Jefferson and the Virginians - (Walter Lynwood Fleming Lectures in Southern History) by Peter Onuf (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Peter Onuf's Jefferson and the Virginians examines the ways that Jefferson and his fellow Virginians, George Washington, James Madison, and Patrick Henry, conceptualized their home state from a political and cultural perspective and understood its place and influence on the new nation"--

Book Synopsis

In Jefferson and the Virginians, renowned scholar Peter S. Onuf examines the ways in which Thomas Jefferson and his fellow Virginians--George Washington, James Madison, and Patrick Henry--both conceptualized their home state from a political and cultural perspective, and understood its position in the new American union. The conversations Onuf reconstructs offer glimpses into the struggle to define Virginia--and America--within the context of the upheaval of the Revolutionary War. Onuf also demonstrates why Jefferson's identity as a Virginian obscures more than it illuminates about his ideology and career.

Onuf contends that Jefferson and his interlocutors sought to define Virginia's character as a self-constituted commonwealth and to determine the state's place in the American union during an era of constitutional change and political polarization. Thus, the outcome of the American Revolution led to ongoing controversies over the identity of Virginians and Americans as a "people" or "peoples"; over Virginia's boundaries and jurisdiction within the union; and over the system of government in Virginia and for the states collectively. Each debate required a balanced consideration of corporate identity and collective interests, which inevitably raised broader questions about the character of the Articles of Confederation and the newly formed federal union. Onuf's well-researched study reveals how this indeterminacy demanded definition and, likewise, how the need for definition prompted further controversy.

Review Quotes

Brilliant and concise, Jefferson and the Virginians compares the clashes, perspectives, and experiences of four major American founders in the world they inherited and the nation they helped create. The work of a master at his very best; every page sparkles with Onuf's compelling insights.--Jon Kukla, author of Mr. Jefferson's Women

By putting Jefferson into conversation with the other three most prominent Virginians of his day, Onuf gives us a much clearer sense of the world in which they thought about and worked through the mutually constitutive meanings of Virginia and America. Insight cascades over insight in this provocative little book, a perfect place to begin understanding Jefferson and his time.--Brian Steele, author of Thomas Jefferson and American Nationhood

Peter S. Onuf has long since established himself as the foremost expert on the mind of Thomas Jefferson, and this brilliant collection of essays further cements his place as the preeminent Jefferson scholar of our time. Analyzing Jefferson in conversation, contention, and alliance with his fellow illustrious Virginians, Onuf gives us new and rich ways to see our third president. This is a stellar and indispensable contribution to the Jefferson canon.--Annette Gordon-Reed, author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

About the Author

Peter S. Onuf is Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Virginia and Senior Research Fellow at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello). He is the author of numerous books on Thomas Jefferson, including The Mind of Thomas Jefferson.