The Jefferson Image in the American Mind

By Merrill D. Peterson,

Book cover of The Jefferson Image in the American Mind

Book description

Since its publication in 1960, The Jefferson Image in the American Mind has become a classic of historical scholarship. In it Merrill D. Peterson charts Thomas Jefferson's influence upon American thought and imagination since his death in 1826. Peterson's focus is "not primarily with the truth or falsity of the…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked The Jefferson Image in the American Mind as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Peterson was Peter Onuf’s predecessor as the Thomas Jefferson Chair at the University of Virginia. He was the author of two landmark studies of Jefferson—a one-volume biography, Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation, probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson, and The Jefferson Image in the American Mind. In The Jefferson Image, Peterson traces the history of Jefferson’s reputation from his death on July 4, 1826 until Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial on April 13, 1943. He shows that in death, as in life, Jefferson and his beliefs remained at the center of debates over what…

Want books like The Jefferson Image in the American Mind?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 97 books like The Jefferson Image in the American Mind.

Browse books like The Jefferson Image in the American Mind

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and presidential biography?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and presidential biography.

Thomas Jefferson Explore 50 books about Thomas Jefferson
Franklin D. Roosevelt Explore 54 books about Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidential Biography Explore 18 books about presidential biography