I thought you seemed a bit like the quidnunc type!
Jefferson had so many faults its hard to single out only a few. As Governor of Virginia during the Revolution, he cut and ran when the British threatened the Capital. He was a spendthrift throughout his life, and was always skating on the brink of financial disaster. That never stopped him from spending on the finer things in life.
Jefferson was hobnobbing with French Jacobins while the Constitution was being worked out, but he didn't like the Constitution much. He loved all things French and hated anything British. He was a supporter of the French Revolution and his remarks about The Terror are famous, though often misapplied. He loved good French wine, and a good book he could borrow from. He built a legend of being an innovative thinker and engineer, but almost all of his attempts were failed copies of others thoughts.
Jefferson paid scandal-mongers in the press to publicly attack Federalists in general, and John Adams in particular. Jefferson's campaign against Adams makes most modern campaigns look like kindergarten debates. Adams was a quirky guy, and it didn't take much to get under his thin, delicate hide. The Federalists enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts that required published criticism of the government be true. Adam's administration enforced the Act that was hugely unpopular and probably un-constitutional. Later as President, Jefferson vigorously prosecuted Federalist publications also under the Alien and Sedition Acts. Hypocrisy came as naturally to Jefferson as carefully crafting his own legend.
During the campaign for the Presidency, Jefferson went all out. He enlisted Aaron Burr, a Revolutionary hero from one of New York's leading family as his running mate. Burr could, and did, deliver the New York vote, and did surprisingly well in the Deep South. Jefferson was so confident he would be President that he neglected to instruct his agents not to vote for Burr. The result was a tie, leaving the Congress to decide. There Jefferson had the support of Hamilton who would do anything to hurt Adams and his old rival, Burr. The Federalists offered to swing their votes to Burr if he would make a few concessions, but Burr refused to make any public effort for the Presidency. Jefferson asked Burr to step aside, but Burr replied that he would leave the choice to Congress. For this, Jefferson held a life long bitter anger against Burr. It is doubtful that Burr did anything illegal by his intention to settle a colony on some disputed land along the Southeast frontier of the country. That didn't stop Jefferson from issuing a warrant and trying Burr for treason after parading him through the South in a cage. The trial was held in Virginia and was presided over by the Federalist, John Marshall. Burr was found not guilty, but his life was ruined and he left for a long exile in Europe.
Jefferson is said to have been a delightful host and conversationalist in public, but his private life was always in turmoil. He was high-handed and intolerant.
Now. Please take a guess at my opinion of that rascal from Monticello.
BTW, you might be interested in looking into the life and career of General James Wilkerson. Wilkerson was Gates' aid at Freeman's Farm near Saratoga when General Arnold was wounded winning the battle. He was part of the cabal against Washington, and accused of fiddling the mess accounts. He became the military governor of Louisiana where he was a paid spy for both the Spanish and the French while commanding U.S. forces. He is thought have been instrumental in a number of murders, and may have been behind the "suicide" of Meriwether Lewis. Wilkerson was a friend of Jefferson, and was the informant that Burr intended treason. Actually, Wilkerson was a partner in the adventure. Wilkerson eventually died a peaceful death in Mexico City after writing his memoirs.
Also, if you come across that Freeman bio of Washington at a reasonable price I want it. Biographies of Washington have never done very well, but Freeman was such an exceptional scholar that his set is very desirable, especially since there aren't many copies available.
I knew that Asherman shared an opinion of Jefferson such as mine, but i refrained from mentioning him, as i thought i should leave it to him to make any comments he might wish to make. I'm glad he showed up, though.
Did Freeman write another biography of Washington aside from the seven volume one?
No. It was published posthumously, and his two assistants finished the seventh volume. The excellent Carnegie Library in Columbus, Ohio had a copy, so i was able to read it for the second time several years ago, the first time in 30 years that i had seen a copy. I suggest that you attempt to get it on library loan, it is without peer.
The Flexner is available in a single volume abridged version, edited by Thomas Flexner, and is entitled: George Washington: The Indispensible Man.
I only know of the seven vol. set. Freeman is better known for his "R.E. Lee" and "Lee's Lieutenants". Both essential on the bookshelf of anyone caught up in the "black hole" of the American Civil War.
The library here has both the complete Freeman set and the Flexner set. Nobody probably knows that they're here. The entire Revolutionary war set of books is in the very back corner of the fourth floor of the library. It's probably the spot on campus I spend the most time. It also has John Adams' complete diary which I have read twice.
Setanta wrote:Adams considered, as did many of his contemporaries, that their novel experiment (there had truly never been such a government launched in history) would need to survive for a long time in order to be successful. Although he may have known that Jefferson was a hack, with little real political sense, he also undoubtedly understood that Jefferson represented an important segment of the nation (Virginia was the most populous state at the time fo the revolution), and that his leadership was as important to the health of the new nation as was anyone else's. His pragmatic attitude would have lead him to seek reconciliation with Jefferson in almost all cases for the sake of the survival of the United States.
Wait! Are you saying that their famous friendship was a sham? It almost seems like it. What you wrote makes a lot of sense and seems to fit into what I know of John Adams character. Boy, what you don't learn in grade school history class!
Adam's didn't attend Jefferson's inaugeration, but slipped out of town the night before to avoid having to meet with Jefferson. Adams was famous for being jealous of his position in history. After being slandered in the press by Jefferson, Adams would probably have strangled Thomas with glee.
That wasn't always true. Adams and others recognized Jefferson's nice turn of phrase, and his attractive personal persona. They were very different sorts of people. Adams was short, pudge, older and had Yankee values including a strong Christian faith. Jefferson was strikingly tall, handsome, a product of Virginia Gentry and pursued his own religious course. During the eight years of war, the two were political allies dedicated to winning Independence. I don't think they were ever close, but they were comrades so long as it took to win the war.
The country was foundering under the Articles of Confederation, and it was clear that if nothing were done the experiment in self-rule would fail. Washington, Adams, and Hamilton were here and recognized the need for change. They crafted our Constitution as a series of compromises, and rigged the game to make it difficult for any one person or group to seize power. They were practical men, and they designed a government that they believed would work to put things right. Jefferson was in Paris dinning with the Revolutionaries who unleashed the Terror. When Jefferson returned, he found a Federal Constitution in place and he didn't like it one bit. He was suspicious of centralized government with the ability to effectively manage a large nation. Jefferson hated the idea of a Federal Government that could control much of the business of the State. The Federalists were friendly to the British and had Monarchist leanings. Federalists had built a strong navy, and were working to build a standing professional army. That went against everything the Democrat Jefferson belived in. He felt he had to fight, and he did so with success. In the process, Jefferson certainly alienated Washington, Adams and Hamilton.
Time passed and as men grow older they begin to reflect on their careers, their accomplishments and place in history. After time had dulled the edges of animosity between Adams and Jefferson, a renewal of some sort of relationship isn't too surprising. After all, they shared one of the most important times in history and lived to see how much more complicated governing is once you have to do it every day. They never met, but both were great letter writers and so they wrote. There was a new generation running the nation, and as the Founders died off they increasingly found it easy to "talk" with one another. They were politicians, and they knew when to bury the hatchet. Both Adams and Jefferson were men of great talent and passion. Both had towering egos. They both hungered for immortality and both had shortcomings that they would have preferred never be known.