Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty (Jefferson and His Time, Vol. 3) [Hardcover]

Dumas Malone (Author)

Book Description

Series: Jefferson and His Time | Publication Date: January 30, 1962

This is the third volume in Dumas Malone's monumental multi-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson and His Time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Not only has Mr. Malone mastered the vast body of Jefferson's correspondence and the writings of his contemporaries, but he has fully explored the wealth of monographic material devoted to this epoch.... Throughout the book there is a sense of proportion and balance which might well be called classic.

(Harry Ammon Virginia Magazine ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Dumas Malone, 1892--1986, spent thirty-eight years researching and writing Jefferson and His Time. In 1975 he received the Pulitzer Prize in history for the first five volumes. From 1923 to 1929 he taught at the University of Virginia; he left there to join the Dictionary of American Biography, bringing that work to completion as editor-in-chief. Subsequently, he served for seven years as director of the Harvard University Press. After serving on the faculties of Yale and Columbia, Malone retired to the University of Virginia in 1959 as the Jefferson Foundation Professor of History, a position he held until his retirement in 1962. He remained at the university as biographer-in-residence and finished his Jefferson biography at the University of Virginia, where it was begun.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 545 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (January 30, 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316544752
• ISBN-13: 978-0316544757
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jefferson, Thomas

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Continuing conflict between Jefferson and Hamilton, January 9, 2000

By 

Leon M. Bodevin "Do right and fear no man" (Lemoore, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty - Volume III (Jefferson & His Time) (Paperback)

This volume continues to explore Jefferson's tenure as Secretary of State and his battles with Hamilton. What's interesting is the effect Hamilton's assaults had on Jefferson's reputation: by imbuing him with every quality from limitless guile to "great passion," Hamilton makes Jefferson into a colossus in the public eye. Jefferson was more passive than Hamilton thought. One interesting thing about this book is that you get glimpses of Jefferson's dark side. In one letter to Madison, Jefferson asks Madison to "cut [Hamilton] to pieces in the face of the public." Ouch.

Also, the story of Citizen Genet is pretty funny. Genet thought he could somehow go above the head of the Washington administration and appeal directly to the American people. Genet is quickly recalled by France.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Most consistently written volume yet, though at times a tough read, July 7, 2007

By 

G. Zilly - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty, vol. 3 (Jefferson & His Time (University of Virginia Press)) (Paperback)

This book is the third volume in Dumas Malone's six volume biography called "Jefferson and His Time" covering the period in Jefferson's life from the end of his tenure as Secretary of State under George Washington to his contentious election as President in early 1800/1801.

In this volume Mr. Malone seems to perfect his intended writing and presentation style resulting in the most consistently written volume yet in the series. The organization of chapters by topics, instead of a chronological narrative, is much more pronounced than in the second volume and each 10 to 20 page chapter usually covers at least two to three years of events (as part of a 500 page volume encompassing a mere eight years of Jefferson's life) with considerable chronological overlap from chapter to chapter. This seems appropriate enough for a scholarly, analysis based, biography but requires the reader's continued focus to reconstruct the correct timeline of events.

This volume is, overall, an enjoyable read and at moments gives the reader considerable insight into Jefferson's true character, a tough task for such an elusive subject. I must admit, however, at times Mr. Malone's lenghty analyses make parts of this work tough to traverse and I often wanted to skim ahead to the next topic. This seems to be a byproduct of the topic based chapters, with each chapter being a self contained research article on a particular topic of Jefferson's life. I fully concede that this is entirely appropriate for a biography of this depth and length, but at times I miss the narrative based biography that Mr. Malone began with in the first volume.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Ordeal of Malone's simple hagiography, April 1, 2010

By 

Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty, vol. 3 (Jefferson & His Time (University of Virginia Press)) (Paperback)

Make no mistake about it: this is a book by a Jefferson groupie, adding details to the myth and assuming his motives and those of his allies were pure and correct while those of his opponents were not. Hamilton is the bad guy, Adams is bumbling if good at heart, and Washington is a great man sadly in decline. That being said, in comparison to the second volume, Dumas does occasionally question Jefferson's choices and provides just a bit more illumination on the positions of opponents.

The great value of this book is the wealth of detail. Dumas has read, it seems, every primary source. If you know the history, there are many fascinating details. What stands out for me is that Jefferson had only studied Palladio in books and had never visited his buildings in the Veneto when he lived in Europe; this astounded me, given his fascination with architecture. But it also explains why Monticello appears to be such a poor copy of Palladio's work - the way I interpret this is that what Jefferson had in his mind was more important than the actual result. This is a key, I believe, to understanding Jefferson's idealistic approach to politics.

It speaks volumes, however, that such details stick in my head rather than the gritty politics of what was going on. At this time, Jefferson emerged as the leader of opposition to the Federalists, particularly while he was serving as Adams' VP. Dumas covers the politics extremely poorly. Indeed, his explanations are so deficient that he fails even to mention many key issues, let alone critically address them. Hamilton's economic program - the establishment of a banking system supported by the Federal Gov. and larger vision of an economic based on trade - is scarecly even mentioned and never explained. Indeed, Jefferson's opposition to it can be interpreted as a parochial attempt to preserve the economic preeminence of the Virginia planters or as a silly romantic vision of yeoman farmers as Roman-like republicans. Moreover, Dumas accepts Jefferson's pronouncements are entirely sincere and genuine in intent, never as political ploys or demagogy. While he may not have been a pure demagogue, any assessment of his career should at least consider the question, as brought up by his political opponents, but Dumas utterly fails to do so. These omissions are so glaring that I could not trust anything the author claimed that I had not already read about elsewhere.

The greater failing of the book is that a narrative never develops, but instead is lost in detail and abrupt shifts of subject. It is a lousy reading experience in addition to being uncritical. I do not feel like I got to know the man any better. The book completely fails at interpretation.

Not recommended. I can't believe that this won a Pulitzer.