Thomas Jefferson: Author of America

Christopher Hitchens' short biography of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson: Author of America is an interesting look at one of the most influential Presidents in history. And, indeed, most of the book concerns his presidency with sections that precede and follow his presidency. Some of them more significant than others including his time as ambassador to France following Benjamin Franklin's term. The French revolution and the French as an ally are significant in the politics of his day. Hitchens surveys other books on Jefferson to make his points about the significance of his westward expansion with the Louisiana Purchase, his attitudes toward slavery, and his relationship with Sally Hemming among other issues. I was intrigued on the section about the Barbary War, in which Jefferson assembles a navy to fight Muslim pirates on the Barbary Coast and declares war against Tripoli. It is a chapter in history that I had overlooked-I should like to read a book on it at some point. I think it is not surprising that Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great, spends some time analyzing Jefferson's Enlightenment rationality in light of his Deist religious beliefs (essentially that God does not take an active role in everyday life and didn' t believe in predestination like many of the people of his day). Overall a good short overview of one of the most significant founding fathers.