| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jefferson,
This review is from: Jefferson (Hardcover)
This book tells the story of one of the greatest Americans - Thomas Jefferson. It is a biography, but it goes far beyond the usual biography in examing the intellectual capacities and economic beliefs of Jefferson and of the men who, with him, were chiefly responsible for the foundation of the United States. From youth to death, Mr. Nock relates the life of this son of a Virginia planter who rose to be President of this country, founder and leader of one of the major schools of American political thought and father of the principles of freedom and democracy which have become a vital part of the tradition and character of all Americans.The life of Jefferson was filled with acts of the highest importance to the future of his country, but even these acts are outweighed by the extraordinary influence which his championship of the rights of the producing part of the population has had. While he was President, this country made its most important territorial acquisition - the Louisiana Purchase. His private library became the nucleus of the Library of Congress. But more important than any of his acts was his constant belief in the virtues of an honest government for free men. This belief, for all his recognition of the difficulties of accomplishing it, never left him. After his return to Monticello following the eight trying years of Presidency, he wrote: "A government regulating itself by what is just and wise for the many, uninfluenced by the local and selfish views of the few who direct their affairs, has not been seen, perhaps, on earth. Or if it existed for a moment at the birth of ours, it would not be easy to fix the term of its continuance. Still, I believe it does exist here in a greater degree than anywhere else, and for its continuance and growth I offer sincere prayers." --- from book's dustjacket
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult but rewarding read.,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Jefferson (Paperback)
Just finished reading Albert Jay Nock;s 1926 partial biography of Jefferson's life. It chronologically covers many but not all of the significant events in Jefferson's life, focusing on his intellectual development, personality, interests, philosophies and contributions to this nation's ethos. Jefferson looms large in the birth of this nation and his influence continues to grow today, especially among Americans who are discovering the wisdom of his political philosophy advocating a small/limited federal government in light of the growing oppression by today's out-of-control Federal behemoth.I found the book to be a challenging read because Nock quotes Jefferson's writings extensively. While Jefferson was no doubt a masterful writer, the florid prose of his age, which makes its points by implications, euphemisms and now archaic terminology, requires a lot of interpretation by the contemporary reader. Furthermore, Nock's writing style does not lessen the burden. That said, I highly recommend this book for its insights into mind of Jefferson and the times in which he lived. It also contains many nuggets of information relevant to analyzing today's political crisis. Political corruption and the government's tendency to centralize power were problems for Jefferson even when he was President. He concluded that it could not be stopped and that the only solution was to create as many checks as possible, including equal branches of government fully exercising their powers to check, and states fully exercising their powers to check the Federal government. Interestingly, he thought the Supreme Court should have inferior power to the other branches because it is not elected and the other branches were equally capable of interpreting the Constitution. He thought the most effective check on governmental power was an educated and engaged electorate. Please don't be discouraged from taking on this educational experience. Even if you can't digest all of the book what you do digest will be well worth it.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
|
|
|
|
