American Sphinx

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Ellis reveals a brilliant but complicated individual - Rated
Joseph Ellis is without a doubt one of the most qualified historians in this nation to study Thomas Jefferson the individual. To this end, "American Sphinx; The Character of Thomas Jefferson," is a brilliant examination of a complicated individual. Quite frankly, this is not a historical narrative...it is an upclose look at the many contradictions in the Thomas Jefferson personality.

Readers who are looking for a full accounting of Thomas Jefferson's role in American history should look elsewhere. This book unmasks Jefferson. Ellis's chief quarry is Jefferson's character. On that note the author documents the behavior of a great visionary and that of "a devious manipulator who played cowardly games with the truth." More importantly Ellis honestly concludes that Jefferson "probably came to believe his own lies...he was not accustomed to having his word questioned and his excuses exposed, not even by himself."

Jefferson's paradoxical stance on slavery gets glaring attention. Ellis reports a stunning Jefferson metamorphosis, "His most unattractive feature...his deep convictions that blacks were inherently inferior and could never live alongside whites in peace and harmony." This imperfection stains Jefferson's greatest achievements...the skilled draft of the Declaration of Independence and the timely Louisiana Purchase. Still and all, Jefferson developed a keen sense of himself as a Founding Father with a prominent place in history books. He left behind many of his edited letters and papers for history to judge. He obviously hoped he could influence how history remembered him but he probably never imagined that people like Ellis (and select others) would dig this deep. Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz

Terrific Political Synopsis of Jefferson - Rated
I loved this book, which read like a a novel. Ellis found negatives in Jefferson where deserved, and there was the constant comparison (in my mind) throughout the book where Jefferson would be in today's American political structure. I agree with a reviewer who said Jefferson would be appalled by today's politics of the Democratic and Republican parties, and would propably be Libertarian. But then again, Jefferson seemed to be so pragmatic (was the Louisiana Purchase constitutional and/or did Jefferson just want the land for American expansion?), that he could be in either major party (Republican for his strong anti-government views or Democratic for his no prayers in school views). Clearly, though, he would not be a television President, and, thus not electable today. That he was a brilliant writer is indisputable and being the first anti-Federalist President carrying the banner for less government and more individual soverignty makes him a stand-out in that era of brilliant Founding Fathers. Ellis points out that his political philosophy cerainly was inconsistent, and that Jefferson's personality did not lead him to "enjoy" conflict as much as John Adams,leading to the inescapable conclusion that Jefferson was a political philosopher laying the foundation for one major segment of American political thought for the next two centuries. The book did not clarify Jefferson's mental character enough. More about his family background, how he reacted personally to his wife's and daughter's deaths would haave been helpful for this analysis. Why he apparantly lacked "fire in the belly" to take on the issue of slavery when he was President, of which he disapproved but certainly condoned. There was also no mention of the events of the American Revolution, which I find to be the only major failing of the book, as it would have put the protagonists more in the context of that era, and, I believe, made Jefferson stand out more that he already does.

The Inscrutable and Timeless Sphynx of America - Rated
No one has impressed his personality into the American social consciousness and the reality of its political system as much as Thomas Jefferson. Ellis' psychological and character study portrays the complexities and contradictions of this enigmatic figure. He tackles the subject with level headed curiosity and objectivity, rather than the polemics or propaganda which often accompanies breathless tributes to American political icons. An individual capable of the most reasoned idealism and imagination exemplified in the Declaration of Independence, a romantic in his belief in the fundamental goodness of the human condition and its corruption by the exercise of government-- he was also capable irrational suspicion and bitter antipathy to those who differed with him. His trust in individual human nature and distrust of institutions and social organization was representative of the purest manifestation of the Enlightenment in American political thinking during this formative period. So also did he represent the pragmatism & disingenuousness of the slave owning, aristocratic Virginia planters class, to which he was born, and which was so profoundly conflicted with the egalitarian idealism of the new republic. All are admirably explored in this book, which should be read by those interested in the interplay between the subjective character and the political architecture wrought by one of world's great political minds.

Very well written account of a complex and interesting man. - Rated
Excellent book about a very real and three-dimensional man. "Historians", ie. earlier commentators, may scoff and say that nothing new was revealed or that they already knew all that was written here, but that says nothing about how good this particular book was. Mr. Ellis tells a wonderful story here and reveals to the rest of us "commoners" the human being behind the historical figure.

A Interesting Report - Rated
Thomas Jefferson is a personal hero. So is one of his most distinguished detractors, Theodore Roosevelt. Though their respective views on government and politics are at odds, I can hold both views in my head and heart and feel no need to resolve the dissonance. I do not require my heroes to be perfect (and certainly neither of them were). That Jefferson had flaws and weaknesses, as do all the readers of these reviews, in no way diminishes the tremendous influence he still enjoys in American politics and culture. That the entire political spectrum wishes to claim him as one of their wellsprings shows the power of his ideas and visions.

I put down the book with the feeling that the author is disturbed by this influence, and cannot resolve the apparent conflict that Ronald Reagan and Franklin Roosevelt both claim Jefferson as their political progenitor. The author seems to say, "I cannot abide the contradictions and faults of the man, therefore, the reader should dismiss his [Jefferson's] efforts. And I truly hope we are NOT able to persuade him to run for national office!"

I agree with other readers that the first part of the book was more entertaining and balanced. But, the author's fear of his subject's legacy overtook the second part of the work, often leaving me questioning the author's purpose.

Also, I would suggest that the subtitle be modified to "The POLITICAL Character..." as the author chose to all but ignore Jefferson's complete character.

After having read Dumas Malone's masterful and idolizing work, I mostly enjoyed this report of a fascinating human. I do recommend the report, but certainly not as a first nor definitive treatment.