Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson is a book written by Christopher Hitchens. The book was published in 2005 and is listed under the Biography & Autobiography category. For readers who want to quickly understand what this title offers, this page gives a clear overview of the book, including its description, author information, page count, ratings, and ISBN details.
The full title of the book is Thomas Jefferson. When available, the subtitle is Author of America, which gives extra context about the theme, focus, or main idea behind the book. According to the available description, In this unique biography of Thomas Jefferson, leading journalist and social critic Christopher Hitchens offers a startlingly new and provocative interpretation of our Founding Father. Situating Jefferson within the context of America’s evolution and tracing his legacy over the past two hundred years, 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 elided the issue in the Declaration and continued to own human property. An eloquent writer, he was an awkward public speaker; a reluctant candidate, he left an indelible presidential legacy. Jefferson’s statesmanship enabled him to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase with France, doubling the size of the nation, and he authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition, opening up the American frontier for exploration and settlement. Hitchens also analyzes Jefferson’s handling of the Barbary War, a lesser-known chapter of his political career, when his attempt to end the kidnapping and bribery of Americans by the Barbary states, and the subsequent war with Tripoli, led to the building of the U.S. navy and the fortification of America’s reputation regarding national defense. In the background of this sophisticated analysis is a large historical drama: 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. This artful portrait of a formative figure and a turbulent era poses a challenge to anyone interested in American history — or in the ambiguities of human nature.
This book has 188 pages, making it useful for readers who want to know the approximate length before starting. It has an average rating of 3.92, based on 2181 ratings, which can help readers understand how other people have responded to it.
For cataloging and reference purposes, the ISBN-13 is 9780060598969, while the ISBN-10 is 0060598964. These numbers are helpful when searching for the exact edition of the book online, in libraries, or in bookstores.
The book cover image can be viewed here: http://books.google.com/books/content?id=zV8P_3E1OCIC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&source=gbs_api.
Overall, Thomas Jefferson by Christopher Hitchens is a title that may interest readers looking for books in Biography & Autobiography. Whether you are researching new books, comparing editions, or building a reading list, this page gives you the most important details in one place.
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