Tag Archives: American Sphinx

Recommended: Biographies

For starters: My recommended Fiction books My recommended Non-Fiction books BIOGRAPHIES: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, by Joseph Ellis I’ve written a lot about Joseph Ellis’ work here. While I love David McCullough’s work so much, Ellis is … Continue reading

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The Books: “American Sphinx : The Character of Thomas Jefferson” (Joseph Ellis)

Next Daily Excerpt: Next book in my American history section is American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph (“Yeah. I was in ‘Nam. DOH.”) Ellis. My favorite of all of his contemplative biographies – he really just hits … Continue reading

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Presidents: “the Jeffersonian utopia”

From Joseph Ellis’ book on Thomas Jefferson: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson: The vision he projected in the natural rights section of the Declaration, then, represented yet another formulation of the Jeffersonian imagination. The specific form of the … Continue reading

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2005 Books Read

Here is the complete list of books I read in 2005. Underworld: A Novel, by Don DeLillo – which I had started in the fall of 2004- before I went to Ireland – and it took me FOREVER to finish … Continue reading

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Declaration – “within the Jeffersonian utopia such choices do not need to be made”

More from Joseph Ellis’ book on Thomas Jefferson: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. Again, here is the text of the Declaration to use for reference. The vision he projected in the natural rights section of the Declaration, then, … Continue reading

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Declaration – “it does not explain Jefferson’s much-debated deletion of ‘property’ “

More from Joseph Ellis’ book on Thomas Jefferson: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. Again, here is the text of the Declaration to use for reference. The most famous section of the Declaration, which has become the most quoted … Continue reading

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Declaration – “An elegant, if decidedly one-sided, version of recent Anglo-American history”

From Joseph Ellis’ book on Thomas Jefferson: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. Again, here is the text of the Declaration to use for reference. (You know. If you’re a big huge geek like me, then you love to … Continue reading

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Declaration – “On July 4 the Congress approved its revised version”

From Joseph Ellis’ book on Thomas Jefferson: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in a matter of a few days — Adams later remembered it took him only “a day or two” — … Continue reading

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Declaration – “Jefferson guards the American Creed at this inspirational level”

Excerpt from Joseph Ellis’ marvelous Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation: Before editorial changes were made by the Continental Congress, Jefferson’s early draft made it even clearer that his intention was to express a spiritual vision: ‘ We hold these truths … Continue reading

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Jefferson’s Inaugural

I’m careening through Joseph Ellis’ American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson – (alongside my re-reading of East of Eden). Ellis’ book is not really a traditional biography. He breaks up the chapters into separate and distinct time-spans in Thomas … Continue reading

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