LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
THOMAS JEFFERSON AND CONTROVERSY:
A HISTORIOGRAPHICAL EXAMINATION
SUBMITTED TO
DR. ROBERTS
FOR
HIST501: HISTORICAL METHODS AND INTERPRETATION
BY MAGGIE MITCHELL
May 7, 2014
1
As one of the most controversial of the founders, Thomas Jefferson has been one of the
most popular topics of historians from during Jefferson’s lifetime to today. The dilemmas created
by the hypocrisy of his words and his actions are what make Jefferson so controversial; such
dilemmas include his stance and actions concerning religion, slavery, women, and power allotted
to the government. Jefferson’s controversy pervades his historiography as well. It is almost as if
historians either love Jefferson and his accomplishments, despise him for his flaws and
controversy, or simply manipulate him for political and personal gain, which will be seen
throughout each of the historiographical schools. Nonetheless, it is crucial to understand
Jefferson’s historiography in anticipation of a research study on him, his accomplishments or his
life.
Nineteenth Century Historians
For the most part, the nineteenth century romanticized Jefferson’s legacy, especially in
wake or anticipation of the Civil War. Many historians and politicians recognized that using the
Founding Fathers, specifically Jefferson, to unify the states would remind Americans of
American exceptionalism. Since the American Revolution was still within recent memory of
most Americans, Jefferson’s integral role in formulating the independence from Great Britain
and insistence upon liberty and freedom could prove beneficial in preserving the peace after the
Civil War or freeing the slaves. Two of the most prominent of the nineteenth century historians
who mention Jefferson are George Bancroft and Abraham Lincoln.
In his work, The History of the United States, George Bancroft exudes the Romanticism
of the nineteenth century. Because he wrote this in wake of the Civil War, Bancroft emphasized
the emergence of nationalism and republican values. It was as if we were trying to reunite the
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nation after such a deadly and divisive war by reminding Americans of their founding history.
Therefore, Jefferson is portrayed in this book as a patriot who fought for freedom and for the
creation of a republican government in America.
Although Lincoln is not typically considered a historian, in one of his letters, he takes the
time to discuss Jefferson’s importance to the United States. Initially, in Lincoln’s “Letter From
Lincoln to Henry L. Pierce,” he started out ranting on how the Democratic Party is now
celebrating his birthday, not the Republican Party, which Jefferson founded. By the middle of the
letter, Lincoln turned the tables to manipulate Jefferson’s legacy to defend his own stance on
ending slavery:
All honor to Jefferson—to the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national
independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a
merely revolutionary document, an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times, and so to
embalm it there, that to-day, and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling-block to
the very harbingers of re-appearing tyranny and oppression.1
Although it seems as if Lincoln is praising Jefferson, he is very much manipulating the Jefferson
appeal to gain support as he began his campaign for the presidency. However, as the nineteenth
century ended, more historians began to challenge the traditional patriotic legacy of Jefferson.
Progressive Historians
Progressive historians stemmed from the political movement of the same name’s focus on
class inequalities as a result from political corruption. With the change in political thought, came
the challenge to the traditional, more romantic, historical thought. Concerning Jefferson, his
legacy became more negative with a heavier emphasis on his flaws instead of his
accomplishments. In addition, some Progressive historians even molded Jefferson as a fellow
Abraham Lincoln, “Letter From Lincoln to Henry L. Pierce, 6 April 1859”, in
http://www.worldpolicy.newschool.edu/wpi/globalrights/usa/1859-Lincoln.html.
1
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Progressive who would support their attempts at more government regulation and attacks on
Capitalism.
In his The True Thomas Jefferson, William Eleroy Curtis aimed to create a realistic
portrait of Jefferson. However, he ended up being extremely critical of Jefferson, particularly his
ideologies and presidency. This shift to a more negative interpretation of Jefferson, disturbed
many, including New York Times reviewer, Townsend Cyrus. In Cyrus’ review of the book, he
noted this about Curtis’ portrayal of Jefferson: “It is because a little vice outweighs a great deal
of virtue in our censorious minds that we lay down the volume almost forgetting the unparalleled
services that Jefferson rendered to his country and to humanity at large, in the catalogue of his
inconsistencies, his peculiarities, and his faults.”2 Cyrus felt that this shift to a more negative
portrayal of Jefferson would render his accomplishments, such as the Declaration of
Independence, as not important.
Because it is near impossible to neglect Charles Beard in discussing the American
Progressive’s impact on historiography, it is important to take time to discuss his “Thomas
Jefferson: A Civilized Man.” This work was originally a speech given on the 200th anniversary
of Jefferson’s birth at the University of Virginia, but was later published in the Mississippi
Valley Historical Review. Beard began the speech emphasizing Jefferson’s love for knowledge
and education, as well as Jefferson’s desire for progress of civilization. Even though he stayed
away from talking about Jefferson and religion, he criticized Jefferson’s lack of desire for
equality for women.3 As he closed the speech, Beard transitioned to portraying Jefferson into a
progressive by claiming that Jefferson would have supported the Federal Government’s attempts
2
Townsend Brady Cyrus, "Thomas Jefferson," The New York Times Saturday Review of Books, November 23,
1901, Proquest, http://search.proquest.com/docview/96093055?accountid=12085 (Accessed April 10, 2013), 2.
Charles A. Beard, “Thomas Jefferson: A Civilized Man,” The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 30, No. 2
(Sep. 1943): 159-170, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1892962, 163.
3
4
to promote agriculture and the arts.4 Beard’s speech is yet another work in the historiography of
Thomas Jefferson that manipulated Jefferson’s legacy for political gain.
Consensus Historians
With the success of the United States in World War II, the Progressive dominance in both
politics and history ended. The more patriotic, romantic, and traditional view of American
history came back into prominence, if only for a brief time. Consensus historians sought to
remind Americans of the greatness of their country, especially of its founding. Although
Jefferson’s image was tarnished in the wake of the Progressive historians, Consensus historians,
such as Richard Hofstadter and Merrill D. Peterson, sought to restore his image to reflect his
great accomplishments.
As a former Progressive turned Consensus historian, Richard Hofstadter provides insight
to the difference between Progressive and Consensus interpretations. He reverted to the more
conservative view of history after studying under Charles Beard because he rejected Beard’s
interpretations. In his The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It, Hofstadter
emphasized the traditional capitalist values of America through chapter essays on influential
Americans, including Jefferson, Hoover, and Roosevelt.5 Although he does not specifically focus
on Jefferson alone, this work is profoundly a Consensus work with its reversion to more
romantic views of critical leaders of America.
Another Consensus historian who contributed to Jefferson’s historiography is Merrill D.
Peterson. In one of his first books, The Jefferson Image in the American Mind, he addresses
Jefferson’s legacy. However, it was also Peterson’s attempt to clear the air on the manipulation
Beard, “Thomas Jefferson: A Civilized Man,” 165.
Arthur Schlesinger Jr., ”The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It by Richard Hofstadter,” The
American Historical Review, vol. 54, no.3 (Apr. 1949): 612-3. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1843047, 613.
4
5
5
of Jefferson for ideological gain. He recognized that Jefferson’s notoriety beckoned a work like
this to keep Jefferson’s legacy and importance to America’s history intact. 6 Peterson also wrote
another book on Jefferson entitled Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation. He sought to tell the
truth about the historical, and public, Jefferson. This work focused on Jefferson’s relevance,
specifically concerning democracy, during the revolutions during the 1960’s and 1970’s.7
Overall, Peterson strove to remind the American public of Jefferson’s significance and
accomplishments instead of focusing on his flaws and failures, like the historians of Progressive
era.
New Left Historians
Yet again, the tides of historiographical schools of thought turn back to a more liberal
perspective with New Left historians. Not only did New Left historians draw from the class
inequalities from the Progressive school, they emphasized racial tensions. However, it is
important to note that this school of thought occurred during the Civil Rights era of American
history so race relations pervaded every aspect of scholarship, not just history. Concerning
Thomas Jefferson, historians began to look into his dilemma of slavery, specifically about how
he owned slaves yet advocated that all men were created equal. In their books, John C. Miller
and Rayford W. Logan addressed this dilemma and progressed Jefferson’s historiography and
created a base for the upcoming New Social historians.
With the return to more liberal views of history, it is no surprise that New Left historians,
such as John C. Miller focused on the flaws and mistakes of Jefferson. In his book, Wolf by the
Ears: Thomas Jefferson and Slavery, Miller focused on arguably Jefferson’s most prominent
6
7
Merrill D. Peterson, The Jefferson Image in the American Mind, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960), 8-9.
Merrill D. Peterson, Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1970), 26-8.
6
contradiction between his life and his politics, the institution of slavery. Throughout the book, he
placed emphasis on race and class, specifically focusing on Jefferson’s upper class upbringing
versus slavery.8
Although Rayford W. Logan was simply the editor and compiler of Memoirs of a
Monticello Slave: As Dictated to Charles Campbell in the 1840’s by Isaac, one of Thomas
Jefferson’s Slaves, this book’s importance and contribution to the historiography still align more
with the New Left than the 19th Century historians. Logan wanted to preserve Campbell’s oral
history interview due to the radical nature of this work.9 Campbell was an oral historian and
early social historian whose primary interest was the “slave’s recollection of his master,”
Thomas Jefferson.10 Because of the prominent contrast of race in this work, it more closely
aligns with the New Left historians whose emphasis was on class and racial tensions.
Neo-Conservative and Revisionist Historians
Continuing the pattern of past historiographical schools of thought, the response to the
more negative New Left school was the onset of the Neo-Conservative and Revisionist
historians. Like their predecessor, the Consensus school of thought, the Neo-Conservatives and
Revisionist historians sought to return to a more romantic view of American history. Concerning
Jefferson, historians, yet again, attempted to restore his stained image that emphasized his flaws
to a proud image of a significant Founding Father, whose accomplishments far outweigh his
controversial flaws.
John Pancake, "Miller, John Chester, ‘The Wolf by the Ears: Thomas Jefferson and Slavery’ (Book Review)," The
Historian 41, no. 3 (May 01, 1979): 556, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1296493209?accountid=12085, 566.
9
Oral history interviews and racial history were not prominent during the nineteenth century.
10
Louis B. Wright, “Memoirs of a Monticello Slave: As Dictated to Charles Campbell in the 1840's by Isaac, one of
Thomas Jefferson's Slaves by Rayford W. Logan,” The American Historical Review, Vol. 58, No.1 (Oct., 1952),
131-133, JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/stable/1844830 (Accessed April 2, 2014), 131-2.
8
7
In his In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson, Noble Cunningham creates a
simple traditional view of Jefferson.11 Although he may not consider himself a Neoconservative
or a Revisionist historian, this work lends itself more towards the traditional view of Thomas
Jefferson, not a more liberal interpretation. Cunningham focused on the political and rational
aspects of Jefferson, not the controversial topics, such as slavery. By creating such a simple,
traditional view of Jefferson, Cunningham reverts to the more romantic view of Jefferson by
excluding the controversial topics such as slavery and women.
On the other hand, David Barton is clearly a Neo-Conservative historian seeking to
restore Jefferson’s legacy to a positive light. Barton’s book, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the
Myths You’ve Always Believed about Thomas Jefferson, was his attempt to restore Jefferson’s
image from what he believes are the damages of academia. According to a Wall Street Journal
review of the book, “Mr. Barton's attempted rescue of Jefferson is part of a larger project, he tells
us, which is to repair the damage done to our collective memory by the forces of
‘Deconstructionism, Poststructuralism, Modernism, Minimalism, and Academic
Collectivism.’”12 Unlike many historians, Barton is clear that this book’s intended effect on
Jefferson’s historiography is to return his legacy to the more traditional, romantic interpretation.
New Social Historians
With the New Left’s emphasis on racial relations, the New Social historians built off of
this foundation and expanded to the study of women, Native Americans, and other minority
groups deemed neglected by the white male dominated history of the past. Yet again, historians
Robert P. Hay, “In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson by Noble E. Cunningham,” Presidential
Studies Quarterly, vol. 19, no.4 (Fall 1989): 892-4, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27550596, 894.
12
Pell Crawford Allen, "REVIEW --- Spring Books: A Still Unsettling Founding Figure," Wall Street Journal, Apr
14, 2012, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1000256441?accountid=12085.
11
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were able to explore more of Jefferson’s controversies, mostly his interactions with and
treatment of women, and especially his relationship with Sally Hemings.
As Social Historians branched out from the historical studies of the past, Fawn M. Brodie
also tackled a new approach to interpreting Jefferson. In her book, Thomas Jefferson: An
Intimate History, Brodie applied a new technique called psychohistory, which applies
psychology to the study of history. However, not only was she revolutionary in her methodology,
she was the first modern biographer to accept the Jefferson-Hemings affair.13 Not only did she
set a precedent for using the social sciences to complement and advance the study of history, she
fostered what would become an obsession concerning Jefferson’s legacy, his possible affair with
Sally Hemings.
Another popular topic concerning Jefferson among Social Historians is his racial
relations. In her book, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, Annette
Gordon-Reed builds off of the momentum of Brodie’s work by exclusively focusing on
Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings. Concerning Gordon-Reed’s rationale behind writing
this work, a book reviewer claims “[Gordon-Reed] argues that present-day Americans, more
aware of the personal lives of their current political leaders, are better able to understand
Jefferson than were people of previous times. She contends that it is important to look at this
story because it provides one of the few glimpses into the lives of black people of the early
republic.”14 Through this examination, Gordon-Reed contributed to Jefferson’s historiography by
focusing on race, and continuing the investigation of the Jefferson-Hemings affair.
W. Wayne Smith, “Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History by Fawn M. Brodie,” Pennsylvania History, Vol. 42,
No. 4 (October, 1975): 330-332, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27772310 (Accessed April 2, 2014), 331.
14
Charles Ellis Dickson, "Book Reviews: The Americas," Historian 61, no. 3 (Spring99 1999): 665-6, Academic
Search Complete,
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=2214928&site=ehostlive&scope=site (accessed April 13, 2014), 665-6.
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Jefferson’s sexuality and association with slavery appeals to the social historian because
it allows a focus on two minority groups who have been deemed neglected in past historical
studies, and Cleo Fellers Kocol incorporated these in her article, ”Jefferson’s Women: Sexual
Enlightenment and Racism in the Life of a Secular Hero.” At first, the article focused on
examining Jefferson’s life through his sexual relationships. However, by the end, Kocol abruptly
focused her energy into a racial rant inspired by the Hemings affair.15 Nonetheless, by
incorporating both race and sexuality, Kocol focused on Jefferson’s flaws in the context of her
society, not Jefferson’s, and strayed away from the traditional interpretations of him.
Postmodern Historians
Finally, there is the Postmodern school of thought concerning Jefferson’s historiography.
This school includes many of the most current interpretations of Jefferson’s legacy. As with the
overall postmodern philosophical shift, the Postmodern historiographical school of thought is
concerned with the relativism of history. Concerning Jefferson, the Postmodern historian
interprets Jefferson’s controversies as simply being relative to him during his lifetime. Although,
for the most part, they are trying to place Jefferson into today’s society, not study him in his
society, their contribution to his historiography continues the conversation and opens up more
possible avenues for studying Jefferson.
Not only is Joseph J. Ellis, a Postmodern historian, his controversies often precede him,
just as Jefferson’s controversies precede his accomplishments. In his book, American Sphinx:
The Character of Thomas Jefferson, Ellis attempts to find a middle ground between the deified
and vilified Jefferson. However by the end of the book, the reader is left realizing that “Jefferson
15
Cleo Fellers Kocol, "Jefferson's Women: Sexual Enlightenment and Racism in the Life of a Secular Hero,"
Humanist 72, no. 2 (March 2012): 12-18, Religion and Philosophy Collection,
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rlh&AN=71852886&site=ehostlive&scope=site (accessed April 13, 2014), 17-18.
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is depicted [by Ellis as] constantly and egocentrically posturing to ensure his place in history.”16
Therefore, Ellis’ portrayal of Jefferson aligns with the Postmodern historians’ attempts to portray
Jefferson as Machiavellian and relative concerning decision making.
Postmodern historians focus on the relativity of history, and R.B. Bernstein is no
exception. In his Jefferson biography, which is entitled Thomas Jefferson, he focused on the
contradictions and relativism of Jefferson’s decisions and actions instead of the traditional
romantic interpretation of Jefferson and his accomplishments.17 Like Bernstein, Meacham also
focused on Jefferson’s flaws and contradictions instead of his romanticized accomplishments.
However, Meacham portrayed Jefferson as a vicious politician whose ideological beliefs were
relative: “Meacham unmasks a power-hungry, masterful, pragmatic leader who was not above
being manipulative to achieve his goal: an enduring, democratic republic defined by him. A
brilliant philosopher whose lofty principles were sometimes sidelined for more realistic goals,
Meacham's Jefferson, neither idol nor rogue, is a complex mortal with serious flaws and
contradictions.”18 Yet again, the Postmodern Historian’s tendency to portray Jefferson in a
negative light, emphasizing flaws over accomplishments, is fulfilled in both Bernstein and
Meacham’s works.
Elements
By examining the historiography of Thomas Jefferson, it allows one to understand the
conversation and debates among historians over the decades. However, it is also important to
16
Alan A. Stone, "American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson," The American Journal of Psychiatry 159,
no. 12 (12, 2002): 2123-4, Proquest http://search.proquest.com/docview/220473802?accountid=12085, 2124.
17
R.B. Bernstein, Thomas Jefferson, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003), xii-iii.
18
Margaret Kappanadze, "Meacham, Jon. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power," Library Journal 1 Sept. 2012: 108,
Academic OneFile, Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA302111122&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r
&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=c27e9afcee6d139bbb33fd96da238f5d (Accessed April 3, 2014), 108.
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understand the historiography of the overall topic as one delves into research that is more
specific. Because there are so many subtopics surrounding the history of Thomas Jefferson, for
the purposes of this paper, the subtopics are narrowed down to personal research interests as an
example of the benefits of historiographical studies. These personal research interests involve
Thomas Jefferson’s ideology, writing, gubernatorial career, and reputation and public perception
with the hopes of focusing in on Jefferson’s dilemma between his ideological beliefs concerning
government power and his career in the executive branch.
Jefferson and Ideology
In order to even understand Jefferson, his accomplishments, and his life, it is important to
understand his ideology. The political beliefs, that he began to develop as early as his childhood
school years, heavily influenced Jefferson’s writings and politics throughout his lifetime.
Therefore, it is wise to delve into the complexities of his ideology in preparation for an
examination that includes his political career and writings. The following historians, John Ferling
and Kevin J. Hayes, provide insight into Jefferson’s ideology and the products of it.
John Ferling in his book, Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and
the American Revolution, offers a comparative study of these founders during the American
Revolution. When discussing Jefferson, Ferling notes that Jefferson’s ideological contributions
to the founding of America were great even though his actions, especially his time as wartime
governor of Virginia, were lackluster and cowardly. Although Ferling focused strictly on
Jefferson’s ideological beliefs, Kevin J. Hayes turned his attention to the influences on them. In
his book, The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson, Hayes offers an
account of Jefferson's spiritual and intellectual development, focusing on the books and ideas
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that exerted the most profound influence on him. Together, these works help one understand
what Jefferson’s ideological beliefs were and how they came to be.
Jefferson and Writing
Before Jefferson became a prominent fixture in American politics, his writings were
more popular than his legal career or tenure in the Virginia House of Burgesses. Even after
becoming involved in politics, both internationally as the U.S. Ambassador to France and
nationally as the third President of the United States, Jefferson spent multiple hours per day
writing and rarely gave public speeches. The two documents that launched Jefferson into
notoriety were A Summary View of the Rights of British America and the Declaration of
Independence. Another of his more popular works is Notes on the State of Virginia, which
Jefferson wrote after his gubernatorial career. By examining these works, which are also
Jefferson’s ideological contributions, and commentary on them, they provide insight into
Jefferson’s political career and his beliefs.
Three of Jefferson’s most famous publications are Notes of the State of Virginia, A
Summary View of the Rights of British America, and the Declaration of Independence continue to
be popular Jefferson topics among historians. Douglas L. Wilson in his article, “The Evolution of
Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia,” focuses on Jefferson’s writing of the Notes on the
State of Virginia and later translations, but also discusses what was going in Jefferson’s life
surrounding the writing of this work. And then, Hans L. Eicholz turns his attentions to both A
Summary View of the Rights of British America and the Declaration of Independence in his book,
Harmonizing Sentiments: The Declaration of Independence and that Jeffersonian Idea of Self
Government. The significance of this work is how Eicholz demonstrates that A Summary View of
the Rights of British America served Jefferson’s intentions to be a starting point to discussing
13
England’s trespasses against the colonies and became a “linear ancestor of the Declaration of
Independence which followed two years later.”19 Finally, another important contributor to the
conversation concerning Jefferson and his writing of the Declaration of Independence is Pauline
Maier’s American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. Maier provides insight to
what went on before, during, and after the Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence, as
well as things Jefferson considered while composing the Declaration.
Jefferson as Governor of Virginia
A Summary View of the Rights of British America, the Declaration of Independence, and
Notes on the State of Virginia, all written either before or after Jefferson’s term as governor of
Virginia, show that Jefferson truly did value writing above a public life in politics. Incidentally,
after his tremulous tenure as governor, he swore off politics and retreated to his summer home,
Poplar Forest, where he put his energy into Notes on the State of Virginia. However, not many
people know that Jefferson was even governor of Virginia during the American Revolution. In
order to understand what has already been discovered about his time as governor, it would be
wise to reference the works of Michael Kranish, Margaret Burnham Macmillan, Frances Vinton
Greene, and Norman K. Risjord.
The first two books to examine in this subtopic specifically address the gubernatorial
career of Jefferson. In his work, Flight From Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War, Michael
Kranish examines Jefferson’s controversial term as Governor of Virginia. In this context, he
analyzes Jefferson’s rise to power, specifically his gubernatorial career, and his lack of success in
leading Virginia due to his personal beliefs on how strong an executive should be. Another work
19
Hans L. Eicholz, Harmonizing Sentiments: The Declaration of Independence and the Jeffersonian Idea of Self
Government, (New York: Peter Lang, 2001), http://www.questia.com/read/109277434 (Accessed March 6, 2014),
32.
14
that investigates Jefferson’s tenure as governor is Margaret Burnham Macmillan’s The War
Governors in the American Revolution. Because Macmillan believed that the governors during
the American Revolution had been given very little attention although their work and effort was
significant, she decided to write this book. This book is beneficial in the historiography of
Thomas Jefferson due to the insight it provides on Jefferson’s gubernatorial career and because it
allows for comparison to other American Revolutionary governors.
The final two books that are a part of this examination of Jefferson as governor focus
more on the larger effect of the revolutionary war governors, including Jefferson, with military
policy and regional politics emphasis. In his book, The Revolutionary War and the Military
Policy of the United States, Francis Vinton Greene takes a chapter of his work, “Conquest of the
South,” to discuss the Revolutionary War in Virginia, as well as other Southern states, under
Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. By focusing on military policy, Greene sheds light onto the
controversy surrounding Jefferson’s gubernatorial career, his response to the Virginia Campaign.
However, Norman K. Risjord turned his attention to regional politics with his book, Chesapeake
Politics, 1781-1800. This work focuses on the development of the Chesapeake states, Virginia,
Maryland, and North Carolina following the Revolution. Although the book’s timeline begins at
the end of the Revolutionary War, Risjord provides insight into the condition Jefferson left the
state of Virginia in wake of his flight from Monticello.
Jefferson and Legacy
As previously noted, Jefferson always strove to keep his private life and public life
separate. In anticipation of his death, Jefferson chose to emphasize his ideological
accomplishments: the Declaration of Independence, the Statute of Virginia for Religious
Freedom, and the University of Virginia. By writing his epitaph, Jefferson hoped to preserve his
15
legacy with an emphasis on his ideological accomplishments, not the significant political offices
he held throughout his lifetime. However, historians over the past century have attempted to
uncover his private life as well as the public and personal perception of Jefferson to better
understand his life and legacy.
Because his legacy was so important to him, historians have been intrigued by Jefferson’s
public and private life. In Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy, Francis D. Cogliano
examines Jefferson’s personal legacy dilemma. In this work, Cogliano discusses how Jefferson
wanted to be perceived concerning his public role in politics, and how he did not write much on
his personal and private life. Concerning Jefferson’s public legacy, Noble E. Cunningham takes a
new perspective on this in his The Image of Thomas Jefferson in the Public Eye: Portraits for the
People, 1800-1809. With this work, Cunningham provides greater insight to the public’s
perception of Thomas Jefferson in regards to art and its reception. By focusing on art concerning
Jefferson, Cogliano has provided an interesting perspective on Jefferson’s reputation and legacy
among the public. However, Kevin J. Hayes changes the discussion by focusing on Jefferson’s
private life in his book, Jefferson in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life Drawn
From Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends and Associates. This book is a
collection of accounts by those who were closest to Jefferson about their experiences with him
and sheds light on his personal life and decision-making style throughout his life.
Conclusion
The controversy surrounding Thomas Jefferson not only creates an interesting
historiography, it provides many opportunities for further research. Each one of the books and
articles examined offer perspective on just how tremulous the historiographical debate
concerning Jefferson for over two hundred years. However, each book and article is just as
16
important as the other in working to provide a better-rounded view of Jefferson and his
accomplishments. By taking the time to examine Jefferson’s historiography, the historical
discussion continues with new perspectives gained and new evidence discovered.
17
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