Best rated thomas jefferson biography
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The best books on Thomas Jefferson
The third president of the United States is our topic today. Before we get to the books, please introduce us to Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson is best known for writing America’s long-form birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence. He was a member of Virginia’s General Assembly and Virginia’s Governor during the American Revolution. Then, he succeeded Benjamin Franklin as America’s senior diplomat in France. Jefferson fell in love with Paris, French culture and French people. So, Jefferson’s political identity was part cosmopolitan and part parochial Virginian. He was George Washington’s secretary of state.
We think of the early presidents as nationalists. But, in the early days of the Republic, Americans identified most strongly with their state and local communities. Jefferson represented the states’ rights strain that eventually grew into the defensive mentality that led the South to secede in 1860. So, there’s an interesting interplay in Jefferson’s life: at times he stood for the interests of Virginia, at others for the interests of the nation.
We don’t like the word imperialism now, but back then Jefferson’s efforts to expand America were massively popular and ‘American empire’ had a hopeful ring to it. He was responsible
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This page contains a general list of suggested reading material pertaining to Thomas Jefferson and his world, organized by topic. Some of these books may be purchased online through our Online Shop. Some may be out of print, but can be obtained through your local library or used bookseller. Titles are linked to WorldCat, where you can search for copies in libraries near you.
For more specialized references on specific topics, see "Further Sources" listed in individual articles in the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia.
Architecture
General
- Kimball, Fiske, ed. Thomas Jefferson, Architect: Original Designs in the Coolidge Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society. New York: Da Capo Press, 1968. Originally published in 1916. The first academic study of Thomas Jefferson's architectural drawings; includes facsimiles of the drawings now in the Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
- Nichols, Frederick D. Thomas Jefferson's Architectural Drawings. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1961; reprint, 1995. Contains a valuable checklist with brief descriptions of all known architectural drawings by Jefferson.
- Nichols, Frederick D., and Ralph E. Griswold. Thomas Jefferso
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My Journey Job the Outrun Presidential Biographies
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