American Sphinx (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Joseph J. Ellis
- First Published: 1997
- Type of Work: Biography
- Time of Work: 1794-1826
- Setting: The United States
- Principal Characters: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Politics, Revolutionaries, Colonies or colonization, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Eighteenth century, Politicians, Government, International relations, Louisiana Purchase
- Locales: United States
Among the giants of American history, Thomas Jefferson stands as one of the tallest. To the common person and the scholar alike, Jefferson has come to symbolize the vision and intellectual spark that founded the nation. No list of great Americans would be complete without him. Yet what do modern Americans really know of Jefferson’s character?
In his biography American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, Joseph J. Ellis sets out to demystify Jefferson and to evaluate “the animating principles that informed his public and private life.” Ellis, Ford Foundation...
[The entire page is 1815 words long]
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