"Ye Will Say I Am No Christian": The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values [Hardcover]

Thomas Jefferson (Author), Bruce Braden (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2005

The 'Culture Wars' have produced a lot of talk about religion, morals, and values, with both sides often hearkening back to our Founding Fathers. Here is your chance to learn firsthand what two of the most influential pillars of the American Republic thought about these perennial topics. From 1812 to July 4, 1826 - when ironically death claimed both men - Thomas Jefferson and John Adams exchanged letters touching on these still controversial issues. These little-known letters contain many surprising revelations. In the 1800 presidential election, in which the Republican Jefferson opposed the Federalist Adams, religion was a topic of hot debate, as reflected in this correspondence written many years after. What was it about Jefferson's religious beliefs that provoked such vitriol against him in the campaign? And what was there in Adams's theology that prompted certain Calvinists and Trinitarians to label him 'no Christian'? Though they expressed different opinions, Jefferson and Adams agreed on what they called the 'corruptions of Christianity'. Despite their criticisms and their critics, both men considered themselves Christians, in different senses of the term. Hearing these champions of liberty and freedom of religion speak out frankly on church and state, the Bible, Jesus, Christianity, morality, and virtue, modern readers may well ask themselves whether either of these Founding Fathers could today be elected president. Editor Bruce Braden has done us all a service by collecting this revealing and intimate historical correspondence on topics that continue to stir emotions and debate in the 21st century.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

America's founding fathers have long been revered or reviled for their praise or rejection of religion. Along with Ben Franklin and Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams probed most deeply into their own religious psyches and the cultural role of religion. Braden, a postal carrier and independent scholar, collects a portion of the pair's letters dealing with matters of morality and religion. The letters range over the usual questions for which these men have already become known: the human/divine nature of Jesus, the afterlife, moral philosophy, the place of religion in the state. The collection lacks a critical apparatus, however, and Braden provides no rationale for his choices or method of selection. Although he does provide footnotes for the letters, the notes offer nothing more than brief identifications of writers or others mentioned in the correspondence. Braden arranges the letters chronologically from 1787 to 1826 (when both men famously died on July 4), but the correspondence lacks any direction or structure. Moreover, the collection contains twice as many of Adams's letters to Jefferson as those Jefferson wrote to Adams, although Adams's epistles lack the sparkling erudition of his cohort's writings. (Nov.)
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Review

"...offers a fascinating window into the beliefs of [Jefferson and Adams]...even for those readers who are unfamiliar with the intellectual and religious currents of [1787 - 1826], this book offers the rare opportunity to engage the minds of two of the more intriguing thinkers of those years." -- The Historian, Vol. 69, No. 3.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (November 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591023564
• ISBN-13: 978-1591023562
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Early religous discussion among the founding fathers, April 22, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: "Ye Will Say I Am No Christian": The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values (Hardcover)

There's lots of talk about religion and politics and separations of church and state: here's what two of the leaders of the early American Republic thought about religion and politics and their affect on American life in "YE WILL SAY I AM NO CHRISTIAN": THE THOMAS JEFFERSON/JOHN ADAMS CORRESPONDENCE ON RELIGION, MORALS AND VALUES. Granted, it's a specialty item which will probably receive its best audience in advanced high school to college-level holdings; but the letters between the two greats offer frank assessments of church, liberty and freedom of religion and should not be missed by any serious reader of American history or political science.

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Adams, September 23, 2010

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Carol Weddle "Luvkidz" (KY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: "Ye Will Say I Am No Christian": The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values (Hardcover)

This was a gift and the recipient was thrilled to have this to add to his library. It arrived almost immediately! So glad I ordered it.