Jefferson and The Rights of Man: 1785-1792: Volume II

Malone, Dumas

ISBN 10: 0316544736 / ISBN 13: 9780316544733

Published by Little, Brown and Company, 1951

About this Item

The two great events of the decade treated in Jefferson and the Rights of Man were the outbreak of the French Revolution and the establishment of a new government in the United States. Jefferson reported home with "extraordinary fullness" on the early stages of the French Revolution. "Insofar as he exerted a direct personal influence," writes Dr. Malone, "he did so primarily on Lafayette and a few other kindred spirits. The record leaves no doubt that it was a moderating influence." Jefferson's relation with the new American government is the major theme of the latter half of this book. In this section Dr. Malone sheds a revealing light on the early differences between Jefferson and Hamilton. He writes: "The best answer to the charges of disloyalty to the Constitution and Washington that were afterward made by Hamilton and the latter's partisans is provided by Jefferson's own contemporary words and actions. If we may use modern terms in this connection, he regarded the Hamiltonian system as tending towards totalitarianism." "With the possible exception of Washington," the author concludes, "he was the most sensitive of the major public men of his era, and he was far more disposed to battle for principles and policies than for his own interests. Perhaps that is the real secret of his eventual political success, as it assuredly is of his enduring fame. He was a true and pure symbol of the rights of man because, in his own mind, the cause was greater than himself.'.

Seller Inventory # 000946

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Jefferson and The Rights of Man: 1785-1792: Volume II
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Publication Date: 1951
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316544736
• ISBN 13: 9780316544733
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: xtraordinary fullness" on the stages of the French Revolution, "Insofar as he exerted a direct personal influence," writes Dr. Malone, "he did so primarily on Lafayette and a few other kindred spirits. The record leaves no doubt that is was a moderating
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

About this title

Synopsis

The second volume in this Pulitzer Prize-winning biography tells the story of the eventful middle years in the life of Thomas Jefferson: his ministry to France in the years just before the French Revolution and during the early stages of that conflict; his service as secretary of state in President George Washington's first cabinet; the crucial period of his first differences with Alexander Hamilton and the beginnings of his long struggle with the Federalists. .

About the Author

Dumas Malone (1892-1986) taught history at American universities such as Yale and Columbia and served for seven years as director of the Harvard University Press before becoming the biographer-in-residence at the University of Virginia. His work as historian and biographer has earned him several honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, the Thomas Jefferson Award, the John F. Kennedy Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.