Thomas Jefferson

Suggestions for Further Reading

Textual Sources

Adams, Henry. History of the United States of America During the Administration of Thomas Jefferson. New York: Library of America, 1986. This classic work remains the authority on Jeffersons presidency.

Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Enl. ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992. A hallmark text concerning the philosophical persuasions of the nations founding fathers.

Bishop, Arthur, ed. Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826. Dobbs Ferry: Oceana Publications, 1971. A comprehensive timeline of the life and works of Thomas Jefferson.

Bowers, Claude G. The Young Jefferson, 1743-1789. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1945. Though somewhat dated, this is the most concentrated treatment of Jeffersons youth and political ascendancy.

Brodie, Fawn. Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1974. This controversial work was the first scholarship to assert the validity of the long-rumored relationship between Jefferson and Sally Hemings.

Ellis, Joseph J. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. This much-celebrated examination of Jeffersons persona won the National Book Award.

Gordon-Reed, Annette. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1997. The best and most dispassionate examination of the Jefferson-Hemings affair.

Lewis, Jan and Peter S. Onuf, Jane E. Lewis, eds. Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory and Civic Culture. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1999. An anthology of recent essays on the Jefferson-Hemings affair.

Peterson, Merrill D., ed. Thomas Jefferson: Writings. New York: Library of America, 1984. The major aspects of Jeffersons authorship and correspondence are presented in this handsome volume.

Randall, Willard Sterne. Thomas Jefferson: A Life. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1993. Thorough in aspects, thoroughly lacking in others, this one-volume biography is a valuable general reference.

Severance, John B. Thomas Jefferson: Architect of Democracy. New York: Clarion Books, 1998. This well-written study retains a degree of sophistication despite being aimed at the school-age reader.

Internet Sources

http://www.monticello.org The official website of the national heritage landmark. Focuses on Jeffersons home and life, along with visitor information.

http://www.monticello.org/plantation/hemings_resource.html An excellent resource regarding the recent developments in the Jefferson-Hemings affair.

http://www.th-jefferson.org A site featuring commentary by Clay Jenkinson, an acclaimed Jefferson impersonator and scholar.