Description
Book SynopsisEnlightened Republicanism is the first book-length study of Thomas Jefferson''s Notes on the State of Virginia, which has often been used as a treasury of quotations from which historians, political scientists, and literary scholars have borrowed in order to prove one point or another about America or Jefferson himself. David Tucker examines Jefferson''s work as a whole, arguing that the it was carefully structured. He proceeds to demonstrate that only a deeper understanding of this structure as an integral part of Jefferson''s argument can give the reader a true comprehension of Notes on the State of Virginia. Enlightened republicanism, as Jefferson defined it, was revolutionary, as it fundamentally changed the goals of government and the practice of politics to bring them into accord as much as possible with the complex and varied demands of nature.
Trade ReviewCombines impressive scholarship with wise judgments... * Claremont Review of Books *
Thomas Jefferson was the preeminent penman of the American Revolution and the early American republic. He drafted the Declaration of Independence; he composed the Virginia Statue of Religion Freedom; and he penned many an unforgettable letter. But he wrote only one book—his Notes on the State of Virginia—and until now it has not been the subject of a full-length commentary. David Tucker is to be praised for closely interrogating that work and for drawing attention to a neglected question on which it throws considerable light: the philosophical foundations of Jefferson's republicanism. -- Paul A. Rahe, Hillsdale College
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Acknowledgements Chapter 2 Epigraph Chapter 3 Table of Contents Chapter 4 Introduction Chapter 5 1 The Structure of Notes on the State of Virginia Chapter 6 2 The Natural Order Chapter 7 3 Human Nature Chapter 8 4 Nature and Law Chapter 9 5 The Origin and Object of Government Chapter 10 6 Constitution and Laws Chapter 11 7 Manners and Manufactures Chapter 12 Conclusion Chapter 13 Endnotes Chapter 14 Bibliography Chapter 15 Index
