Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Houghton, Mifflin and company in 1898 in 343 pages; Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State; Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / General; Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Political; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Profound then.Truly horrible now.
The narrative style of this work by famous founders' biographer John Morse is arrogant, flippant and frequently exaggerated.It carries the tone of the amateur Yankee historian on high, passing judgment on this Southern statesman who was neither from Boston nor a Harvard graduate.Perhaps considered penetrating for its day, it really represents nothing more than opinion today.The research is so thin that one must conclude that Morse wrote the entire manuscript essentially from memory, with little reference to the primary and secondary sources we expect of historians now.If it weren't for the fact that Morse wrote this piece 110 years ago, I'd have rated it only one star.

yeah!
yeah this is an interesting, and staunchly Anti-Jeffersonian Biography from 1883.His vantage point makes this book a pretty groovy read, though maybe not the best for facts ... Read more

Product Description

In this unique biography of Thomas Jefferson, leading journalist and social critic Christopher Hitchens offers a startlingly new and provocative interpretation of our Founding Father. Situating Jefferson within the context of America's evolution and tracing his legacy over the past two hundred years, Hitchens brings the character of Jefferson to life as a man of his time and also as a symbolic figure beyond it.

Conflicted by power, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and acted as Minister to France yet yearned for a quieter career in the Virginia legislature. Predicting that slavery would shape the future of America's development, this professed proponent of emancipation elided the issue in the Declaration and continued to own human property. An eloquent writer, he was an awkward public speaker; a reluctant candidate, he left an indelible presidential legacy.

Jefferson's statesmanship enabled him to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase with France, doubling the size of the nation, and he authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition, opening up the American frontier for exploration and settlement. Hitchens also analyzes Jefferson's handling of the Barbary War, a lesser-known chapter of his political career, when his attempt to end the kidnapping and bribery of Americans by the Barbary states, and the subsequent war with Tripoli, led to the building of the U.S. navy and the fortification of America's reputation regarding national defense.

In the background of this sophisticated analysis is a large historical drama: the fledgling nation's struggle for independence, formed in the crucible of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, and, in its shadow, the deformation of that struggle in the excesses of the French Revolution. This artful portrait of a formative figure and a turbulent era poses a challenge to anyone interested in American history -- or in the ambiguities of human nature.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Good Overview of Jefferson
This is a fairly short but thorough review of Thomas Jefferson.It captures the highlights.Gives you insight into one of the more interesting, important and yet flawed individual who was central to the founding of our nation and of establishing freedom of belief and of the Louisiana Purchase.Hitchens doesn't skimp, all the racist views are in there, as are his rather heretical ideas about religion. At the same time, you get a good understanding of why Jefferson is so important to American History and why any history of America that doesn't include him (Texas), is flawed.It would be impossible to understand our country without understanding Jefferson.This book is good, short, and interesting. Worth reading.

Thomas Jefferson was a renaissance man living in a revolutionary era
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was a renaissance man living in a revolutionary era. Jefferson was the third president of the United States serving two terms; the governor of Revolutionary War Virginia; the founder of the University of Virginia; American Ambassador to France and the first Secretary of State in Washington's cabinet. He was also a bibliphile whose library was sold to the Library of Congress; a scientist, author and champion of religious freedom. His greatest fame will always be his authorship of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
In this short biography by Christopher Hitchen, Vanity Fair contributing editor, atheist and author of such books as "Hitch 22"; "Why Orwell Matters" and numerous essays we get a succinct but competent biography of the Sage of Monticello.
Hitchens tells us that Jefferson was a great US President due to:
1. His victory over the Barbery Pirates in Northern Africa protecting American shippping.
2. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 which doubled the land mass of the United States.
3. The Lewis and Clark expedition which was a great scientific and exploration venture into the American West.
Hitchens portrays a Jefferson who was a foxy politician and also a hypocrite on racial issues. His longtime mistress was Sally Hemings a woman of color by whom he had several children. Unlike Washington, Jefferson never freed his slaves though he thought slavery an evil. Jefferson believed in white supremacy. Jefferson was an Anti-Federalist whose greatest opponent was Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party. Jefferson was in favor of the French Revolution but grew disenchanted with its violence. The embargo he established on American commerce during his second term was not popular. He hated England and favored States Rights.
Jefferson comes across as a great man but one deeply flawed by his antiquated and wrongheaded racial beliefs.
Christopher Hitchens, the contrarian, is always worth reading.

Doesn't read like Hitchens but still good.
I'm no student of history but I am a Hitchens fan and have read several of his books so I decided to give this one a try. I enjoyed the book and learned a good deal about Jefferson. He is of course a very interesting figure and much of the governmental structure of the USA is based on his philosophy (or at least used to be based on it). The book does not really read like a typical Christopher Hitchen's book in writing style. It is a history book and not really open to as much interpretation or opinion as the subjects he normally writes about. The typical Hitchen's wit and wisdom had to be much toned down for this subject. If you love Hitchen's style you may not like this book as much as the rest of his works but I do recommend it simply for the historical knowledge to be gained.

Excellent...Albeit Short
It is very hard to sum up the life of so great a man as Thomas Jefferson, but Hitchens has done it in this masterful work. This book offers a glimpse of the founding father that is often neglected in other writings. Hitchens has captured the essence and the ideals of Jefferson, focusing more on his philosophy and the ethos of the Enlightenment than most authors do. I recommend this book to any lovers of Jefferson, America, History, or Hitchens. This book provides a brief look at and epic man.

Somewhat insightful, but not an arresting effort (3.25*s)
This book, while biographical in nature, represents a more free-form approach by British intellectual and polemicist, Christopher Hitchens, in examining the lengthy public service career and profound life of Thomas Jefferson. Hitchens essentially acknowledges the indebtedness that America has for both Jefferson's ideas, in particular his democratic inclinations, despite his aristocratic background, seen in both his words in the Declaration of Independence and his vigorous opposition to the neo-aristocratic policies of the Federalist in the 1790s, and his policy initiatives during his presidency, such as finally suppressing the pirates of North Africa, doubling the land size of the US through the Louisiana Purchase, and enthusiastically backing the exploration of this newly purchased land by Lewis and Clark, reflective of his lifelong interest in botany, and the like.

Jefferson's contradictions and difficulties seem to be a main focus for the author, not so much for purposes of condemnation, but more for ensuring a balanced approach. Clearly, Jefferson's ambiguities concerning the actual equality of all men resonant most strongly in the modern era. As a Southern planter and beneficiary of its non-free labor system, he could not satisfactorily reconcile his principles with his practices in that regard. Jefferson's lengthy association with his house servant Sally Hennings, including the fathering of several children, is never in doubt. Interestingly, the author shows that Jefferson, though not an aggressive individual, was fond of attractive women. A more serious situation for Jefferson in his lifetime was his hasty retreat from British troops during his last days as governor of Virginia in 1780, providing ammunition for his detractors in regard to his courage, a not insignificant matter for gentlemen in colonial society.

Jefferson was, hands-down, America's foremost intellectual of his time. His vast accumulation of the latest books from throughout Europe was a lifelong obsession. In the aftermath of the burning of the Library of Congress during the War of 1812, Jefferson sold his personal collection of 6500 volumes to the Library, a substantial start for any great library. The downside to Jefferson's intellectualism, was his tendency to romanticize revolutionary thought and actions. He turned a blind eye to the excesses of the French revolution far beyond any objective assessment. He was given to intemperate views, though not necessarily publicly stated, such as regarding the periodic spilling of blood as a means of renewing revolutionary ideals or holding that one generation owed little to their successors and that government and most institutions should begin anew. The author, given his well-known religious disinclination, is more than mildly appreciate of Jefferson's fairly successful efforts, mostly in Virginia, to orchestrate legislation to curb the dominance of organized churches in social and political affairs. Jefferson's specific religious ideas remain somewhat vague, yet his lifelong support of Thomas Paine, an infamous infidel and Revolutionary era hero, may be telling.

The book is mildly informative concerning the major activities and impact of Jefferson. Jefferson remains a remarkable man in Hitchens' telling, though not without flaws. However, the book is somewhat selective in what is covered. Other principals of the era make mostly cameo appearances. The author brings a few scattered insights that perhaps lie outside a conventional biographical focus, not to mention his occasional literary phrasing, but given the author's reputation for polemics, it might have been expected that sharper critiques would have been offered on Jefferson's actions and significance. The complete absence of notes or an index in the book is indicative of the author's indifference towards conventional biography or history. A few books are mentioned in an acknowledgements section. It has to be said that the book is not an arresting effort, falling short of expectations.
... Read more

Product Description
Original work in 1890, this is a very very small but interesting read about one of our Founding Fathers; Thomas Jefferson.

This is a digitized work and will reflect how the original book looks as of the day it was scanned.Enjoy. ... Read more

Product Description
This biography, part of the acclaimed Library of Religious Biography, treats the religious significance of Thomas Jefferson, first by examining Jefferson's steady dedication to the cause of religious liberty, and second, by exploring Jefferson's private effort to reform the nature of religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Half a Religious biography, Half other
Gaustad, Edwin S. Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson. Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, UnitedKingdom: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996. 246 pages. Notes on the Sources, index.

Sworn on the Altar of God, is a religious biography (as the subtitle implies) by Edwin S. Gaustad, the critically acclaimed professor of history at the University of California, Riverside. He has written other historical books (also with good reviews I may add) such Documentary History of Religion of America, and in this book he scores again, only if it were a biography of Thomas Jefferson rather than a religious biography.

Gaustad uses many of Jefferson writings and includes it in this biography with citations and context of when it is being said. He does this in a way that makes this book appealing. Right from the start though I noticed a flaw, he states his opinion as fact which is also known as the fallacy of misplaced concreteness. He states "Thomas Jefferson was the most self consciously theological of all America's presidents" [Gaustad, preface XIII]. This is contested by many people today who argue that Abraham Lincoln (a well known deist who spoke on God often) and / or George W. Bush (though I don't agree nor do I wish to resort to argumentum ad populum fallacy) is / are the most self consciously theological of all presidents. While this book isn't supposed to be arguing for ones view, I can forgive this. I liked how in the beginning he pointed out the misconception that everyone has today about Separation of Church and State, in the fact that it is not in our constitution but rather it was just a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists [preface IX]. So he expected to catch the viewer's attention by pointing out that misconception (though I already knew that fact) and worked. The books title is based on the quote from Thomas Jefferson "I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny of the mind of man" [189]. He goes on to explain Jefferson's life from child hood to death and how he was very Anglican in his birth but went astray from his roots when he got older during The Enlightenment. He explains that he did this because he read many of Joseph Priestley's and Thomas Paine's works and wrote back to them (in secrecy) with open theological discussions. He does a good job doing this due to his extensive work he put into going out and getting all of Jefferson's writings.

What my main quarrel is with this book, is the fact that only a portion of this book actually is actually a religious biography of Thomas Jefferson. The only chapters I found interesting and valuable (that actually pertained to the title) were chapters: 1, 2, 5, and 8. The other 4 chapters were a complete bore and filled with clutter that has nothing to do with religion and never built up to anything associated with religion. Let me give you a fine example, in chapter 6 "The Educator", all Gaustad talks about is James Madison and Thomas Jefferson building the University of Virginia and what his rules were, and to be more specific, one page is even devoted to his architecture from Monticello and how he applied it to the University of Virginia [174]. I noticed what he tried to do in this chapter, he opened up with a quote from Thomas Priestly about creation and man, then he stuck a bunch of clutter about the establishment of University of Virginia then at the end he puts "What sounded like freedom to Jefferson could sound like Unitarianism to others" [180] even though he hardly touched on that aspect in the chapter itself.

What I like about the 4 chapters that actually related to the title of the book was that it delves deep into his feelings and his theological thinking. Chapter 2 "Student of the Enlightenment", explains his reasoning behind accepting reasoning over scripture, for instance "But those facts in the Bible which contradict laws of nature which must be examined with more care" [33]. Chapter 5 "The Religious Reformer", completely goes through Thomas Jefferson's work The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth with a fine tooth comb explaining what verses he cut out and what he kept. His book is a rehash of the 4 gospels that cuts out all miracles and supernatural and leaves the morals for him to study on his own. This work has now been put together and published as The Jefferson Bible. Chapter 8 "A Religion for the People" focuses on Jefferson's feelings against other religions and explains how he ended up intensely disliking the Anglicans because of their doctrine and charging him as a heathen around election time. It also explains how he liked the Quakers because they possessed no doctrine (thus accepting reason over scripture) but were mainly peaceful.
Overall, this work by Gaustad does a good job portraying Jefferson's deism and his thoughts on prayer, but the few chapters that actually were related to the title could have been made into a pamphlet or an online article rather than a $14.00 book.It is very mainstream friendly, but I would recommend anyone JUST interested in Jefferson's religion to read the book The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson by Charles B. Sanford instead.

A Review
Sworn on the Altar of God is an extremely informative look at Thomas Jefferson's faith.As one of the Founding Fathers, politicians and people of faith have so often tried to understand Jefferson's faith.In truth, he was a deist and a rationalist.Understanding the implications of this faith have great ramifications in our current times, especially in relation to a government which seems so intent on glorifying evangelical fundamentalism at the expense of reason.I feel that Jefferson would have been appalled!

Narrative Account of Jefferson's Religious Ideas
This book is an excellent compliement to Charles Sanford's "The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson." Whereas Sanford does a scholarly review of the content of Jefferson's religious ideas, Gaustad in this book gives the narrative and context for how Jefferson applied his ideas concerning religion and religious freedom. Most interesting to me in the Gaustad book were the accounts of the political fights Jefferson and Madison waged for religious freedom during the early years of the Republic. Gaustad filled in the historical gaps and gave me context for understanding how momentous the struggle truly was. Also brought to life by Gaustad are the correspondences between the aged ex-presidents Jefferson and Adams about God and religion. I highly recommend this book to those interested in the history of ideas and freedom of thought.

Jefferson's Thinking Hovers
Thomas Jefferson's thinking hovers over many of today's debates regarding separation of church and state, school prayer, the place of public education, and the place of faith in our own lives.

This is an excellent exploration of the complexities of Jefferson's beliefs and the even more complex world of how his writings and thoughts continue to impact America today.

Public education is necessary to save democracy Chapter ^
Excellent book As a school board member this book is important to show the importance of saving public education to perserve the American EXperiment. Jefferson was always in favor of a public educational system as a means to perserve the wall of separation between church and state. I would recommend this book for anyone who is oppossed to vouchers and charters schools ... Read more

Product Description
In this moving and intimate look at the final days of our most enigmatic president, Andrew Burstein sheds new light on what Thomas Jefferson actually thought about sexuality, race, gender, and politics.

Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, leaving behind a series of mysteries that captured the imaginations of historical investigators-an interest rekindled by the recent revelation that he fathered a child by Sally Hemmings, a woman he legally owned-yet there is still surprisingly little known about him as a man. In Jefferson's Secrets Andrew Burstein focuses on Jefferson's last days to create an emotionally powerful portrait of the uncensored private citizen who was also a giant of a man.

Drawing on sources previous biographers have glossed over or missed entirely, Burstein uncovers, first and foremost, how Jefferson confronted his own mortality; and in doing so, he reveals how he viewed his sexual choices.

Delving into Jefferson's soul, Burstein lays bare the president's thoughts about his own legacy, his predictions for American democracy, and his feelings regarding women and religion. The result is a moving and surprising work of history that sets a new standard, post-DNA, for the next generation's reassessment of the most evocative and provocative of this country's founders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Revelations onThe Enigmatic Character of Jefferson ApproachedThrough Analysis of His Latter Years
Andrew Burstein's often uniquely gleaning analysis of Jefferson's views and actions on such issues ashis inexorable protection of his historical personal,political and public legacies,his interminable,vexing personal ambivalent resolve towards slavery, his "Enlightened" rationalization of just about everything from sexual behaviour to dying ,and more, is most inciteful,perspicacious,and endearingly real as told throughthis historian's trenchant research into the letters and papers of Jefferson and his contemporaries.
Burstein's genius in this book is to ask the commonly asked questions of the character of this most complex and gifted Founding Father in ways that heretofore have been unexplored. This book is a must addition in any library for any student of Jefferson and the nascient political years of this great republican experiment into nation-building.

RHF

Having It Both Ways
The good stuff in this book is invaluable to anyone with a serious interest in Jefferson. I'd award five stars for such unique scholarship, but I've subtracted two stars as a rebuke to the author and to his editors, if there were any, for perverse self-indulgence. The readability of "Jefferson's Secrets" is damaged by its repetitiousness; Burstein even repeats the same quotations from Jefferson's letters in three and four chapters, without significantly adding to his exegesis. But a more serious flaw is Burstein's rhapsodic admiration of Jefferson's mind at the same time that he protrays the man as a consummate hypocrite and egotist--not only a slave-owner and unreconstructed racist but an exploiter of servants to the point of callously making one his concubine, a Jacobin in rhetoric who lived in the style of an ancien regime aristocrat, a man who gave his daughters a decorous education yet maintained that women had no claim to equality. Burstein's defense seems to be that we should forgive Jefferson's inconsistencies because he was conflicted, and a man of his times. Indeed, the central theme of the book is to demonstrate exactly how Jefferson was a man of his times, whose world-view was shaped by the ideas and particularly the scientific knowledge of the Enlightenment. That's the good stuff, the analysis of what Jefferson himself thought he meant by what he said and wrote, given the "vocabulary" of his time and place. However, in the next breath Burstein proceeds to declare that Jefferson was in some sense the first Modern Man, a harbinger of Romanticism precisely because of his ambiguities, the very same ambiguities that Burstein has just dispelled. Really, Professor Burstein, it seems to be YOU who are conflicted, by your adulation of the "timeless" Jefferson even while you pin the human Jefferson to the cultural matrix of his lifetime!

Extremely disappointing biography of Jefferson
There is next to nothing here that caught my interest.I was looking forward very much to this work, and I was extremely disappointed in it.I had just finished an excellent biography of John Adams, which impelled me to try this one.I can only recommend that you don't waste your time.Every moment on this book was, to me, a complete waste of time.

His own way of looking at things....
Thomas Jefferson was a great and brilliant, but flawed and unconventional man. What can the zillionth book add that hasn't already been said? Quite a lot. It should not be anybody's first book on Jefferson, but it should be everybody's second, or third. Of course, Burstein hasn't got Jefferson "figured out", but neither does anyone else.....

This wonderful volume focuses on Mr. Jefferson's later years, and does give us a good view of his thought processes. Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, and Jefferson can be quoted to "prove" ANYTHING. "Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that this people are to be free,..." The inscription on the wall of the Jefferson Memorial ends with a period, but look up the rest of the quote. I use the comma deliberately. He who said that "All men are created equal" also had things to say about the orangutang. And he also had sex with his slave, Sally? Well...maybe. In any event, he documented his views on this subject, too, complete with charts. The ongoing arguement with John Marshall gets coverage, too. It has been more completely documented elsewhere, but Burstein does an excellent job. This feud is truly one of the most profound topics in American history. It spanned from their early years till the day Jefferson died, and beyond, going from a rivalry, to disagreement, to blind, unreasoning, hatred after the Aaron Burr treason case of 1807. My own opinion is that the cause of the whole mess was multifaceted, involving familial, personal, political, and philosophical elements. {Not religious; they agreed about that} In this battle of giants, we have the origin of the Civil War, and of much of our political conflict today. An athiest who "swore on the altar of God"? This is covered, too. Jefferson may not have been orthodox, but he was assuradely not an athiest. A slave owner who hated slavery? Not unusual...the same is true of George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Marshall, George Wythe, and Robert E. Lee. {Lee inherited his slaves, and freed them before he had to}. A word of caution; though some of the founding fathers did not believe in slavery, they certainly did not believe in Black equality, either.

Andrew Burstein has produced a superb work. As I said, NOT a first book on the subject, but an essential one. For a first book, see Joseph Ellis, or Noble Cunningham. Dumas Malone is, of course, definitive, but few will mine the gold in those six profound volumes.

The Inner Jefferson
Burstein has written an insightful book on the Jefferson, as he says, that has usually been ignored by many other historians, i.e. in the period after his presidency. Specifically, Burstein analyzes the thoughts and attitudes held by Jefferson on life, the role of women and slaves in society, religion, freedom of thought, politics and other topics. The Jefferson that emerges from Burstein's study is a multi-faceted man who both inspires awe for his intelligence and his abilities but also sets him in place as a creature of his time, especially concerning the issue of slavery.

Burstein is especially keen on observing Jefferson's use of words to convey his inner most feelings and thoughts. He is especially observant of the medical terminology that Jefferson uses in discussing many different subjects. As Burstein mentioned, he usually didn't give his correspondent everything he was looking for in terms of revealing his innermost thoughts and secrets. After his presidency, Jefferson preferred a retreat from the public sphere and generally guarded his privacy. But we do get to understand Jefferson's devotion to his family, his sometimes very contradictory statements on human liberty and freedom especially when juxtaposed against the very present institution of slavery, his views onrepublican government and many other areas that he expounded on.

There are friends, family members, well-known politicians, doctors, thinkers and others who emerge in Burstein's book, mainly through the correspondence that Burstein uses to help bring light to the elusive aspects of Jefferson's attitudes and sensibilities. The controversies surrounding Jefferson and the institution of slavery are discussed, especially concerning the generally accepted sexual relationship with Sally Hemings, with interesting insights by Burstein on Jefferson's attitudes on sexual relationships, racial differences and so forth. Though he would be considered a racist today, he was a creature of his time, with an odd, but seemingly well-thought out view of the nature of the races (not that his view was right).

Burstein really does try to understand the foundations of Jefferson's inner beliefs and sensibilities. Jefferson was a devotee to the rights of man (though this didn't include everyone in his day), his family (he was especially close to his granddaughter Ellen), and the principles of republican government. Interestingly, despite his advocacies, he often turned to others to make the effort to combat his political opponents, we see this in his wanting to combat the histories written by such Federalists as Chief Justice Marshall.

The reader will get to see snippets of the inner Jefferson in this book. Burstein, as he stated he wanted to accomplish, succeeds fairly well in presenting the living Jefferson as opposed to the dying Jefferson, though we do read of the effects of aging and other health issues that gradually took their toll on his physical body. We see the many facets of this highly intelligent human being who was such an influence in his day and through his words, actions and ideals continues to be to the present. The debates go on. ... Read more

Product Description
“How do we keep them from electing Marxists and liberals?”
“Well, that’s what the war is for, buddy.”

A Radical Plan

Stung by the last election, Martin Baird conceives a plan to ignite a second American Revolution. He will provoke the United States’ government into declaring war against its own citizens by assassinating the President on Inauguration Day.

“What country can preserve its liberties if its leaders are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.”

A Desperate Gamble

Fearful for his brother’s life and stunned by his own surprising skill with an assault rifle, Peter Baird tries to keep him from going down Jefferson’s road to revolution. Can he save his brother, or must he betray Martin to save his country? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Furtive Read
Michael Scott is an excellent writer. Scott delivers a story that will demand your attention. Scott moves easily between comfortable prose and dynamic tension.That said, Michael Scott had me looking over my shoulder as I read to assure myself that the Secret Service were not taking names and pictures.I felt like I was reading a terrorist manual and the feeling was not comfortable.

The plot of this creative story is disturbing. It put me in mind of the primary thesis of my undergraduate political science education: There is only one difference between patriots and traitors. Those who win are the patriots.I write political thrillers myself, and have considered creating a scenario where killing a president might be justified, but I have refrained on the basis that such discussion is tantamount to insurrection, or, at the very least, ill-considered. Jefferson Road has not absolved me of that trepidation.I would recommend the story nonetheless because it does an excellent job of laying out the pros and cons of allowing a government to move so far in one philosophical direction as to render the country unrecognizable from the intentions of the Founding Fathers.

Aside from a few continuing typos (about which I have advised the author privately) I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.I look forward to his sequel and other writing from Scott.

Gordon Ryan, Author

Thought Provoking!
Well written, well researched book! I highly recommend it! It's nice to see a writer who has the intestinal fortitude to address such topics. Keep up the good work! I anxiously await the next installment! Oh, one more thing! You cannot pass on the price! $2.99?! It's on my iPhone and kindle!

Possibilties and could happen one day
Interesting and lots of thoughts and planning. A good book of possible happenings.
See Shirley B Nichols novels in kindle

Michael J. Scott's book is a winner
The reasons were compelling--reasons he'd thought of himself. Reasons he himself had written in cyberspace for all the world to see. Reasons to kill the president.

But his brother wanted him to go beyond writing about it, beyond talking about it.

His brother wanted him to pull the trigger.

Tension builds throughout this novel as discussion segues into action; suspense mounts from the question always dangling in the forefront of reader's mind: will he do it?

Michael Scott's masterfully written novel explores what could be the very real, very private thoughts of angry American citizens . . . and what would happen if those citizens acted on their thoughts.

Chillingly realistic; frightfully feasible.

Video Trailer for Jefferson's Road: The Spirit of Resistance
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R373D7YG8PEGHR This is the video trailer to Jefferson's Road: The Spirit of Resistance ... Read more

Product Description
National Bestseller 

For a man who insisted that life on the public stage was not what he had in mind, Thomas Jefferson certainly spent a great deal of time in the spotlight--and not only during his active political career. After 1809, his longed-for retirement was compromised by a steady stream of guests and tourists who made of his estate at Monticello a virtual hotel, as well as by more than one thousand letters per year, most from strangers, which he insisted on answering personally. In his twilight years Jefferson was already taking on the luster of a national icon, which was polished off by his auspicious death (on July 4, 1896); and in the subsequent seventeen decades of his celebrity--now verging, thanks to virulent revisionists and television documentaries, on notoriety--has been inflated beyond recognition of the original person.

For the historian Joseph J. Ellis, the experience of writing about Jefferson was "as if a pathologist, just about to begin an autopsy, has discovered that the body on the operating table was still breathing." In American Sphinx, Ellis sifts the facts shrewdly from the legends and the rumors, treading a path between vilification and hero worship in order to formulate a plausible portrait of the man who still today "hover[s] over the political scene like one of those dirigibles cruising above a crowded football stadium, flashing words of inspiration to both teams." For, at the grass roots, Jefferson is no longer liberal or conservative, agrarian or industrialist, pro- or anti-slavery, privileged or populist. He is all things to all people. His own obliviousness to incompatible convictions within himself (which left him deaf to most forms of irony) has leaked out into the world at large--a world determined to idolize him despite his foibles.

From Ellis we learn that Jefferson sang incessantly under his breath; that he delivered only two public speeches in eight years as president, while spending ten hours a day at his writing desk; that sometimes his political sensibilities collided with his domestic agenda, as when he ordered an expensive piano from London during a boycott (and pledged to "keep it in storage"). We see him relishing such projects as the nailery at Monticello that allowed him to interact with his slaves more palatably, as pseudo-employer to pseudo-employees. We grow convinced that he preferred to meet his lovers in the rarefied region of his mind rather than in the actual bedchamber. We watch him exhibiting both great depth and great shallowness, combining massive learning with extraordinary naïveté, piercing insights with self-deception on the grandest scale. We understand why we should neither beatify him nor consign him to the rubbish heap of history, though we are by no means required to stop loving him. He is Thomas Jefferson, after all--our very own sphinx.


From the Trade Paperback edition.Amazon.com Review
Well timed to coincide with Ken Burns'sdocumentary (on which the author served as a consultant), this newbiography doesn't aim to displace the many massive tomes aboutAmerica's third president that already weigh down bookshelves.Instead, as suggested by the subtitle--"The Character of ThomasJefferson"--Ellis searches for the "living, breathing person"underneath the icon and tries to elucidate his actual beliefs.Jefferson's most ardent admirers may find this perspective toocritical, but Ellis's portrait of a complex, sometimes devious manwho both sought and abhorred power has the ring of truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (160)

Pleasantly surprised
I was pleasantly surprised by this book.I have much respect for Thomas Jefferson and I try to avoid presentism.I was a little leery of this book because of some of the reviews I had read, especially concerning Ellis' conclusions about Hemings, whereas I do not think the issue is resolved (see "In Defense of Thomas Jefferson" by Hyland) and is definitely not proven.

Ellis is a good historian and is also a very good writer.The book is engaging and held my interest very well.It is more than just another "Jefferson did this, and then he did this, and then he went here and then he did that" book.I had been avoiding Ellis, but after reading this I went out and bought some more of his books.

Hilarious Left-Wing Tripe
It is really no surprise upon genuflection that a modern academic of the disposition to unveil yet another interpretation of Jefferson would concoct a veiled left-wing screed intended to take the champion of American liberty down a few notches.But my apologizes to Ellis and other "oh-so-serious," utterly predictable, and tendentious sycophants of the state, you are not even in Jefferson's class as a political thinker.

While Jefferson helped inspire a revolution that outshines all others in world history, today's leftist intellectuals are destructive, spiteful, and deceptive creatures whose lasting achievements include extending the breadth and depth of tyranny throughout the world.Apparently lacking maturity of thought and the self-awareness to realize that a Jefferson and Madison completely and thoroughly predicted the disastrous implications of their anti-Enlightenment program, yet they proceed on, never looking back, never apologizing for the human misery and suffering they create, always blaming omnipotent phantasms such as "capitalism" for their failures.

Jefferson, were he alive today, would unleash brutal vivisections of the neofeudalist ideologies of the left that would make Ellis' laughable screeds look like the crayon scrawlings of a hyperactive five year old.This is what American Sphinx amounts to, when firmly fixing the clumsily veiled metanarrative in mind that state power is necessary for one's own good.While Ellis and his academic "colleagues" imply that Jefferson's ideas are as outdated as horse carriages and powdered wigs,I can only laugh at the writing of today's pretentious "intellectuals" when I compare their works side-by-side with those of Jefferson.

Good Study of Jefferson
I like how Ellis approaches his subject--he centers his work on particular events, rather than sheer chronological biography. His research is nearly flawless. However, I find his approach to Jefferson (well, this is true of all modern Jeffersonian biographers) to be biased; he seems almost sarcastic at times, as though he is determined to topple the myth of Jefferson, the man of the people. We are dealing with a complex historical figure, who knew that he would be the topic of much spilled ink--think of what Jefferson did not include among his surviving correspondence. I believe Ellis makes every effort to withhold judgment--another strength of the book, as many biographers don't even try. (I'm thinking of Malone who seemed to worship Jefferson, even though his research and detail is nothing short of amazing.)Perhaps Ellis cannot avoid his impatience with the near deification of Jefferson, but there were times he needed to hold back on his dismissive tone.

Elegant and Informative
This is an elegant, informative and well researched book.I've learned many things about Thomas Jefferson (for example: he didn't like public attention) and Mr. Ellis' analysis is certainly worth of praise.

The book is divided into five parts:
- Philadelphia: 1775 -76
- Paris: 1784-89
- Monticello: 1794 - 97
- Washington D.C.: 1801 - 04
- Monticello: 1816 - 26

As you can see, the book starts at the dawn of the American Revolution with Jefferson's arrival in Philadelphia as the delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress and follows him to his later years in Monticello.

While I highly recommend this book to any history fan, I'd just like to say that for me it was rather difficult to read.I don't know why as I love history and history books - maybe because the text seemed more like a lecture than a "story".

Engaging but uninspired
I'm trying to make this a critique of the book rather than of Jefferson.

First, I found this book hard to get into at first. I'm no slouch in the vocabulary department but I found myself overwhelmed with some of the word choice. Once I rid myself of outside distractions I was fine but this is definitely not a book to read while the kids are running around or the tv is on in the background. You might find yourself staring at the page, rereading sentences like "... he expressed frustration with the paralyzing combination of indolence and garrulousness that afflicted the Congress," over and over again.

I was surprised to read some of the reviews stating that this was not a favorable view of Jefferson. While Ellis did a god job of exposing the conflict of actions vs. ideals of Jefferson, I found his take on them to be too apologetic. It seemed as if this was one long book of excuses on how Jefferson was able to say one thing and do another. I understand that this was not intended to be a formal biography of the day to day life and events on Jefferson but Ellis skipped huge amounts of important areas. Jefferson's entire Vice Presidency was left out. His second term as president was mostly ignored with only brief mentions of some things. I would have liked to know Jefferson's reasoning and thoughts when he essentially quit the Vice Presidency and secretly helped establish partisan politics. I'd like to know his motivations behind the Embargo Act and his feelings on Aaron Burr and his scandals. I concluded that these events were left out because they were too unfavorable to Jefferson. I admit that I could be wrong and that there could have been very good reasons for leaving these out but I don't know what they could be.

I did find myself highly engaged in this book. I had internal debates over Jefferson's ideals versus what really happened then and what is happening now. If I could find someone to have actual conversations about this stuff with in my life, I'd be in heaven. ... Read more

Product Description
An Excerpt from the book-

Called upon to undertake the duties of the first executive office of our
country, I avail myself of the presence of that portion of my
fellow-citizens which is here assembled to express my grateful thanks
for the favor with which they have been pleased to look toward me, to
declare a sincere consciousness that the task is above my talents, and
that I approach it with those anxious and awful presentiments which the
greatness of the charge and the weakness of my powers so justly inspire.
A rising nation, spread over a wide and fruitful land, traversing all
the seas with the rich productions of their industry, engaged in
commerce with nations who feel power and forget right, advancing rapidly
to destinies beyond the reach of mortal eye--when I contemplate these
transcendent objects, and see the honor, the happiness, and the hopes of
this beloved country committed to the issue and the auspices of this
day, I shrink from the contemplation, and humble myself before the
magnitude of the undertaking. Utterly, indeed, should I despair did not
the presence of many whom I here see remind me that in the other high
authorities provided by our Constitution I shall find resources of
wisdom, of virtue, and of zeal on which to rely under all difficulties.
To you, then, gentlemen, who are charged with the sovereign functions of
legislation, and to those associated with you, I look with encouragement
for that guidance and support which may enable us to steer with safety
the vessel in which we are all embarked amidst the conflicting elements
of a troubled world.
... Read more

Product Description
Thomas Jefferson has inspired countless books that explore his brilliant career, his political philosophy, and his extraordinary accomplishments as a gifted leader. Endlessly inquisitive, he was both a tireless writer and one of the most cosmopolitan men of his age. Yet this collection of Jefferson's reflections on his wide-ranging travels reveals a new side of the man.

Eloquent and powerful, Thomas Jefferson's letters and travel diaries from his years abroad as the U.S. minister to France spill onto the pages of this volume in wonderful detail, covering the full range of his interests and passions. Editor Anthony Brandt has sifted through the myriad of writings from this rich period of Jefferson's career to present not only the politician and diplomat but Thomas Jefferson the lover, the father, the farmer, the architect, the man about town, the scientist, the visionary. Jefferson emerges at the end a fully dimensional man, with all his virtues, his flaws, and his extraordinary brilliance fleshed out, standing vividly before us. Thomas Jefferson formulated many of America's highest ideals. Here we see the man himself, and glimpse the world through his eyes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Unique Perspective on Thomas Jefferson
As someone who has been reading about Thomas Jefferson for much of my life, and who has read many volumes of his correspondence, I find this selection of letters particularly impressive and illuminating. Anthony Brandt has chosen letters from Jefferson that let us see this man in all his complexity, showing us the statesman, the father, the friend, and the ever curious and discriminating traveler. But Brandt's judicious selection of letters to Jefferson from his large and varied circle make the portrait of this man and his time even more compelling. I am certain that this book will be indispensable for anyone who wishes to learn more about the endlessly fascinating Thomas Jefferson. ... Read more

Product Description
When Thomas Jefferson wrote his epitaph, he listed as his accomplishments his authorship of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia statute of religious freedom, and his founding of the University of Virginia. He did not mention his presidency or that he was second governor of the state of Virginia, in the most trying hours of the Revolution. Dumas Malone, author of the epic six-volume biography, wrote that the events of this time explain Jefferson's "character as a man of action in a serious emergency." Joseph Ellis, author of American Sphinx, focuses on other parts of Jefferson's life but wrote that his actions as governor "toughened him on the inside." It is this period, when Jefferson was literally tested under fire, that Michael Kranish illuminates in Flight from Monticello.

Customer Reviews (42)

Intimidating but Interesting
This is a hefty book (400 pages) and seemed a little bit intimidating at first.While I am familiar with Jefferson from history class, and visited Monticello as a child, my overall knowledge was pretty superficial.No longer.

The author's writing style is clear and the text seemed to flow pretty well; thankfully, that made the intimidating size of the book seem less so.

Based on the title, I was expecting the book to focus more on Thomas Jefferson and less on the overall state of affairs in Virginia.That being said, it was still interesting reading.While not a historical scholar, I found the book interesting, and think it would appeal to others looking to learn more about Jefferson.

What is a Leader to do in a Crisis?
The interesting point to glean from this facinating read, is how much abuse must a population take before they decide to sacrifice for the common good.After the British looted the land of food, horses, and slaves, having burned up cash-crop harvests, barns and homes, the Virginians had nothing left to lose except their lives. At this point, they volunteered to fight even without the orders of an ineffectual government to order them to the front. An additional revelation was the examination of how compromised were the political elites in charge of Virginia before the revolution. Take the case of William Byrd.As a member of the Virginia Legislature, he was bankrupt and needed the Colonial Govenment to relief him of his distress at the expense of the taxpayers.If William Byrd supported the King, then he would lose his property to his neighbors in revolt. If he worked for the good of his neighbors in revolt, then he would not be able to tax them to pay off his gambling debts. Unable to choose, he committed suicide. The book is a timely analysis of elites in a crisis. Our elites are equally compromised today.

Jeffeson's War
This is an extremely well written account of the Revolutionary War in Virginia.It starts with Jefferson's life growing up in Virginia and quickly moves into the opening stages on the war, providing background on the war to the north and south of Virginia, and how the state became the stage for the end game of the war.The book is rich in the details of several Virginia families and follows their fates, along with Jefferson's, through the war.This makes the book a pleasure to read (easy to get sucked in) while it is very informative.

Couldn't finish it; too boring
Simply put, I didn't like it. I read half the book and couldn't get myself to pick it up again. The level of detail in the book made me wonder if it was more historical fiction than non-fiction. I like Jefferson, but this was not one of my favorites on the man.

Fascinating, Well Researched, Detailed
For the rest of his life, Thomas Jefferson fought an accusation that when he was governor of Virgina, he displayed (at worst) cowardice, or (at best) incompetence in dealing with a British invasion of Virginia in 1781.Not only did the British troops, led by the traitor Benedict Arnold, easily take over the state, they narrowly missed taking Jefferson himself, who escaped only minutes ahead of a British force (led by Banstre Tarleton) specifically aimed at capturing him at Monticello. Kranish gives a thorough account of the affair, carefully describing the many elements that are necessary to understand the context.Jefferson can be faulted for not having acted more quickly and vigorously, a failing that revealed his lack of military experience and ability.On the other hand, Jefferson admitted that military matters were not his strong point, and in fact subsequently stepped down as governor while calling for the appointment of a more military-minded replacement.There were also many other contributing factors to the debacle, including the fact that the governor did not have much authority to act without the approval of legislators.It appeared that the only way Jefferson could have taken more decisive action would have been to stretch if not break the laws constraining his behavior.Evidently, Jefferson learned from this experience and in later years supported establishing more effective defense measures and giving more authority to the executive to take them.

Apparently at the instigation of Patrick Henry, previously greatly admired by Jefferson, the Virginia state legislature passed a motion to investigate Jefferson's conduct during the war.Nothing came of the resolution, however, and after a spirited defense by Jefferson of his actions, the legislature unanimously passed a resolution commending him for his conduct.Nonetheless, Jefferson felt the affair had sullied his reputation, and for the rest of his life carried a grudge against Henry.

Flight from Monticello is instructive not only on Jefferson's conduct, but on the whole Revolutionary War.For example, the book underscores how dependent we were on France for the success of the revolution.Lafayette led the French troops which, in conjunction with the French navy, were indispensable in Washington's victory over Cornwallis at Yorktown, the decisive battle of the war. ... Read more

Product Description
The first novel published by an African American, Clotel takes up the story, in circulation at the time, that Thomas Jefferson fathered an illegitimate mulatto daughter who was sold into slavery. Powerfully reimagining this story, and weaving together a variety of contemporary source materials, Brown fills the novel with daring escapes and encounters, as well as searing depictions of the American slave trade. An innovative and challenging work of literary invention, Clotel is receiving much renewed attention today.

William Wells Brown, though born into slavery, escaped to become one of the most prominent reformers of the nineteenth century and one of the earliest historians of the black experience. This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition reproduces the first, 1853, edition of Clotel and includes, as did that edition, his autobiographical narrative, "The Life and Escape of William Wells Brown," plus newly written notes.


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Product Description
This historic volume was published in 1855.

Contains:

- The Declaration of Independence
- The lives of the signers
- The Constitution of the United States
- The Inaugural Addresses and First Annual Messages of all the
Presidents, from Washington to Pierce
- The Farewell Addresses of George Washington and Andrew
Jackson
- Sketches of the Lives of the Presidents - Washington to Pierce
...............................................................................

Contents:

J. Q. Adams's Inaugural Address
J. Q. Adams's First Annual Message
Jackson's Inaugural Address
Jackson's First Annual Message
Jackson's Farewell Address
Van Buren's Inaugural Address
Van Buren's First Annual Message
Harrison's Inaugural Address
Tyler's Address to the People of the United States
Tyler's First Annual Message
Polk's Inaugural Address
Polk's Mexican War Message
Taylor's Inaugural Address
Taylor's First Annual Message
President Fillmore's Message
Fillmore's First Annual Message
Pierce's Inaugural Address

Sketches of the Lives of the Presidents from Washington to Pierce:

George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
William Henry Harrison
John Tyler
James Knox Polk
Zachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Franklin Pierce








... Read more

Product Description
1. George Washington
2. John Adams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. James Madison
5. James Monroe
6. John Quincy Adams
7. Andrew Jackson
8. Martin Van Buren
9. William Henry Harrison
10. John Tyler
11. James K. Polk
12. Zachary Taylor
13. Millard Fillmore
14. Franklin Pierce
15. James Buchanan
16. Abraham Lincoln
17. Andrew Johnson
18. Ulysses S. Grant
19. Rutherford B. Hayes
20. James Garfield
21. Chester A. Arthur
22. Grover Cleveland
... Read more

Product Description
Presidents of Hope and Change by Marilyn Muir
Bringing Hope to our Future by Reaching into our Astrological Past

Howastrology predicts our nation's future by reaching into our past.
Jefferson,Lincoln, Kennedy and Obama are the Lineage of Hope

Basedon ground-breaking research by noted astrologer Marilyn Muir, this bookdescribes the remarkable similarities of these four presidents in their Aquarian connections to the USA and their commonalities of character andmotivation.
In a non-technical way, the author details howtheir sky maps (astrological charts) synchronize with the important events that took place during thelifetimes of presidents Jefferson,Lincoln and Kennedy--all of whom heldoffice at profound moments in our nation's history.

Together with President Barack Obama, they are the Presidents of Hope and Change.

Ms Muir reaches deeply into the USA past topredict our nation's future. Demonstrating through meticulous astrologicalresearch how, undereach of these president's watches, the country not only survived deep setbacks, butwent onto greater and more successful heights.

President Obama's birth chart holds the secrets of Hope

In Presidents of Hope and Change, the author takes thereader on a fascinating journey through the stars as she details the strengthsand weakness in Obama's own sky map; describing how and where it aligns to notonly the birth chart of the USA but also his connections to the specific chartof his own inauguration.

Is President Barack Obama theright man for the job?

By noting Obama's significant commonalitieswith Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy, the author skillfully leads to us to formour own conclusions.

Ms Muir's research also confirmsastrologically our current nationaland international scenarios playing out in the larger arenas of finance--and thecredit debacle--into education, religion, law and infrastructure.

Using the influential and interwoven cycles ofJupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto to predict issues and trends up to 2012 and even beyond to 2025, Ms Muir leaves us with the clear message of hope as she depicts the future of President Obama at the helm ofthe USA ship of state.

This research behind this non-technical book explores the charts of all 43 presidents through the 232 years of our history, but onlythe top 10 remarkable presidents with significant personal astrological alignmentsto the USA chart are discussed briefly, with the charts of Presidents Jefferson,Lincoln, Kennedy and Obama (includingVice President Biden) addressed in considerable detail. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Appreciation and Congratulations to the Author
I confess that I am a poor novice when it comes to astrology. I, therefore, must yield to the more knowledgeable to explain what the relationships to the Zodiac actually mean. That said, by and large the narrative in this book allowed me to read with minimal explanation of the referenced signs.

I would like to express an appreciation to the author. For the Presidents included in the text, I learned more about them and their Presidency than I could have imagined. The book, and its hopefully subsequent follow up volume, may be very good reference works. My congratulations to the author for what I consider to have been commendable historical research.

Greg GoodsonPresidents of Hope and Change

Fantastic Read!
For someone who has only a basic knowledge of astrology, I found this book fantastic and very easy to read. The author's explanations are easy to follow and had me learning not only about astrology, but history, too. Unlike some other astrology books, we get very specific time-lines attached to individual events (as another reviewer mentioned, end of credit crunch in June '10), not some vague "Something important will happen in November". Worth every cent!

Star Light, Star Bright
Star Light, Star Bright
By Timothy Spearman

This book will make Marilyn Muir a rising star. I give four stars because I am a professional writer, not a professional astrologer. I am judging the book in part on its literary merits. I like it because the lady who wrote is honest, sincere and deeply ethical. I like it because she employs the dialectic skillfully in order to defend her various arguments, but never has an acerbic or vindictive word to say about anything or anyone. What I am most impressed by is the fact that the book contains no lashing out. No one receives the point of her rapier, however much she might acknowledge that the pen is mightier than the sword. The pen can display its mightiness in other forms. It need not be employed as a rapier. A pen can build mountains. I believe hers has begun one. Others will follow who will turn this pioneering effort to advantage and carve out a mountain in the American landscape to complete this Mount Rushmore of the astrological field.
Unlike many of the current political polemics, there is no Bush bashing and no disrespect shown to the office of president in this book. While Marilyn acknowledges that some of the nation's presidents did not govern as responsibly and successfully as others, she casts no aspersions on anyone's character. I respect this display of integrity greatly and believe others will respond to it in a similar vein. I have in fact learned something from this wise 70-year-old lady, who displays a youthful wit and energy a good three decades junior her actual age.
I am glad I was asked to review this book as I am a student of metaphysics and astrology like Marilyn. My own published Ph.D. thesis in the field of metaphysics, The Ethics of Timelessness, resonates with me here as I review Marilyn's book as I came to regard that written text and all subsequent ones as a living spiritual entity just as Marilyn rightly sees the nation and the office of president as such. She is unequivocal on this point, stating that, "...the USA as a country is a living thing and that, astrologically, its chart is viewed as a living thing."
It's hard for non-students of metaphysics educated in this secular and largely atheist scientific world to view the nation and the office of president as a living entity with an innate spirituality, karma and destiny, but if you read Marilyn's book with an open mind without the hard stubbornness of hard science, and just a good healthy dose of common sense, you can see that the New World, Francis Bacon's New Atlantis, the United States of America is indeed a spiritual being with a prescribed path and destiny. It was Manley P. Hall, who first spoke of America's appointment with destiny, when he wrote in The Secret Destiny of America, "World democracy was the secret dream of the great classical philosophers...The brilliant plan of the philosophers has survived to our time...and it will continue until the great work is accomplished..." It's hard to argue against America's appointment with destiny when you see how the natal charts and inauguration charts of the U.S. presidents line up against the U.S. birth chart based on the natal star map of the United States.
Indeed it's hard to contest the fact that this brilliant young Harvard-educated lawyer, Barack Obama, is not part of this appointment with destiny, chosen by the universe and by public opinion to assume the office of president at one of the most challenging presidential mandates in history. Marilyn shows us how, in the personage of President Obama, the right man has stepped up to the plate to put America's economic house in order:
She reminds us repeatedly that American and world citizens must be Uranian and Aquarian in our thinking, always looking forward instead of sticking to the adhesive glue of the status quo that will have our butts crazy-glued to our chairs. But she warns us that we must observe the cycles of the heavens and be cognizant of when the energies of conflict, change and becoming come around so we can prepare for these crises in advance and meet them when they come. Marilyn has given us a glimpse at the metaphysical blueprints of God's divine plan for Creation. It's not a bad plan, but if you don't look at the blueprints, you're not with the program. I would encourage any aspiring urban or national planner hoping to make a difference in this world to at least have a look at the blueprints before proceeding. You can save yourselves a whole lot of trouble, time and effort if you refer to the plans from the beginning instead of having to overhaul the project and start over again after design flaws emerge in your construction projects.
Chapter 7 is a compelling section that delves into the protracted cycles of the outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Indeed, Marilyn goes to considerable pains to explain the roto-rooter effect of Scorpionic Pluto as it agitates its way through Sagittarius to dredge up all kinds of social muck and unpleasantness. But she calms and placates us with assurances that Saturn will provide the mortar to rebuild once the wrecking ball Pluto has finished its work. Change through overcoming is the theme of Pluto, a planet that shares much in common with the Hindu god Siva, who recreates and reassembles the universe through destruction. Ordo ab Chao would be an apt enough phrase for the reconstruction process. "We are approaching the returns of two of the three generational energies, Uranus and Pluto," Marilyn reminds us, "to the positions they held at the moment of the founding of our country. We are at a spiritual essence moment for our USA chart that resembles the approach to the Civil War. We are on a conformist versus change moment, a repeat of a 45-year cycle that seems to occur in pivotal moments in our country's history."
The conclusion of this enlightening book is that despite the planetary lineup in the star map, we have still been granted the power of free choice by our Creator. Marilyn reminds us that there are no genuinely benefic or malefic planets or star signs and that, "Only we can decide how we will use this energy, positively or negatively." This calls to mind the age old debate between free will and determinism. Do we exercise free will, choice and deliberation in our world or is everything already predetermined and decided? I think Marilyn has answered that nicely for us in her book. There are cycles and they keep coming back so that we are presented with the same lessons until we get it right. When we succeed, we can advance to the next level as occurs in every school and every learning curve.
Come to think of it, it was another groundbreaking American creation, Forrest Gump, which resolved the free will versus determinism debate for me. At the beginning of the film, Forrest looked up to see a feather blowing in the wind. That feather symbolized free will. But it chose Forrest and landed on his shoe. Forrest picked it up and put it in his dairy. Later, at the end of the film, he referred to that feather floating on the wind in a touching graveside eulogy to Jenny, in which he said, "I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time." So Forrest the holy fool, the simple sage, solved the paradox that has puzzled philosophers for centuries. In fact, he lived well and wisely despite his limitations. He was born with free will like everyone else, but because in his uncomplicated decision-making process, he always chose rightly, he was granted a destiny. He may not have been terribly bright, but as he says, "Stupid is as stupid does." Truer words were never spoken. Let's never forget the wisdom of those who have learned life's simplest lessons and who have come to them through no higher education or higher degrees. Let us remember that this Founding Mother of the new nation now being born as America completes its 232-year cycle has no formal university training. What can I say except "clever is as clever does".

A Book for Our Time
I'ts n ot often I read a book like this, but I got completely swept up in the narrative. I totally recommend this book.Very easy to read.I got it pretty quickly about what are sky maps, birth charts etc, and what happened with Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy, and raced ahead to the ending.What will happen with Obama?What a surprise.Marilyn gives signposts, percise dates and describes patterns that can have huge influence on events.There are several important dates that we must watch.We have free will-as a nation we are free to choose outcomes if only we are sure to vote. She even describes Saturn, Neptune and Pluto influences as far out as 2023.That's amazing.

Very Credible
I'm very involved in politics and as an Obama voter and fan I was most interested to see if this book trashed my guy or not. No it doesn't, but it's no fan club either. The author does go off on a few rants about the system, like education, healthcare, social security etc. It's obvious however that she has studied Obama very closely, not just his astrology and his inauguration chart. VP Biden too, I was pleased to see. Stuff there I did not know about their relationship within the team. She's very on top of current events and political issues. In my opinion, she presents an articulate and honest portrayal of the situation, outlines the issues and challenges. She highlights hotspots that Obama still has to face by describing astrological patterns that sync with his chart - or him with them... whatever. She admits that it won't be a cake-walk, but I did close the book feeling pretty relieved about this country. Didn't have to grapple with too much actual astrology, but it's the total underlying theme in her research. Very credible. ... Read more

Product Description
Whereas it appears that a state of war exists between Austria, Prussia, Sardinia, Great Britain, and the United Netherlands, of the one part, and France on the other; and the duty and interest of the United States require, that they should with sincerity and good faith adopt and pursue a conduct friendly and impartial toward the belligerant Powers; I have therefore thought fit by these presents to declare the disposition of the United States to observe the conduct aforesaid towards those Powers respectfully; and to exhort and warn the citizens of the United States carefully to avoid all acts and proceedings whatsoever, which may in any manner tend to contravene such disposition. And I do hereby also make known, that whatsoever of the citizens of the United States shall render himself liable to punishment or forfeiture under the law of nations, by committing, aiding, or abetting hostilities against any of the said Powers, or by carrying to any of them those articles which are deemed contraband by the modern usage of nations, will not receive the protection of the United States, against such punishment or forfeiture; and further, that I have given instructions to those officers, to whom it belongs, to cause prosecutions to be instituted against all persons, who shall, within the cognizance of the courts of the United States, violate the law of nations, with respect to the Powers at war, or any of them. In testimony whereof, I have caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed to these presents, and signed the same with my hand. Done at the city of Philadelphia, the twenty-second day of April, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the seventeenth.

Download The Proclamation Of Neutrality Now ... Read more

Product Description
CONTENTS.MEMOIR OF THE AUTHORTHE NEGRO SALEGOING TO THE SOUTHTHE NEGRO CHASETHE QUADROON'S HOMETHE SLAVE MASTERTHE RELIGIOUS TEACHERTHE POOR WHITES, SOUTHTHE SEPARATIONTHE MAN OP HONOURTHE YOUNG CHRISTIANTHE PARSON POETA NIGHT IN THE PARSON'S KITCHENA SLAVE HUNTA FREE WOMAN REDUCED TO SLAVERYTO-DAY A MISTRESS, TO-MORROW A SLAVEDEATH OF THE PARSONRETALIATIONTHE LIBERATORESCAPE OF CLOTELA TRUE DEMOCRATTHE CHRISTIAN'S DEATHA RIDE IN A STAGE COACHTRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTIONDEATH IS FREEDOMTHE ESCAPETHE MYSTERYTHE HAPPY MEETINGCONCLUSION ... Read more

Product Description
Goodbye, D.C.! Hello, Monticello!

While painting a closet in the White House, KC discovers an old box full of handmade toy horses that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson. KC and Marshall go to Monticello, Jefferson’s home, to return the horses, but just after they get there, the box with the horses inside disappears! They have to explore historic Monticello, with its dank wine cellar, tiny dumbwaiter elevator, and spooky family cemetery to track down the thief before the horses are gone for good!


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book in a great series.
Got it for my son who devours these books. Same excellent quality as all the other books in the series.

thanks
This book will be a gift for a grandson for Christmas next week.His dad says he will enjoy it! ... Read more

Product Description
First published in December 1853, Clotel was written amid then unconfirmed rumors that Thomas Jefferson had fathered children with one of his slaves. The story begins with the auction of his mistress, here called Currer, and their two daughters, Clotel and Althesa. The Virginian who buys Clotel falls in love with her, gets her pregnant, seems to promise marriage-then sells her. Escaping from the slave dealer, Clotel returns to Virginia disguised as a white man in order to rescue her daughter, Mary, a slave in her father-s house. A fast-paced and harrowing tale of slavery and freedom, of the hypocrisies of a nation founded on democratic principles, Clotel is more than a sensationalist novel. It is a founding text of the African American novelistic tradition, a brilliantly composed and richly detailed exploration of human relations in a new world in which race is a cultural construct. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Worst "Classic" in American Literature
"Clotel" is a wretched novel. It is read only because it was the first novel published by an African-American; it is historically & sociologically important, but its aesthetic worth is zero. William Wells Brown was not competent at any aspect of the novelist's craft, and several of the chapters of "Clotel" are plagiarised verbatim from a work by Lydia Maria Child. In her introduction, the editor of the Penguin edition actually tries to defend the novel's artistry by saying that the distress the reader experiences in trying to make sense of the book is akin to the distress experienced by human beings who are enslaved! Someday this work will fall back into the infinite obscurity it so richly deserves. Until then, we should at least be honest about the utter worthlessness of the book and stop calling it a "classic."

Great Novel
This is an excellent novel and one that would sure to have your mind pondering about the basis of the book ..."Or the Presidents Daughter" a must read to everyone... Truth is crucial.

Essential Reading
This book is essential reading for any student of African American literature. The birth of real African American literary tradition dates from 1863 when Wm. Wells Brown wrote "Clotel," the story of the hardships of a mulatto family. The book is available free in e-text form from Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2046 ... Read more

Product Description
A complete selection of writings from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison focusing specifically on their very forward thinking beliefs in the separation of church and state. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Handpicked for support of a secular-socialist agenda by a radical Marxist
Reviewing the editorial commentary by Brenner in this work, and delving into the supplied material, it is quite clear that the editor/commentator is pushing an agenda that would be anathema to the delegates in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, including Mr. Madison.Jefferson's references to the "wall of separation" are generally taken out of centext and Brenner's use is no exception.Brenner inadvertantly admits his cherry picking of the writings of the 3rd and 4th presidents in his introduction, thus affirming the biased nature of this work which is a blatant attempt at further undermining the founders, faith in divine providence, and the Constitution.

High School Teachers, Assign it to Your Classes!
Both Jefferson and Madison were most probably Deists, most certainly hostile to "organized religion" including Christianity. It's rather amazing how our universal public education and our omnipresent "educational" media have left so many of us so much less capable of reasoned scepticism than our scarcely-educated founding fathers.

A renewed look at the thoughts and comments
Jefferson And Madison On Separation Of Church And State: Writings On Religion And Secularism is painstakingly compiled and professionally edited by historian, journalist, lecturer and freethinker Lenni Brenner. In today's political climate of red states and blue states, neo-cons and the religious right, "family values" and federally funded "faith-based" initiative, prayer in public schools and moves to constitutionally deny gay marriage, a renewed look at the thoughts and comments by two of our most influential founding fathers on the subject of religion and the state is both timely and needed. The selections comprising this highly recommended reference for politicians, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with a stake in the separation of church and state, draw from correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and other notable figures of early American history including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Law, John Jay, Tom Paine, William Bradford, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Of special note are two appendices in which the timelines of Jefferson and Madison's lives are presented, and a "Scholar's Afterword" which traces the history of religion in American politics from the Civil War to the present day. Urgently recommended reading!
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Product Description

"I have often wondered for what good end the sensations of Grief could be intended."

-- Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson's Demons is an elegantly composed account of the strangeness and originality of one Founder's genius. Michael Knox Beran uncovers the maps Jefferson used to find his way out of dejection and to forge a new democratic culture for America. Here is a Jefferson who, with all his failings, remains one of his country's greatest teachers and prophets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A Well Tempered, Richly Written Book About Jefferson'sInner Genius
This book amply draws out Jefferson's intuitive, creative nature in a personal manner through substantial direct sources via his letters and other writings. Michael Beran reveals the insights and inclinations of Jefferson,the human being, the poet, the architect of creative thought, the classic lover and procurer of that which Greco-Roman genius bestowed upon those such as he who could appreciate and make his own through a personal will to the art of living. The author's mellifuous,allusive, and informative prose provides the initial portal of thoughtful reflection into the mind and inner character of this founding father.
Jefferson's mind, senses,sentiments and aesthetics are capably explored through his own words and those interpretative insights from the book's author into a rich tapestry of delights concerning the Virginian's 1787 excursion to southern France and northern Italy. The apt depictions of the land and sense of ancient culture characteristic of the climes of Provence, Nimes, Aix,Nice, Marseilles, to the plains of the Po and Turin transport the reader to vineyards, valleys of lavender, Roman ruins, sea salted harbors of the Mediterranean Riviera and vined bowers of quaint small villages. The imaginative and detailed prose by Jefferson through Beran is worth purchasing the book in and of itself.
Jefferson's muses (or daemons) are constantly alive in the arts and philosophies that Beran so deftly reveals to the reader. The addition of copious notes and an extensive incidental bibliography that attend to original sources make this book even more valuable.

Not the demons you might expect
Inspired by JFK's remark at a dinner in the White House with several Nobel Laureates" there has not been such a gathering of intellect since Jefferson dined alone", I wanted to find more about this polymath.Unfortunately, it seems I chose the wrong book.The implication in the title and on the back cover is that Jefferson was haunted by the 'Black Dog' as Winston Churchill called it.The author does not effectively use this to explain the periods of creativity, such as the Declaration of Independance, or his less memorable moments such as Secretary of State under Washington or even as President (the Louisiana Purchase excepted).
Jefferson emerges first as a dilettante and then as an ineffective President, who kept his genius and Whig ideals to himself and let the Federalist's run the show.A lot of time is spent on describing Jefferson's ramblings in France, absorbing the atmosphere and architecture.It is only at this point in the book that these are revealed to be Jefferson's demons.Muses might be a better word, but this would not provide such a catchy sub-title.These demons were put to good later at Monticello and the University of Virginia, but would provide no lasting impact on the new nation as a whole.
This book is more of a tribute to Michael Beran's erudition than an insight into Jefferson's personality and I will search elsewhere for a better understanding of the true genius, if such it was.
To ameliorate my remarks, I should admit that I am English and so do not have the same reverence for the 'Founding Brothers' as one born in the USA.

New insights into Jefferson
I would highly recommend this book.Beran makes the read a fun one.

Another unreadable book and another putdown
It is perhaps hard to be sure this book is a putdown.For some, finding that Jefferson wasn't always rational and calm may make him more human and therefore more appealing, but for me it is a downer.He seems to have had a miseable inner life.Thank God that he was able nonetheless to do a lot of good.The book helps to explain many of Jefferson's wrongheaded views:about Hamilton, about the radicals in the French Revolution, etc.

The author is talented but he quotes so extensively from Jefferson's own feelings, which in themselves are so unreadable, that the book necessarily becomes unreadable.

This may indeed be a useful contribution to our knowledge but I could have done without it.

Jefferson's Psyche
Demon - n. Greek Mythology 2. An attendant spirit; a genius.

This book investigates the classical influences on Jefferson and follows them through to his motivations in Government and his personal life. The "demons" are the classical inspirations for Jefferson.This is a great book which delves deeper into a person's psyche than any other biography I've read.The language is exquisite (nearly over-the-top), but in the end it is a highly rewarding investigation into one of our founding fathers. ... Read more