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Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power | Jon Meacham
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review The Washington Post Entertainment Weekly The Seattle Times St. Louis Post-Dispatch Bloomberg Businessweek In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prizewinning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jeffersons genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power. Thomas Jefferson hated confrontation, and yet his understanding of power and of human nature enabled him to move men and to marshal ideas, to learn from his mistakes, and to prevail. Passionate about many thingswomen, his family, books, science, architecture, gardens, friends, Monticello, and ParisJefferson loved America most, and he strove over and over again, despite fierce opposition, to realize his vision: the creation, survival, and success of popular government in America. Jon Meacham lets us see Jeffersons world as Jefferson himself saw it, and to appreciate how Jefferson found the means to endure and win in the face of rife partisan division, economic uncertainty, and external threat. Drawing on archives in the United States, England, and France, as well as unpublished Jefferson presidential papers, Meacham presents Jefferson as the most successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps in all of American history. The father of the ideal of individual liberty, of the Louisiana Purchase, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and of the settling of the West, Jefferson recognized that the genius of humanityand the genius of the new nationlay in the possibility of progress, of discovering the undiscovered and seeking the unknown. From the writing of the Declaration of Independence to elegant dinners in Paris and in the Presidents House; from political maneuverings in the boardinghouses and legislative halls of Philadelphia and New York to the infant capital on the Potomac; from his complicated life at Monticello, his breathtaking house and plantation in Virginia, to the creation of the University of Virginia, Jefferson was central to the age. Here too is the personal Jefferson, a man of appetite, sensuality, and passion. The Jefferson story resonates today not least because he led his nation through ferocious partisanship and cultural warfare amid economic change and external threats, and also because he embodies an eternal drama, the struggle of the leadership of a nation to achieve greatness in a difficult and confounding world. Praise for Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power This is probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson ever written.Gordon S. Wood A big, grand, absorbing exploration of not just Jefferson and his role in history but also Jefferson the man, humanized as never before.Entertainment Weekly [Meacham] captures who Jefferson was, not just as a statesman but as a man. . . . By the end of the book . . . the reader is likely to feel as if he is losing a dear friend. . . . [An] absorbing tale.The Christian Science Monitor This terrific book allows us to see the political genius of Thomas Jefferson better than we have ever seen it before. In these endlessly fascinating pages, Jefferson emerges with such vitality that it seems as if he might still be alive today.Doris Kearns Goodwin From the Hardcover edition.
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review
Vivlio_Gnosi
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book really does a nice job of balancing summary and details about Jefferson and his time. Meacham tastefully keeps the pace moving while touching on important periods in Jefferson's life w/o getting bogged down in needless details.
This book does a good job of putting Jefferson in the context of his time and the impact he has on today.

#nonfiction #history #politics

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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10 practical rules for life.

#nonfiction #history

5 likes1 comment
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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Jefferson's view on war and the Constitution.

#nonfiction #history

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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A good lesson on hospitality and bridging relational divides.

#nonfiction #history #manners

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Jefferson's inaugural address

#nonfiction #history

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Vivlio_Gnosi
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"'Never throw off the best affections of nature in the moment when they become most precious to their object; nor fear to extend your hand to save another, lest you should sink yourself.' He believed in the virtues of civility, understanding that they were the most required when they were the least convenient."

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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3 men who heavily influenced Jefferson's life. Bacon, Newton, and Locke.

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Vivlio_Gnosi

"What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it‘s natural manure.... Jefferson acknowledged he was being hyperbolic. The want of facts worth communicating to you has occasioned me to give a little loose to dissertation. We must be contented to amuse when we cannot inform."
#nonfiction #history

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Vivlio_Gnosi

"Jefferson understood a timeless truth: that politics is kaleidoscopic, constantly shifting, and the morning‘s foe may well be the afternoon‘s friend."

#nonfiction #politics #history #America

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Vivlio_Gnosi

"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."

Jefferson's proposed motto for America.

#nonfiction #history #politics #America

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Vivlio_Gnosi

We definitely need to bring the word RAPINE back into the common vernacular.

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Vivlio_Gnosi

"Of all the cankers of human happiness, none corrodes it with so silent, yet so baneful, a tooth, as indolence."

#work #motivational

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Vivlio_Gnosi

"Our greatest leaders are neither dreamers nor dictators: They are, like Jefferson, those who articulate national aspirations yet master the mechanics of influence and know when to depart from dogma."

#politics #leadership

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behudd
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Continuing my annual presidential biography reading into year 3, I wasn‘t really looking forward to it.
A (known) slave owner & (presumed) rapist, Jefferson is a difficult person for me to respect. Meacham doesn‘t give Jefferson a free pass in either his politics or his personal life, but does try to humanize Jefferson throughout.
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behudd I learned things I didn‘t know (he was only 33 when wrote the Declaration!) and didn‘t get as much info on other things as I was hoping (namely, the Lewis & Clark expedition), but overall found this a comprehensive, interesting look at a complicated life. I wouldn‘t go so far as to say it made me a Jefferson fan, but it gave more perspective, & that‘s never a bad thing. 3y
behudd Plus the art of a well done biography is so impressive to me, I think they‘ll always get 4+ stars regardless of their subject matter 😂🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
18 likes2 comments
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ReaderSean
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Pickpick

Well written biography of Jefferson by Meacham. An analytical account that helps us understand a statesman who‘s been much criticised for his apparent contradictions. After reading John Adams, I‘m unsure of which man‘s presidency should be ranked higher. In 1796, America needed Adams and Federalism to keep the country together post Washington but in 1800, America needed Jefferson to make sure the promise of his Declaration was fulfilled.

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julieloverofbooks
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Thinking of starting a reading project and reading a biography/memoir of each president (or the biggies at least). Starting with Jefferson cause he was on hand 😊🤷‍♀️

8little_paws I've been doing this. That said i'm only 3 presidents in. I need to pick out a book for Madison. 5y
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howjessicareads
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I bought these earrings, which have Jefferson‘s quote, “I cannot live without books.”, at the Library of Congress last week! So naturally I had to take a selfie with a Jefferson biography as I stocked the U.S. Presidents section this morning! #behindthescenesatBookmans

RadicalReader @jesshowbooks what an awesome quote and to have them on earrings to enjoy them always 6y
LeahBergen Love them! 6y
82 likes2 comments
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DivineDiana
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@ValerieAndBooks I went to my local Barnes and Noble as you suggested and sure enough, I found the Jefferson quote tote!

coffeewithbooks I love those bags 7y
SharonGoforth I need one of those... 7y
CocoReads Just used the purple one at the grocery today... 7y
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ValerieAndBooks @DivineDiana yay! I'm glad you found the bags! Did you get just one 😉? 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage We love to see each other #buyingunderthelitfluence! 👏🏻👏🏻 7y
DivineDiana @abigal_mom Me too!😉 7y
DivineDiana @SharonGoforth They're only $1.99! 7y
DivineDiana @CocoReads 👍🏻👏🏻📚 7y
DivineDiana @ValerieAndBooks Yes, only the Jefferson one... this time! 😉 7y
DivineDiana @BarbaraTheBibliophage Great # ! Couldn't get that bag out of mind once @ValerieAndBooks posted it! 7y
SharonGoforth @DivineDiana Even better!!! 7y
DivineDiana @Captivatedbybooks Did you make it to Barnes and Noble? 7y
Captivatedbybooks Yes but they didnt have any at the one in the mall. Im going to go probably tomorrow to the one we met at on Walnut during lunch 7y
DivineDiana @Captivatedbybooks Happy shopping! 😉📚 7y
91 likes14 comments
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erinreads
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Visited Monticello today and I think Thomas Jefferson would totally be on Litsy if he was alive in today's world! Did you know he owned over 4000 books at one point, sold most to Congress in 1815, and then decided that it was stupid to not have any books and bought a shit ton of new books to fill his library at Monticello once again? Smart man.

Robothugs I didn't know that! That's pretty fascinating. 7y
ValerieAndBooks Ooh, Monticello! I hope to visit soon! 7y
Sydsavvy Wow that bookmark ❣️❣️❣️ 7y
kspenmoll Loved my family's visit there-learned so much! 📚😍He was a brilliant man- full of contradictions. Watercolor is beautiful. 7y
MeganAnn Gorgeous watercolor! I hope to visit Monticello one day too❤️ 7y
87 likes5 comments
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JoeStalksBeck
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Happy Birthday TJ!! ❤️❤️❤️

98 likes2 stack adds
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PurpleyPumpkin
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I've had this book for a while, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet! Story of my life. 😳#day20 #presidentialreads #feistyfeb

61 likes2 stack adds
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8little_paws
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#funfridayphoto time! Here's the shelves I have behind my couch. My home has an open floor plan so I set it up this way to create some division in the space. This is my cookbook collection and a bunch of my bf's books.

Suzze Nice! Is that pressure cooker cookbook good? My son just got one. 7y
8little_paws @suzze it's pretty new to me so I can't say yet! 7y
LeahBergen Looks great! 😍 7y
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britt_brooke Love it! 7y
MeganAnn Looks awesome! Love the book rack on the top! 😍 7y
8little_paws @MeganAnn that was an eBay find! 7y
MeganAnn @8little_paws fun! I'm telling my husband I want one for Valentine's Day 😉 7y
Jinjer Love the lamps & book rack! 7y
76 likes8 comments
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Qemorio
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My Mom got me this awesome bookmark for my birthday. Thanks Mom!

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Leelee08
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#bookshelfporn 📚❤️📚❤️📚❤️📚

BookThia Now THAT is how you do a cupboard under the stairs! ❤️️ 7y
Leelee08 @BookThia Exactly!!😍😍 7y
Libby1 ❤️❤️❤️ 7y
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KCorter We need this, @acorter! 7y
Coleen Sigh.... 📚❤️ 7y
DimeryRene Love that hashtag! 7y
moranadatter 😍😍😍 7y
thec0zy So much envy 😍 7y
jessdean 😍📚😍 7y
Eyelit 😍📚😍📚😍 7y
LauraBrook Pretty sure that's the only spot in the house that I'd ever use. 😉 7y
Zelma I love that so much! Though I have a feeling my cats would claim it and I'd have to boot them out to ever use it. 😆 7y
CoffeeBooksRepeat Love love love 😍😍😍 7y
KilgoreTrout That's BEAUTIFUL!! 7y
kspenmoll Why ever leave? 7y
116 likes1 stack add15 comments
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BooksForYears
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#SeptPhotoChallenge Day 24 - Great quote

From last year's #NatBookFest tote bag, Thomas Jefferson - "I cannot live without books." I agree! #somethingforsept

Hobbinol 💚💚💚green hearts for envy 8y
RealLifeReading Nice tote!! 8y
46 likes2 comments
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JoeStalksBeck
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2nd view of library

KimM This is awesome. I'm inspired! 8y
MrBook Incredible. Just absolutely magnificent 😎👌🏻👍🏻!!! 8y
Zelma I love everything about. Great space for playing a game or cards, plus a chair to put your feet up. ❤️ 8y
See All 9 Comments
JoeStalksBeck @KimM @MrBook @Zelma thanks!!! I'm exhausted but so pleased ! Wish I could share it with you! 8y
alisonrose I'm like...almost in tears at how awesome this is and how jealous I am! 8y
JoeStalksBeck @alisonrose awww❤️. You are too sweet. My husbands brother just said " you have way to many books". Blasphemy! 8y
LauraBrook 😍 8y
MrBook Blasphemy!!! To the stocks with him! 8y
alisonrose @Book_Addict NO SUCH THING!! 😆 8y
143 likes1 stack add9 comments
review
joanofarkansas1
Pickpick

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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JoeStalksBeck
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Getting back home

7 likes1 stack add