
Jefferson
Architect of American Liberty
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Narrated by:
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Michael Johnson
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By:
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John B. Boles
About this listen
From an eminent scholar of the American South, the first full-scale biography of Thomas Jefferson since 1970. Not since Merrill Peterson's Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation has a scholar attempted to write a comprehensive biography of the most complex Founding Father. In Jefferson, John B. Boles plumbs every facet of Thomas Jefferson's life, all while situating him amid the sweeping upheaval of his times. We meet Jefferson the politician and political thinker - as well as Jefferson the architect, scientist, bibliophile, paleontologist, musician, and gourmet. We witness him drafting of the Declaration of Independence, negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, and inventing a politics that emphasized the states over the federal government - a political philosophy that shapes our national life to this day.
Boles offers new insight into Jefferson's actions and thinking on race. His Jefferson is not a hypocrite, but a tragic figure - a man who could not hold simultaneously to his views on abolition, democracy, and patriarchal responsibility. Yet despite his flaws, Jefferson's ideas would outlive him and make him into nothing less than the architect of American liberty.
©2017 John B. Boles (P)2017 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson's election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad.
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Unlikable Old Hickory
- By John M on 01-05-09
By: Jon Meacham
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1848
- Year of Revolution
- By: Mike Rapport
- Narrated by: Hugh Kermode
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1848, a violent storm of revolutions ripped through Europe. The torrent all but swept away the conservative order that had kept peace on the continent since Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815 - but which in many countries had also suppressed dreams of national freedom. Political events so dramatic had not been seen in Europe since the French Revolution, and they would not be witnessed again until 1989, with the revolutions in Eastern and Central Europe.
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1848 by Mike Rapport
- By Aria Amirbahman on 02-07-22
By: Mike Rapport
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James Monroe
- A Life
- By: Tim McGrath
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 28 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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The extraordinary life of James Monroe: Soldier, senator, diplomat, and the last Founding Father to hold the presidency, a man who helped transform 13 colonies into a vibrant and mighty republic.
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Large and inconsistent, much like Monroe himself.
- By Kindle Customer on 01-31-21
By: Tim McGrath
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Thomas Jefferson
- A Biography of Spirit and Flesh
- By: Thomas S. Kidd
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Thomas Jefferson was arguably the most brilliant and inspiring political writer in American history. But the ethical realities of his personal life and political career did not live up to his soaring rhetoric. Indeed, three tensions defined Jefferson’s moral life: democracy versus slavery, republican virtue versus dissolute consumption, and veneration for Jesus versus skepticism about Christianity. In this book, Thomas S. Kidd tells the story of Jefferson’s ethical life through the lens of these tensions.
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This version is the standard non in depth bio
- By Fred F on 03-28-24
By: Thomas S. Kidd
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The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
- By: Edmund Morris
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 26 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time. Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic", The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president.
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Very, very good, but very, very long.
- By Mike From Mesa on 03-29-13
By: Edmund Morris
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The Three Lives of James Madison
- Genius, Partisan, President
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician, he cofounded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk conflict, becoming the first wartime president and, despite the odds, winning.
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Cogently organized, meticulously balanced
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 06-15-18
By: Noah Feldman
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Washington
- A Life
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 41 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In Washington: A Life celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation. This crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his troubled boyhood, his precocious feats in the French and Indian War, his creation of Mount Vernon, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president.
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A sad day when my book was done!
- By ButterLegume on 12-13-10
By: Ron Chernow
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The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson
- By: Thomas Jefferson
- Narrated by: Philip Withers
- Length: 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) served his country in many capacities - architect, naturalist, and linguist, author of the Declaration of Independence, and President of the United States. Not a conventional autobiography, this memoir is more of a summary of his life's work. Begun in 1821 at the age of 77, Jefferson provides a detailed account of his young life and the period in which he wrote the Declaration. The work includes his comments on the Articles of Confederation, his experiences as governor of Virginia, ambassador to France, and observations of the French Revolution.
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Not much there
- By Jack Stevens on 03-06-20
By: Thomas Jefferson
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- Tyler D Mace
- 07-25-17
Excellent book in combination with Hamilton
Wonderful narrative. Very little mention of Jefferson's relationship (or lack thereof) with Washington after his resignation.
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- Richard
- 11-02-22
Great read
I truly felt emotional while reading this book. Jefferson was a great president who was torn between morality and timing. This book portrays him in a fair light, praising his greatness while acknowledging his flaws.
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- Reiley
- 12-23-24
Unique Story and Perspective of TJ.
A great story on the life of the amazing Thomas Jefferson. The right amount of detail.
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- a reader...
- 01-03-22
Stirring, excellent biography
Excellent biography of a truly unique person, both of his time and beyond time.
Well written, thoughtful, objective analysis. The United States and the world owe him gratitude and honor.
The audiobook was well performed.
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- Lester Gesteland
- 04-29-22
Interesting, Informative, Somewhat Balanced
A very thorough, interesting biography, which makes a valiant attempt to balance Thomas Jefferson as a slave owner and lover of one of his slaves with all the great things he accomplished as a Founding Father, governor of Virginia, president of the United States, and statesman. I would have liked to know more, however, about the slaves Jefferson did not free at his death. Only a sentence or two is devoted to them. What happened to these unfortunate souls?
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- DrTunz
- 03-18-24
Accurate, honest, and thorough
This is a wonderful biography of one of Americas’s greatest presidents. From his writing of the Declaration of Independence to his establishment of the Monticello mansion to his Louisiana purchase and his 2-term Presidency to his creation of the University of Virginia, Jefferson’s accomplishments are explained in detail, yet with a wonderfully human touch. I felt like I knew the man so well that I could sit down to dinner with him. Yes, the question of slavery is repeatedly addressed, but it is done with balance and honesty rather than with the kind of obsessive derision of white Southerners common in the works of other current authors. I greatly enjoyed this book.
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- jesse
- 10-02-21
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
Being a conservative that loves American history I find it very difficult to find books about the founding fathers that are not written by far left authors that write garbage they claim is history and fact. This book is very fair! Boles tells the entire story, When it comes to slavery Boles makes it very clear as to where Jefferson was on that topic and provides context as to why Jefferson may have done the things he did. Jefferson was an amazing man that played a huge role in the revolutionary war and the early years of this great country. I will be buying a physical copy to keep on the book shelf. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
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- steve thomas
- 05-08-20
Solid Bio
Surprisingly good one volume biography of Jefferson. Not compulsively readable like McCullough on Adams or Chernow on Hamilton but does nice job of covering a very eventful life at a reasonable length.
Narrator is good enough.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-11-21
high expectations
Perhaps my expectations of this book were too high as was my expectation of perfection of this, one of the great founding fathers. it was heartbreakingly disappointing to discover that on the issue of slavery my idol's feet were of clay, as are mine on many subjects.
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- openforbusiness
- 11-01-22
Honest and Inspiring!
Every American would benefit from the education this book provides. Jefferson’s sacrifices for and protection of America continued throughout his life. Jefferson also knew the American Revolution sparked the hope of freedom for mankind, and celebrated that fact.
The choices and contradictions of his life are covered with respect and fairness—not hiding details—but explaining the circumstances and the times in which he lived so we can better understand him. His integrity and his intellect are rare and are desperately needed in today’s world.
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