was not the foremost progenitor behind-America's romantic self-image. Now he is found to have been the most likely progenitor of a diverse family of Americans as well. What does this say about Jefferson? Can we avoid choosing to like or dislike him? Presuming to know Jefferson's real personality has always seemed to raise issues. In his lifetime, aside from the many like Margaret Bayard Smith who marveled at his candor and manner and voice almost femininely soft and gentle, there was the occasional Abigail Adams, who went from describing him as one of the choice ones of the earth to suspecting him of deceptions and personal vindictiveness. He irked some Federalists who reacted viscerally against his political schemes and at the same time found him excruciatingly likable in private conversation. After his death, Jefferson's idealism (as preserved in texts that grew more and more beloved) long diverted attention from his partisan methods. His imagined charm long obscured his parochial limitations. So is it a shame for recent generations of historians to have been equally seduced by Thomas Jefferson's perfectly crafted moralisms? No, but that does not let us off the hook either. Or, I should say, it does not let me off the hook. In writing The Inner Jefferson: Portrait of a Grieving Optimist (1995), I noted how hard it has been for scholars to credit Jefferson with passion, despite the emotional resonance of his language. I concluded from his self

Political science · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy