Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty written by Dumas Malone is the third installment of six in the life and times of Thomas Jefferson and according to the author the most arduous to write. The time frame of this segment starts where the second volume left off and continues to the election of Thomas Jefferson to his first term as President of the United States, (1792 - 1801).

This volume is divided into four seperate sections of Jefferson's life in this series of years, but Jefferson as Secretary of State, has frustrations in Philadelphia and as we see most of them are Hamilton in origin. Begining the first segment we see Jefferson completing his secretaryship of state, the second deals with his early retirement to Monticello, third section deals with the growth of political parties and Jefferson's reluctance to be the head of the opposition to the Federalists, and the fourth segment deals with the basic individual freedoms of the people being seriously imperiled.

Even though the author stated than this was a difficult time to write about Thomas Jefferson, it is apparent, through the tone of this book that great care was given to portray Jefferson as he was in life... we even get to glimpse at a dark side of Jefferson as the heated frustration with Hamilton begins its culmination, as Jefferson relies on James Madison to do the "dirty work."

This is a fascinating and controversial time in Jefferson's life and the author tells the story well. The Giles Resolutions and the Citizen Genet stories were extremely well written.

This third volume in Dumas Malone's six-volume biography of Jefferson is much like the first two - tedious, hagiographic, and severely diluted by minutiae - only even more so afflicted. Reading this book is, in short, an "ordeal" in itself with very little reward.

JEFFERSON & THE ORDEAL OF LIBERTY covers from the middle of 1792, when Jefferson was still serving as Washington's Secretary of State, up to the eve of his inauguration as president in 1801, detailing the final two years of his secretaryship, his short period of retirement at Monticello and the founding of the Democratic-Republican Party, his service as vice president under Adams, and his victory in the election of 1800. Spanning 525 small-type pages of dull, languid writing, eight-and-a-half years never moved so slowly.

With the Federalists ascendant, Jefferson and his republican politics were on the defensive during the entirety of the timeframe encompassed by the book. Consequently, the chronicle is one of ceaseless scheming, conflict, and feuding between Jefferson and his political opponents. Once again, Jefferson and his fellow Democratic-Republicans are singularly portrayed as virtuous and selfless in character and intent (including repeated and annoying hyperbolic references to TJ as a "sentinel of freedom" and "apostle of liberty and light"), while the Federalists' motives are universally held to be sinister, self-interested, and borne of an insatiable lust for power. It's almost comical in its two-dimensional outlook.

Malone completely blinds himself to Jefferson's faults, most notably his duplicity and frequent hypocrisy, and obstinately refuses to acknowledge the man ever did anything wrong in his public or personal life. Whenever TJ has a bitter falling out with a former friend (and he had many), the other party is always to blame. When his longtime friendship with Adams is fractured early in his tenure as vice president, it's due to Adams' hypersensitivity and irascibility, not the vicious criticism Jefferson was leveling at him behind his back. When Washington, late in life, completely severs contact with Jefferson, it's because, according to Malone, he was an overly-prideful and borderline-senile old man who was led astray by the whisperings of Light Horse Harry Lee, not because Jefferson had publicly mocked him or enlisted his nephew to write to Washington under an assumed name in a clumsy scheme to entice the former president to make embarrassing comments that could be seized upon by Democratic-Republicans for political advantage. (Indeed, in detailing the latter incident, Malone snidely refers to the Federalist clerk who tipped off Washington to the intrigue as a "busybody," as if the blame for the affair lies with the informant for not minding his own business rather than with Jefferson's dishonorable conduct.)

Malone's own hypocrisy is unavoidably manifest in his approach to his subject: he never misses an opportunity to condemn a Federalist - especially Hamilton - for the very same conduct for which he will invariably excuse Jefferson. When Hamilton, as Secretary of the Treasury, corresponds with a British official, it's done to undercut Jefferson and is something that is near-treasonous; when Jefferson, as Vice President during the Quasi-War, secretly corresponds with French officials, it's done not to subvert President Adams but out of altruism and is of no consequence. Likewise, Malone cannot bring himself to acknowledge that a years-long arrangement in which Jefferson made regular $50 payments to the odious James Callender and received in exchange multiple copies of Callender's newest anti-Federalist pamphlets, which he then promptly distributed to political allies and among the public, constituted sponsorship or patronization of Callender's indefensible slander. Instead, Malone, with no substantiation, stunningly tries to spin it as if Jefferson was really a victim submitting to blackmail. Malone does, however, feign enough outrage to excoriate Hamilton for authoring pseudonymous newspaper essays against his opponents, a practice common among public men of the age, including Jefferson's protege Madison - whom TJ encouraged on more than one occasion to pseudonymously attack Hamilton!

Aside from Malone's hero worship, the book is a slow and dry slog. It is not organized well; topics and events are given roughly equal treatment rather than that relative to their importance, resulting in trivialities swallowing up the narrative; very little background or context is given for anything; and the analytic value is nil due to the author's flagrant idolatry of the subject. Its only redeeming quality is its breadth of simple factual detail, but it's not nearly enough to save it from its grave deficiencies and make it an enjoyable or worthwhile read.

Rather than reviewing all 6 volumes each individually, I'll offer my take on the first three here and the last three in volume 6. The fact is, I learned a lot while reading these books. The second and third books are my favorites; Malone's 2 books on the Jefferson presidency are way too tedious.

The good news about these first three books is that when you finish, you will know more about Jefferson than you ever could have imagined. Malone takes you inside Jefferson's time in Philadelphia during the early stages of the American Revolution, his oft-maligned term as governor of Virginia and up through his battles with Alexander Hamilton as part of Washington's cabinet. But there was much to the Jefferson-Adams relationship late in the 1790s that was dealt with in bits and pieces here. This book begins late in Jefferson's run as Secretary of State and continues through his vice presidency, but Malone spends far too much time talking about Jefferson's crops, trees and scientific endeavors.

As much as I've learned about Jefferson here, I'll forget some of the smaller details, and I feel like a more concise one- or two-volume biography could actually give me a better perspective on the major events in his life because they won't be so watered down with less significant details that distract from the key points. To take on these volumes, you must be a brave soul.

Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty written by Dumas Malone is the third installment of six in the life and times of Thomas Jefferson and according to the author the most arduous to write. The time frame of this segment starts where the second volume left off and continues to the election of Thomas Jefferson to his first term as President of the United States, (1792 - 1801).

This volume is divided into four seperate sections of Jefferson's life in this series of years, but Jefferson as Secretary of State, has frustrations in Philadelphia and as we see most of them are Hamilton in origin. Begining the first segment we see Jefferson completing his secretaryship of state, the second deals with his early retirement to Monticello, third section deals with the growth of political parties and Jefferson's reluctance to be the head of the opposition to the Federalists, and the fourth segment deals with the basic individual freedoms of the people being seriously imperiled.

Even though the author stated than this was a difficult time to write about Thomas Jefferson, it is apparent, through the tone of this book that great care was given to portray Jefferson as he was in life... we even get to glimpse at a dark side of Jefferson as the heated frustration with Hamilton begins its culmination, as Jefferson relies on James Madison to do the "dirty work."

This is a fascinating and contriversial time in Jefferson's life and the author tells the story well.

So far i have given this series thumbs up due to the historical significance coupled with Duman Malone's detailed account of Thomas Jefferson in the period during which the story takes place. This book is more qualified to be a research paper, not a historical account of Thomas Jefferson. The high level of detail the book provides, in most cases, is overpowering and often times delutes the significance of the important details. Especially excruciating to read was TJ political account. If Dumas Malone would have had additional records of TJ's most insignificant and irrelevant actions during the priod, he would have included it in detail as well. Dumas Malone did quite a poor job of filtering unnecessary details, causing the reader to fequently tune out. The story was drawn out, and focused too little on his personal life in comparison to his political life.

Also curious was the mention of TJ's slaves and his attitudes towards them without giving any account to Sallie Hemmings (other than mentioning the Hemmings Family name). Some objectiveness would be refreshing in this series... It appears as if Dumas Malone provides a very one sided account of Thomas Jefferson. Whether certain claims regarding TJ are founded or not, they should still be included in the story. The author should not filter information on the basis of convenience or lack of objectivity.

This book arrive in time and was in perfect condition and packed very well. Better than some used books stores I have been in or antigue store. Keep up the good work.

This six volume masterwork is written by a Jefferson fanatic. The veneration for Jefferson that Dumas Malone puts on paper borders on outright worship. Jefferson seems not to have been a man, but an infallible demi-god.

According to Malone, if Jefferson was wrong about something, he didn't really mean it. If he made a mistake, he had good reasons and it was actually someone else's fault. If he lied (which he did A LOT), he did it to protect the integrity of the country and it was completely understandable under the circumstances. I've never read so much double talk in all my life. By the time you get to Jefferson's presidency, it gets pretty tough to gag down the copious amounts of praise that Malone spews from his pen.

This is basically a massive kids' book, showing us the guy on the two dollar bill through rose, white, and blue glasses. If you want an accurate depiction of Jefferson, check out Joseph Ellis's American Sphinx.