Madison & Jefferson

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Random House
Publication Date
2010.
Language
English

Description

A WATERSHED ACCOUNT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL FRIENDSHIP IN AMERICAN HISTORYIn Madison and Jefferson, esteemed historians Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg join forces to reveal the crucial partnership of two extraordinary founders, creating a superb dual biography that is a thrilling and unprecedented account of early America.The third and fourth presidents have long been considered proper and noble gentlemen, with Thomas Jefferson’s genius overshadowing James Madison’s judgment and common sense. But in this revelatory book, both leaders are seen as men of their times, ruthless and hardboiled operatives in a gritty world of primal politics where they struggled for supremacy for more than fifty years.In most histories, the elder figure, Jefferson, looms larger. Yet Madison is privileged in this book’s title because, as Burstein and Isenberg reveal, he was the senior partner at key moments in the formation of the two-party system. It was Madison who did the most to initiate George Washington’s presidency while Jefferson was in France in the role of diplomat. So often described as shy, the Madison of this account is quite assertive. Yet he regularly escapes bad press, while Jefferson’s daring pen earns him a nearly constant barrage of partisan attacks.In Madison and Jefferson we see the two as privileged young men in a land marked by tribal identities rather than a united national personality. They were raised to always ask first: “How will this play in Virginia?” Burstein and Isenberg powerfully capture Madison’s secret canny role—he acted in effect as a campaign manager—in Jefferson’s career. In riveting detail, the authors chart the courses of two very different presidencies: Jefferson’s driven by force of personality, Madison’s sustained by a militancy that history has been reluctant to ascribe to him. The aggressive expansionism of the presidents has long been underplayed, but it’s noteworthy that even after the Louisiana Purchase more than doubled U.S. territory, the pair contrived to purchase Cuba and, for years, looked for ways to conquer Canada. In these and other issues, what they said in private and wrote anonymously was often more influential than what they signed their names to.Supported by a wealth of original sources—newspapers, letters, diaries, pamphlets—Madison and Jefferson is a stunning new look at a remarkable duo who arguably did more than all the others in their generation to set the course of American political development. It untangles a rich legacy, explaining how history made Jefferson into a national icon, leaving Madison a relative unknown. It tells nasty truths about the conduct of politics when America was young and reintroduces us to colorful personalities, once famous and now obscure, who influenced and were influenced by the two revolutionary actors around whom this story turns. As an intense narrative of high-stakes competition, Madison and Jefferson exposes the beating heart of a rowdy republic in its first fifty years, while giving more than a few clues as to why we are a politically divided nation today.

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Contributors
ISBN
9781400067282

Table of Contents

From the Book - First edition.

The Virginians, 1774-1776
On the defensive, 1776-1781
Partners apart, 1782-1786
The division of power, 1787
The addition of rights, 1788-1789
The pathological decade and beyond
Attachments and resentments, 1790-1792
Party spirit, 1793
The effects of whiskey on reputation, 1794-1795
Danger, real or pretended, 1796-1799
Inhaling republicanism, 1800-1802
Signs of a restless future
The embryo of a great empire, 1803-1804
Years of schism, days of dread, 1805-1808
Road to war, 1809-1812
Road out of war, 1813-1816
Madison lives to tell the tale, 1817-1836
Legacy
Thawing out the historical imagination.

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

James Madison and Thomas Jefferson are both in the pantheon of Founding Fathers, but Madison is frequently relegated to the second tier. He is often described as Jefferson's protégée and faithful lieutenant and credited primarily with his role in the formation and ratification of the Constitution rather than achievements during his presidency. This extensive and well-researched examination of their relationship spanning 50 years paints a more nuanced and often surprising portrait of both men. The authors, both history professors, succeed in removing their subjects from their pedestals without diminishing their brilliance or importance. Both Madison and Jefferson were intense political animals in politically turbulent times. In his conflicts with Federalists, Jefferson used surrogates to engage in dirty tricks, while seeming to remain above the fray. Madison was much more than a policy wonk. He was an effective and tough legislator at both the state and federal levels; also, he did not shrink from opposing Jefferson's policies when he disagreed with them. This is an important reappraisal of a critical partnership that shaped our early republic.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

This thick but satisfyingly rich dual biography promotes Madison from junior partner to full-fledged colleague of the "more magnetic" Jefferson. According to the authors, Madison's popular image peaked in 1789 as "father of the Constitution." But Burstein (Jefferson's Secrets) and Isenberg (Fallen Founder), both LSU history professors, see him as a canny, effective politician for four decades, from the Continental Congress through his two terms as America's fourth president. An adviser to Governor Jefferson of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, Madison was a leading congressman when Jefferson served as Washington's secretary of state, and vigorously supported Jefferson in the ultimately unsuccessful struggle against federalist Alexander Hamilton's influence. As scholarly as Jefferson but more politically astute, the authors say, Madison was less inclined to hold grudges and make enemies. In modern terms, he was Jefferson's campaign manager in 1796 and 1800; as Jefferson's secretary of state he strongly influenced his leader's policies before moving on to his own equally strong presidency. An important, thoughtful, and gracefully written political history from the viewpoint of the young nation's two most intellectual founding fathers. 16 pages of b&w photos, 1 map. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Library Journal Review

In the 60 years that have passed since the last deep treatment of the Jefferson-Madison partnership (Adrienne Koch's Jefferson and Madison), much popular historiography has relegated Madison at best to the secondary tier of Founders and at worst to Jefferson's lackey. Jefferson's contemporaries, however, labeled him a man of passion and imagination, while they recognized the diminutive, dispassionate Madison as more natural, candid, and profound. Now Burstein (history, Louisiana State Univ.; Jefferson's Secrets) and Isenberg (history, Louisiana State Univ.; Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr) have, with stunning style and clarity, meticulously reexamined this political relationship, extending from the eve of independence through the creation of the Virginia-dominated Republican Party to a poignant conclusion encompassing each man's death and political legacy. Instead of attempting to elevate one Founder over the other, the authors have re-created the dynamic political world they inhabited, staking out each statesman's role and including a wide range of related character studies. VERDICT While offering no paradigm-shifting revelations, Burstein and Isenberg have produced a remarkably lucid account of a monumental founding friendship. An essential read for biography buffs and enthusiasts of American revolutionary history, and a fine general treatment for political scholars of the early American republic.-Brian Odom, Pelham P.L., AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kirkus Book Review

A monumental account of a 50-year political partnership that shaped the early history of the United States.In a dual biography of uncommon merit, Louisiana State University historians Burstein (Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello, 2005, etc.) and Isenberg (Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr, 2007, etc.) pierce the "poetic protection" that surrounds the Founding Fathers to create a clear-eyed view of the political careers of two remarkable elder sons of the Virginia elite. Thomas Jefferson (17431826) and James Madison (17511836) emerge in a new light as individuals who made equal contributions to the early republic. The younger man, Madison, neither a shy dullard nor a junior partner, as often described, was a forceful legislator and a persuasive writer, and he orchestrated Jefferson's career, acting like a sort of campaign manager. Jefferson, a man of great feeling with an almost retiring manner but a lyrical pen, thrived in politicized settings, seeking to crush his enemies. The two men first met in 1776. Both were affable, bookish intellectuals, both served as president and both were accomplished political thinkers and tacticians. Always remaining "Virginians first, Americans second," they changed their young nation's political discourse and direction. Against a sweeping and readable history of the era, the authors explore the lives and political thought of the two men as well as their shared affection for the land and farming, as evidenced by their beloved country seatsMadison's Montpelier and Jefferson's Monticellowhich are 25 miles apart. Burstein and Isenberg bring vivid life to Jefferson's work on theDeclaration of Independence and Notes on Virginia, and demonstrate the ways in which his sojourns in France influenced his views on such matters as creating opportunities for the poor, the importance of individual rights and farming's contribution to society. The authors deem Federalist Papers contributor Madison a bold legislator who, while hardly the "father" of the Constitution, was nonetheless outspoken at the Constitutional Convention.A superb book that greatly deepens our understanding of these founders.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Booklist Reviews

James Madison and Thomas Jefferson are both in the pantheon of Founding Fathers, but Madison is frequently relegated to the second tier. He is often described as Jefferson's protégée and "faithful lieutenant" and credited primarily with his role in the formation and ratification of the Constitution rather than achievements during his presidency. This extensive and well-researched examination of their relationship spanning 50 years paints a more nuanced and often surprising portrait of both men. The authors, both history professors, succeed in removing their subjects from their pedestals without diminishing their brilliance or importance. Both Madison and Jefferson were intense political animals in politically turbulent times. In his conflicts with Federalists, Jefferson used surrogates to engage in "dirty tricks," while seeming to remain above the fray. Madison was much more than a "policy wonk." He was an effective and tough legislator at both the state and federal levels; also, he did not shrink from opposing Jefferson's policies when he disagreed with them. This is an important reappraisal of a critical partnership that shaped our early republic.

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Library Journal Reviews

In the 60 years that have passed since the last deep treatment of the Jefferson-Madison partnership (Adrienne Koch's Jefferson and Madison), much popular historiography has relegated Madison at best to the secondary tier of Founders and at worst to Jefferson's lackey. Jefferson's contemporaries, however, labeled him a man of passion and imagination, while they recognized the diminutive, dispassionate Madison as more natural, candid, and profound. Now Burstein (history, Louisiana State Univ.; Jefferson's Secrets) and Isenberg (history, Louisiana State Univ.; Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr) have, with stunning style and clarity, meticulously reexamined this political relationship, extending from the eve of independence through the creation of the Virginia-dominated Republican Party to a poignant conclusion encompassing each man's death and political legacy. Instead of attempting to elevate one Founder over the other, the authors have re-created the dynamic political world they inhabited, staking out each statesman's role and including a wide range of related character studies. VERDICT While offering no paradigm-shifting revelations, Burstein and Isenberg have produced a remarkably lucid account of a monumental founding friendship. An essential read for biography buffs and enthusiasts of American revolutionary history, and a fine general treatment for political scholars of the early American republic.—Brian Odom, Pelham P.L., AL

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Publishers Weekly Reviews

This thick but satisfyingly rich dual biography promotes Madison from junior partner to full-fledged colleague of the "more magnetic" Jefferson. According to the authors, Madison's popular image peaked in 1789 as "father of the Constitution." But Burstein (Jefferson's Secrets) and Isenberg (Fallen Founder), both LSU history professors, see him as a canny, effective politician for four decades, from the Continental Congress through his two terms as America's fourth president. An adviser to Governor Jefferson of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, Madison was a leading congressman when Jefferson served as Washington's secretary of state, and vigorously supported Jefferson in the ultimately unsuccessful struggle against federalist Alexander Hamilton's influence. As scholarly as Jefferson but more politically astute, the authors say, Madison was less inclined to hold grudges and make enemies. In modern terms, he was Jefferson's campaign manager in 1796 and 1800; as Jefferson's secretary of state he strongly influenced his leader's policies before moving on to his own equally strong presidency. An important, thoughtful, and gracefully written political history from the viewpoint of the young nation's two most intellectual founding fathers. 16 pages of b&w photos, 1 map. (Oct.)

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