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"Most Blessed of the Patriarchs"
- Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination
- Narrated by: Karen Chilton
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
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Publisher's summary
A groundbreaking work of history that explicates Thomas Jefferson's vision of himself, the American Revolution, Christianity, slavery, and race.
Thomas Jefferson is still presented today as a hopelessly enigmatic figure despite being written about more than any other Founding Father. Lauded as the most articulate voice of American freedom even as he held people in bondage, Jefferson is variably described by current-day observers as a hypocrite, an atheist, and a simple-minded proponent of limited government.
Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed teams up with the country's leading Jefferson scholar, Peter S. Onuf, to present an absorbing and revealing character study that finally clarifies the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson.
Tracing Jefferson's development and maturation from his youth to his old age, the authors explore what they call the "empire" of Jefferson's imagination - his expansive state of mind born of the intellectual influences and life experiences that led him into public life as a modern avatar of the enlightenment, who often likened himself to an ancient figure - "the most blessed of the patriarchs".
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- By: Thomas S. Kidd
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Thomas Jefferson was arguably the most brilliant and inspiring political writer in American history. But the ethical realities of his personal life and political career did not live up to his soaring rhetoric. Indeed, three tensions defined Jefferson’s moral life: democracy versus slavery, republican virtue versus dissolute consumption, and veneration for Jesus versus skepticism about Christianity. In this book, Thomas S. Kidd tells the story of Jefferson’s ethical life through the lens of these tensions.
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This version is the standard non in depth bio
- By Fred F on 03-28-24
By: Thomas S. Kidd
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William Wilberforce
- A Hero for Humanity
- By: Kevin Belmonte
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity is the definitive biography of the English statesman who overcame incredible odds to bring about the end of slavery and slave trade. Called 'the wittiest man in England' by philosopher and novelist Madame de Stael, praised by Abraham Lincoln, and renowned for his oratorical genius, Wilberforce worked tirelessly to accomplish his goal. Whether you are an avid student of history, a pupil of prominent leaders of the past, or simply someone who reads for pleasure, you will love award-winning biographer Kevin Belmonte's vivid account....
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A Genuine Hero
- By mathmac on 09-30-17
By: Kevin Belmonte
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Twilight at Monticello
- The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson
- By: Alan Pell Crawford
- Narrated by: James Boles
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, with good reason: His life was a great American drama, one of the greatest, played out in compelling acts. He was the architect of our democracy, a visionary chief executive who expanded this nation's physical boundaries to unimagined lengths.
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After Leaving Office
- By Roy on 09-23-10
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Passionate Sage
- The Character and Legacy of John Adams
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Tom Parker
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers of our nation and its second president, spent nearly the last third of his life in retirement, grappling with contradictory views of his place in history and fearing his reputation would not fare well in the generations after his death. And indeed, future generations did slight him, elevating Jefferson and Madison to lofty heights while Adams remained way back in the second tier.
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Stays true to Audible's description
- By Neil on 10-24-09
By: Joseph J. Ellis
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How the Scots Invented the Modern World
- By: Arthur Herman
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Who formed the first literate society? Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism? The Scots. As historian and author Arthur Herman reveals, in the 18th and 19th centuries Scotland made crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics - contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since. This book is not just about Scotland: it is an exciting account of the origins of the modern world.
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Eagerly Awaited Audiobook
- By Lulu on 09-01-16
By: Arthur Herman
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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
- By: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 24 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us - an ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings. In best-selling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin turns to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. In Benjamin Franklin, Isaacson shows how Franklin defines both his own time and ours. The most interesting thing that Franklin invented, and continually reinvented, was himself.
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Good book, not crazy about the narrator
- By Cathi on 07-20-13
By: Walter Isaacson
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Master of the Mountain
- Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves
- By: Henry Wiencek
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Is there anything new to say about Thomas Jefferson and slavery? The answer is a resounding yes. Henry Wiencek's eloquent, persuasive book - based on new information coming from archaeological work at Monticello and on hitherto overlooked or disregarded evidence in Jefferson's papers - opens up a huge, poorly understood dimension of Jefferson's world. We must, Wiencek suggests, follow the money.
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Clear, Insightful & Iconclastic History
- By R.S. on 04-18-13
By: Henry Wiencek
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The Honor Code
- How Moral Revolutions Happen
- By: Kwame Anthony Appiah
- Narrated by: Kwame Anthony Appiah
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
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In this groundbreaking work, Kwame Anthony Appiah, hailed as "one of the most relevant philosophers today" (New York Times Book Review), changes the way we understand human behavior and the way social reform is brought about. In brilliantly arguing that new democratic movements over the last century have not been driven by legislation from above, Appiah explores the end of the duel in aristocratic England, the tumultuous struggles over foot binding in 19th-century China, the uprising of ordinary people against Atlantic slavery, and much more.
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Horribly Boring
- By Merle N. Savedow on 02-10-21
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John Quincy Adams
- Militant Spirit
- By: James Traub
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 25 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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John Quincy Adams was the last of his kind - a Puritan from the age of the Founders who despised party and compromise yet dedicated himself to politics and government. The son of John Adams, he was a brilliant ambassador and secretary of state, a frustrated president at a historic turning point in American politics, and a dedicated congressman who literally died in office - at the age of 80, in the House of Representatives, in the midst of an impassioned political debate.
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Best narrator of all the audio books I've listened
- By grimm79 on 12-12-17
By: James Traub
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Jefferson
- Architect of American Liberty
- By: John B. Boles
- Narrated by: Michael Johnson
- Length: 24 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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From an eminent scholar of the American South, the first full-scale biography of Thomas Jefferson since 1970. Not since Merrill Peterson's Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation has a scholar attempted to write a comprehensive biography of the most complex Founding Father. In Jefferson, John B. Boles plumbs every facet of Thomas Jefferson's life, all while situating him amid the sweeping upheaval of his times. We meet Jefferson the politician and political thinker - as well as Jefferson the architect, scientist, bibliophile, paleontologist, musician, and gourmet.
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Makes Jefferson Human
- By MichaelBuffalo on 06-23-20
By: John B. Boles
What listeners say about "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs"
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- Bev
- 02-17-19
Interesting book.
Learned things I did not know. Would recommend to history enthusiasts. Try it out now.
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- David Ramer
- 08-12-22
Best biography
I’m not a scholar, that being said, in my view this was perhaps the best biography that I have read. The author does a remarkable job getting into the mind of Jefferson and helps us judge him in both our time in his.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Nico Vela
- 07-08-20
A good listen.
"Most Blessed of the Patriarchs" was an interesting read into Jefferson. Here, Gordon-Reed and Onuf attempt to show how Jefferson’s personal philosophies, and the intrinsic clashes that occurred between these philosophies, not only made Jefferson who he was, but also the world around him.
The book is split into three parts, "Patriarch", "Traveller", and "Enthusiast", each giving us an insight into Jefferson's differing philosophies, and how they clashed. Considering that, History more or less gives us one or two views through which to see a person's character via Historiography, I found this book offered a third way to look through the historical lens. One that shows how history, environment, and personal philosophy made Jefferson. Patriarch deals mainly with what Jefferson thought being an Independent American Man was which would later lead to his push for an agrarian society. Traveller deals with Jefferson’s life away from his home, Monticello. Here, we see Jefferson’s thought begin to change in regards to reform in America. It is here that we see that Jefferson began to value “the pure, uncorrupted institutions of the republican new world” (135). Here, the vision of a republic of yeoman farmers was truly cemented in Jefferson’s mind.
Finally, in Enthusiast, we see a side of Jefferson that is uniquely human. We see a side of Jefferson that enjoys music and one who likes to entertain at Monticello, and one who spent time in solitude for prayer and faith. Here Jefferson is adamant in his philosophy that a patriot would never force his religion upon others, including his own family.
Gordon-Reed and Onuf use a variety of sources, such as Jefferson’s personal letters, as well as Gordon-Reed’s own books. While I find her argument to be enlightening and more or less convincing, one of her weakest points was trying to pull a philosophy that clashed from Jefferson. Any philosophy can clash with any other personal philosophy in varying ways, thus resulting in something similar to Jefferson’s own clashes. However, I will say that the authors do offer a new look at Jefferson, one that doesn’t classify him as a founding father or a slave owner. In a way, Gordon-Reed and Onuf cast Jefferson as uniquely human, giving him back his agency as an independent thinker, an independent American, and a Patriot.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Mary K.
- 03-22-17
Most Hammered of the Patriarchs
As a Southerner who has always been a huge TJ fan, I can quite readily accept the fact that he was seriously conflicted between his stated ideals of citizen equality (which he failed to fully extend to women and even moreso come to grips with toward the enslaved) and his personal life that clearly included taking advantage of his slave Sally Hemmings as his mistress. While this inconsistency certainly merits exploration, by the midpoint of the book I was really getting tired of the unrelenting way the author continually beat the listener over the head on this point. I felt this continual focus resulted in giving short shrift to the many other activities and accomplishments of this classic Renaissance man.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Paul Frandano
- 07-27-18
Curious, but interesting, TJ Scholarship...
... but problematic narration from Karen Chilton, whose liquid alto I very much liked in Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, who mispronounces, or pronounces eccentrically, relatively familiar words like inaugurate, rapprochement, vagaries, mores, despot, colloquy, and literally dozens more, including French terms and names that, if not quite butchered, are fairly well roughed up. I have the impression that very few narrators actually prep their texts and look up unfamiliar terms. it seems they all read "cold."
The book itself is a curious addition to Jefferson scholarship. Jefferson left behind a voluminous record of letters, journals, plantation registers and documents, notebooks and the like, knowing that posterity would crawl all over them for insights into the great man himself. Consequently, as Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf credibly hypothesize, Jefferson curated his record to plump up two aspects of his imagined self: patriot and patriarch, one of the Great Men of 1776 as well as The Squire of Monticello, benevolent master and considerate paterfamilias. The authors lay this out in a preface, the key - and well-known - Jefferson text of which appears on page xiii (and gives the book its title). Quitters can stop on page xxv, at the conclusion of the preface, and presume the authors have fulfilled their obligation to fill in the prefatory outline. What follows are three large parts - Patriarch, Traveller, and Enthusiast - that provide those details, many of which resurface redundantly in various contexts,, through which the authors make a strong case for having divined the Empire of Jefferson's imagination.
One compelling reason for reading to the very end is the case made by Gordon-Reed and Onuf for a strong thread of consistency, rather than hypocrisy, that reconciles Jeffersons long-held views on the inhumanity and dispensability of slavery with his lifelong participation in the slave system. The result is a more charitable and forgiving a portrait, or interpretation, of Jefferson than I took away from, for example, Gordon-Reed's brilliant The Hemingses of Monticello.
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2 people found this helpful
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- J Snow
- 08-22-17
Repetitive, overly rhetorical style, unpleasant performance
This book lacks academic rigor, IMHO. Instead of stating a thesis and supporting with well researched evidence, the author relies too heavily on repetition and rhetorical style . Also, there is an assumption that the reader is well versed in US History of the era, which creates a paradox: a reader sufficiently knowledgeable to use this book on its own wouldn't find it particularly informative, fresh or insightful, and someone with a only passing knowledge would need additional references to augment the scope of this book. It's also highly repetitive and performed in a preacher's style, as if the author believed a thesis can be substantiated by repetition of an opinion delivered with great feeling in a sing song . There wasn't much new for me in this book, and I didn't have the sense that the info it provided supported its title.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Steve
- 06-09-16
Disappointing
This book is a huge disappointment. The authors do not attempt to understand Jefferson. They intend to indict him. They review most historical letters and negative comments as true and evidence against him. They also throw around clinical psychological descriptions of Jefferson as additional evidence against him. A licensed psychologist would cringe at utilizing such descriptions with so little objective data.
More than 200 years later they seem to have a clear knowledge of what Jefferson was thinking. All of this makes the book suspect as the authors clearly have an agenda to prosecute Jefferson and not to help readers understand this complex and interesting historical American.
Steve
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12 people found this helpful
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- Cheryl Ellrich
- 08-02-21
Slanted
This book tries to paint Jefferson as a white privileged racist and coward. I disagree and find it offensive.
If you want to make a case for white privileged politicians’ indiscretions… write about Kennedys.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lance
- 06-28-16
A Poor Attempt to Belittle Jefferson
The book selectively uses facts out of context and contradicts itself in a futile attempt to belittle Jefferson. An obvious attempt to reduce Jefferson and the work that laid the foundation of modern government.
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6 people found this helpful