Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meachem- 2012- 1159 Pages

 Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meachem- 2012- 1196 Pages-

A Post in Observation President's Day- An American Holiday 

Thomas Jefferson

Born- April 13, 1743- Dies July 4, 1826 - in Virginia 

January 1, 1772 - Marries his third cousin - Martha Skelton 

September 6, 1782- She dies- he kept his promise never to remarry-2 daughters survived to adulthood 

Authors The Declaration of Independence-1776

American Revolution- April 19,1775 to September 8, 1783

Governor of Virginia- June 1, 1779 to June 31,1781

Ambassador to France- May 17, 1785 to September 26,1789

Secretary of State for President Washington - March 20, 1793 to December 31, 1793

President of the United States- March 4,1801 to March 4, 1809

April 30, 1803. The Louisiana Purchase doubles American territory 

In a high school in Florida I was taught the standard history of the American Revolution. A few men of heroic status lead us to independence from the British, aided by a Nobel French man. We learned about the Boston Tea Party, the Minute Men, George Washington at Valley Forge. The credo of the country, taken from The Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson was 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.."

When The Declaration of Independence was put forth in 1776 the population of to be 13 states was about 2.5 million, including 500,000 enslaved persons mostly in the south.(I am assuming this leaves out native Americans).

But then there is this "Article one, section two of the Constitution of the United States declared that any person who was not free would be counted as three-fifths of a free individual for the purposes of determining congressional representation." A significant part of Meacham's biography is devoted to Jefferson's attempt to reconcile his words in the Declaration of Independence with his support for the continuation of slavery. Another fly in the hagiographical story of Jefferson is his long term sexual relationship with an enslaved woman, Sally Hemings who was the half-sister of his late wife. Meacham indicates she was about 15 when Jefferson initially impregnated her.  

As suggested in the title the book is developed around an account of how Jefferson governed, how his life experiences shaped his methods and expectations. Jefferson grew up having slaves around him. His father was a tall man, a marvellous horse rider, as Jefferson became. Meacham tells us that Jefferson loved learning new things. As an adult he accumulated a vast library. He loved fine food, taking a slave with him to Paris to learn to cook. (He met Sally Hemings in Paris, the full facts are unknown but it seems she was the mistress of the captain of the ship who brought her to France- she was 14)

Jefferson was learned in the classics as well as a reader of the works of English political philosophers such as Locke and Hobbes.

Jefferson got involved in Virginia politics when relatively young. He preferred to have cordial relationships with others and learned to manipulate others into thinking he agreed with them only go get them in accord with his own views. He enjoyed holding political office.

Meachem presents early post Independence American political ideology as having two advocates of very different visions of what America should become. Alexander Hamilton wanted a strong federal government, a central bank, to give the Federal government the power to tax (initially the only federal revenue was from customs duties) and a standing navy. Drawing from his upbringing and his reading Jefferson wanted most power in the hands of the states, he had a vision of plantation owners. He did not initially want a central bank and did not seek powers when President that were not spelled out in the Constitution. However as Meacham saw, when this got in the way of something Jefferson wanted to get done, he did not hesitate to act beyond spelled out powers.

 I learned how Jefferson backed down North African countries that captured American sailors and enslaved them. This motivated him to build up the American Navy.  

This is a long book. I know my post has been a bit rambling but I want to talk about three things before I close.

Jefferson marries when he was 29. He totally adored his wife. She died ten years latter when he was 39. She made him promise to never remarry, not wanting their children to have a step- mother. Jefferson never remarried. He had to fight the urge to end his life. My wife died last January after 18 years of marriage. I had little interest in going on but I knew our daughters needed me. I felt a deep affinity to Jefferson. He did have some relationships, probably without a physical element, with highly placed women in Paris. Meacham does not romantise Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings. It seems just a source of sexual gratification. It was customary for enslaved women to be used as concubines though polite society frowned on it. He was mocked in the press for his "darkie" children. In his will he freed them.

The conceded by historians biggest Presidential accomplishment of Jefferson was the doubling of American territory through the Louisiana Purchase from France. Napoleon needed money to finance his wars. Wanting very much to make the purchase, Jefferson at first thought he did not have the Constitutional right to do this on his own authority. Then in a letter from the American delegates in Paris, word was sent that Napoleon was having second thoughts about the sale. Jefferson at once found the means to pay the French, acting without constitutional authority, as he had previously seen it.Jefferson knew the purchase was a wonderful thing for America so he put that first.

Meachem basically says Jefferson believed slavery was morally wrong but he could not see how Virginia and other states could function without slavery. I recently read a brilliant book that convinced me that Jefferson is being given a much more favorable treatment by Meachem. I am referring to The American Slave Coast: A History of the Slave Breeding Industry by Ned and Constance Sublette - 2015

The American Slave Coast: A History of the Slave Breeding Industry should be required reading for all teachers of American history. It shows how slavery corrupted all slavers and inflicted terrible cruelty on the victims. I cannot find a way to adequately praise this book. Those taught the after school cartoon version of the founding of America will be shocked maybe even hurt by what they learn about God - Like figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  

1810 - the importation of slaves into USA is banned. This was sponsored and pushed for by then President Thomas Jefferson. The as taught in schools myth is that this showed Jefferson, a slave owner, long term wanted to end slavery. The exposure of the venality and self-serving reasons for Jefferson's actions is presented in completely convincing details in The American Slave Coast: A History of the Slave Breeding Industry by Ned and Constance Sublette - 2015 - 752 pages

 By stopping the import of slaves those already here became much more valuable. It became very profitable to breed slaves. When a slave was too old for field work, Jefferson cut their food rations in half.  

The costliest slave was a light skinned early teenage female, called "A Fancy Girl". In auctions in New Orleans, they were sold naked. Owners had full sexual rights to slaves and many a southern matron sold off slaves resembling their husbands.  

I will give Meachem the next to last words.

"He endures because we can see in him all the varied and wondrous possibilities of the human experience—the thirst for knowledge, the capacity to create, the love of family and of friends, the hunger for accomplishment, the applause of the world, the marshaling of power, the bending of others to one’s own vision. His genius lay in his versatility; his larger political legacy in his leadership of thought and of men. With his brilliance and his accomplishment and his fame he is immortal. Yet because of his flaws and his failures he strikes us as mortal, too—a man of achievement who was nonetheless susceptible to the temptations and compromises that ensnare all of us. He was not all he could be. But no politician—no human being—ever is. We sense his greatness because we know that perfection in politics is not possible but that Jefferson passed the fundamental test of leadership: Despite all his shortcomings and all the inevitable disappointments and mistakes and dreams deferred, he left America, and the world, in a better place than it had been when he first entered the arena of public life. Jefferson is the founding president who charms us most. George Washington inspires awe; John Adams respect. With his grace and hospitality, his sense of taste and love of beautiful things—of silver and art and architecture and gardening and food and wine—Jefferson is more alive, more convivial." 

To expand your understanding beyond high school history I suggest you read Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States and The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hanah-Jones 

I am currently reading Meacham's biography of Abraham Lincoln