Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography. By Merrill D. Peterson. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970. 1072 pp.

 In his work, Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation, Merrill Peterson provides a detailed narrative on the life of Thomas Jefferson.  Peterson frames Jefferson’s life in the context of the events taking place in the formation of the United States as a new nation.  He emphasizes Jefferson’s place and participation in the founding of the first revolutionary new nation (vii).  Peterson interprets the life of Jefferson in light of three main motifs, democracy, nationality, and enlightenment (viii).  Throughout his life, Jefferson embodied the nation’s hope for freedom and enlightenment, while exhibiting a keen sense of nationalism and unification. 

Though Peterson claims his personality remains elusive, it was with that impenetrable personality and mind that Jefferson conducted his handling of diplomatic and foreign affairs. As a product of enlightened thought, Jefferson believed in free inquiry in the pursuit of knowledge, an inclination for the discovery of the natural order, and use of the agent of reason (47). Because of these foundations, Jefferson advocated a faith in, “what free men could do for themselves, not in what the government could do for them” (663).  He promoted the ideas of freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and the separation of church and state.  For Jefferson, education existed as the basis of republic. During his final retirement, he founded the University of Virginia, which he described as his, “holy cause” (962). 

Peterson not only chronicles Jefferson’s life from his beginnings as a revolutionary to governor of Virginia, minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President, and twice-elected President but details his life between statesmanship as well.  Peterson portrays Jefferson’s deep care for his wife, Martha, daughters, and home, Monticello.  He disliked ceremony. Jefferson held an open-mind to new inventions and ideas.  During his travels, he took time to study new inventions, such as the pedometer and polygraph, often in a hands-on approach.  Despite his open-mindedness, Jefferson represented American nationalism.  In a sense, Peterson explains that Jefferson’s European travels while minister to France made him, “profoundly more American” (387). 

While criticism might arise that the work often takes a pro-Jefferson stance, Peterson recognizes this possible shortcoming by stating that, “a student of Jefferson cannot be truly detached and disinterested” (vii).  Peterson claims he instead attempted to maintain a, ‘disciplined subjectivity,’ at which he seems rather successful.  Although he ventures to explain the Jefferson’s reasoning behind certain shortcomings or perceived failures, Peterson acknowledges the lack of success of certain Jeffersonian ideas and policies, such as the Embargo Act (882).  Peterson identifies the failure of the Embargo Act as Jefferson’s error in neglecting to inform the public of the objective of the embargo (884). Despite Jefferson’s justifications for the act, Peterson claims Jefferson never fully realized the faults of this embargo policy (918).

Often the question arises as to how a man who embodied the ideas of enlightenment and democracy concurrently possessed African slaves. Peterson attempts to portray Jefferson as a beneficent master.  In a sense, Peterson’s depicts almost a paternalistic care of Jefferson over his slaves.  Peterson posits that Jefferson might have freed all his slaves, but this action would have been, in his eyes, an act of heartless cruelty (534).  Jefferson maintained this belief in the negative results for the slaves themselves, although he seemingly wanted to grant them freedom.  In a sense, he illustrated the paternal justification of slaveholding.  Jefferson opposed the institution, but in a sense, he thought it better for both parties involved at the time (997).  

During his lifetime, Jefferson held positions as governor of Virginia, minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President, and twice President. In between these, he studied law, philosophy, history, science, the classics, agriculture, and architecture, as well as being a farmer and nail-maker. Jefferson wrote prolifically, and he left a vast body of personal and public documents. It is small wonder that Peterson’s biography of Jefferson took over 1,000 pages coupled with 36 pages of selective biography. In an attempt to address the work to readers rather than scholars, Peterson omitted footnotes and other forms of notation.   

Joi-lee Beachler

 One can hardly proclaim a lack of scholarship on the life, philosophy, and ideas of Thomas Jefferson.  Merrill Peterson’s biography would seem, at first, just another contribution to the multiple interpretations available on Jefferson’s life and times.  Yet, a closer examination reveals the significance of Peterson’s work to Jeffersonian history.  Peterson leaves little out.  His work, over 1000 pages, traces Jefferson’s life from birth to death, recounting his education, his relationships, and his politics.  Seemingly, Peterson’s ultimate goal in undergoing such a massive and detailed effort is to frame the man, or to examine Jefferson and his actions and ideas in the context of his experiences.  In this sense, Peterson attempts, “a basic narrative of Jefferson’s life formed by [his] own understanding of its place, its problems, and its importance in the history of the United States as the first revolutionary new nation” (viii).  What results is a positive account of the Founding Father’s forays in helping to form the United States.
 
Peterson admirably couples Jeffersonian theory with historical fact in simple narrative.  For instance, in recounting the circumstances behind the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, Peterson suggests that chance had something to do with Jefferson’s authorship of the document.  According to the author, Richard Henry Lee, a fellow committee member (and Virginian) assigned the duty of helping to draft the declaration declined to write, leaving Jefferson as a candidate.  Chance aside, according to Peterson:  “fortune of circumstance played a part; but [Jefferson’s] genius alone converted a merely political and diplomatic document into a monument of human liberty” (88).  Peterson similarly intertwines fact and Jeffersonian politics when recounting Jefferson’s stay in Paris as Minister of France, detailing the Minister’s delight in French culture (340) while, concurrently, explaining Jefferson’s attempts to establish American trade with France, thus freeing former colonies economically from Great Britain (314).  In regards to Jefferson’s presidency, Peterson generally finds Jefferson’s policies and actions admirable, like the Louisiana Purchase, which the author suggests, “profoundly affected everything to come after” (789).
 
While Peterson does a good job in relating the details of Jefferson’s personal and political life, the author tends to be somewhat biased in his accounts.  Indeed, one of the shortcomings of Peterson’s work is the pro-Jefferson bent he assumes when relating ideas and policies.  For instance, when discussing Jefferson’s ownership of slaves, Peterson calls him “a kind and generous master” (534), suggesting Jefferson could have freed more of his slaves, “but the state of his affairs would not permit this indulgence” (535).  In a sense, Peterson glosses some of the apparent character flaws present in Jefferson, justifying the fallacies by coupling them with stronger aspects of Jefferson’s persona.  Such is the case as well with Peterson’s account of Jefferson’s alleged affair with Sally Hemings, one of Jefferson’s slaves, and the half-sister of Jefferson’s wife, Martha.  According to Peterson, “the evidence, highly circumstantial, is far from conclusive…and unless Jefferson was capable of slipping badly out of character in hidden moments at Monticello, it is difficult to imagine him caught up in a miscegenous relationship” (707).  In this sense, Peterson seems to assume a trait apparent in Jefferson’s character, basing part of his conclusions on his interpretation of how Jefferson would or would not behave—a problematic method that leaves the author open to criticism not only of lack of concrete knowledge (how can one truly know what a person would or would not do?) but of a biased interpretation of a supposed illicit affair.
 
Nonetheless, the easy manner in which Peterson presents his work makes his biography of Jefferson available to all readers (i.e., not just scholars).  Scholars might find problems with Peterson’s decision not to include footnotes, but for the most part, Peterson’s work provides a rather lengthy look into the life of one of the most famous men in United States history.  As such, Peterson’s book lends itself not only to Jeffersonian history, but to a focused account of the early political history of the United States.

Sara Crowley