The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind (Inscribed First Edition, First Printing)

O'Shaughnessy, Andrew J.

ISBN 10: 0813946484 / ISBN 13: 9780813946481

Published by University of Virginia Press, 2021

About this Item

Inscribed First Edition, First Printing of this detailed history of Thomas Jefferson and the creation of the University of Virginia. Inscribed by Andrew O'Shaughnessy to a previous owner on the title page. 318 pages, illustrated. Has a light crease on the spine of the dust jacket, otherwise minimal sign of previous use.

Seller Inventory # 016246

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind (Inscribed First Edition, First Printing)
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813946484
• ISBN 13: 9780813946481
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Already renowned as a statesman, Thomas Jefferson in his retirement from government turned his attention to the founding of an institution of higher learning. Never merely a patron, the former president oversaw every aspect of the creation of what would become the University of Virginia. Along with the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, he regarded it as one of the three greatest achievements in his life. Nonetheless, historians often treat this period as an epilogue to Jefferson’s career.

In The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind, Andrew O’Shaughnessy offers a twin biography of Jefferson in retirement and of the University of Virginia in its earliest years. He reveals how Jefferson’s vision anticipated the modern university and profoundly influenced the development of American higher education. The University of Virginia was the most visible apex of what was a much broader educational vision that distinguishes Jefferson as one of the earliest advocates of a public education system.

Just as Jefferson’s proclamation that "all men are created equal" was tainted by the ongoing institution of slavery, however, so was his university. O’Shaughnessy addresses this tragic conflict in Jefferson’s conception of the university and society, showing how Jefferson’s loftier aspirations for the university were not fully realized. Nevertheless, his remarkable vision in founding the university remains vital to any consideration of the role of education in the success of the democratic experiment.

About the Author

Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy is Vice President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello and Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. His previous books include An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean and The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire, winner of the George Washington Book Prize.