Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30843 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 50 minutes

Customer Reviews

A wonderful portrait of the complicated man
Thomas Jefferson, in his 83 years, accomplished many great things -- certainly more than a 50-minute video could ever completely cover. In addition to this, Jefferson was also a man of essential paradoxes: the brilliant political and social philosopher vs. the sometimes shockingly unpractical president; the ardent American patriot vs. the worldly, French-obsessed cosmopolitan -- and, last but not least, the "philosopher of freedom" vs. the slave-owning slave.

With all of this in mind, Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher of Freedom, a part of A&E's Biography series, is a splendid, immaculately done portrait of the great American. In a 50-minute span, it covers all of the major accomplishments of Jefferson's public and political life, including his role in the Revolution, his writings, his political and social philosophy, his long years in political office, his architectural accomplishments, his founding of the University of Virginia, and more. It also looks at the major events that formed Jefferson's private life: his upbringing, schooling, his married life, his relationship with John Adams and other important men of his day, and more.

That said, the video should also be commended for not falling into the easy trap of idolatry, as many such biographical portraits do. The video also examines Jefferson's faults and contradictions: his apparently paradoxical status as a slave owner, his possible liaison in Paris, and his lifelong indebtedness. It does a good job of reminding us that, for all of the idolizing that we do of these great Founding Fathers -- and great men they were -- they were also, after all, human. It is a quite well-rounded and balanced portrait of the great, but inherently human, man.

In summary, this is a great buy if you're looking for a short, concise portrait of Jefferson, for use in your home or in the classroom. It is a beautiful portrait that nearly had me in tears at one point. If such is what you are looking for, look no further than this.

Good introductory biography of an important American
A&E's Biography Series has produced many wonderful video portraits. Their biography of Thomas Jefferson is no exception. Within the video's 50 minutes, it covers all of the major events and accomplishments of Jefferson's long life (83 years) and gives a look into some of his private life as well.

Unquestionably a great man, yet there should have been more about his faults
There is no question that Thomas Jefferson was an extremely scholarly man, both in depth and breadth. By the standards of the day, he was an extremely radical politician; his ideas of free speech, separation of church and state and the concept of true democracy with a weak central government were contrary to the ways that countries had been governed. His ideas, in conflict with those of the more conservative Alexander Hamilton, led to the establishment of political parties, something that the framers of the constitution has not considered.
This tape, like many of the A & E biographies, presents the person in a positive light, largely ignoring Jefferson's faults. He was a spendthrift, leaving enormous debts when he died. Jefferson also took one of his slaves (Sally Hemmings) as a concubine, even fathering several children by her. However, this was fairly typical of slave masters of the time, it was considered acceptable for slave owners to breed new slaves with the females they owned.
The vicious nature of the presidential campaign of 1800 is mentioned, unfortunately the focus is on the comments of some of the Federalist opponents of Jefferson and there is no mention of the response from the Jeffersonian side. Jefferson was extremely critical of the actions of the two previous presidents when they engaged in actions not specifically authorized by the constitution. Yet, he was well aware that his pursuit of the Louisiana Purchase was completely unconstitutional and yet never hesitated in making the purchase.
While there is no question that Thomas Jefferson was a great man, the consensus is that to date he was the most scholarly of all presidents of the United States. Yet he also had many major flaws and this video would have been better if there had been a bit more emphasis on what he did wrong.