Product Description

Thomas Jefferson was the principal dreamer of the Founding Fathers. Pragmatic utopian and practical visionary, Jefferson was one of the most creative men who ever lived. He penned the thirty-five most revolutionary words in the history of the English language: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson has written a bold call for a Jeffersonian renewal in America. "We need the Sage of Monticello's vision as we begin what is the most difficult periods of American history."

The Jeffersonian consists of self-reliance, an uncompromising dedication to liberty (over security, profit, comfort, and tradition), an unambiguous wall of seperation between church and state, first-rate public education, thoughtfulness and diffidence about America's place in the world, and a commitment to civility.

Jefferson brought genius (not to mention reason, good sense, and idealism) to whatever he undertook, and he believed that the purpose of America was not to seek glory and profit in the world's arena, but to build a nation of equality, justice, and cultural achievement.

Becoming Jefferson's People is part manifesto, part call for a new political persuasion in the United States, part self-help book, and part critique of the consumerist world empire that the United States has become at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #829498 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-21
• Released on: 2005-01-21
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 131 pages

Review
Becoming Jefferson's People is a clarion call for those who wish to take back their country. -- John Ferling, author of Adams vs Jefferson and A Leap in the Dark, December 2004

Clay Jenkinson has provided a truly welcome invitation for the American people to return to their best selves. -- Deepak Chopra, author of Books of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life, December 2004

Jenkinson rediscovers the vital and robust Jefferson and restores our trust in boldness, optimism, and self-reliance. -- Landon Y. Jones, auther of William Clark and the Shaping of the West and former editor of "People" Magazine, December 2004

About the Author
Clay Jenkinson is a humanities scholar in residence at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He is also senior fellow for the Center for Digital Government in Sacramento, California. The author of six books, including an edition of the writings of the Lewis and Clark expedition in North Dakota. Clay addresses public audiences throughout the United States about Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, the history and future of American agrarianism, classical literature, and leadership. A scholar of the American presidency, Clay is an expert on the administrations of Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. He leads cultural tours on the Lewis and Clark trail and to Jefferson's Virginia, as well as to France and Greece. Clay is, also, the voice of Thomas Jefferson on the weekly radio program, The Thomas Jefferson Hour®. His deepest loyalties are to his daughter Catherine Missouri and to North Dakota, which he considers the most Jeffersonian place in America.

Customer Reviews

What a Wonderful World
If everyone read this book and got excited about implementing two or three of the ideas in their own lives and communities, America would truly become the light to the world that Thomas Jefferson envisioned.

Using his vast knowledge of Jefferson's writings and his deep understanding of Jefferson's soul, Clay Jenkinson gives a blueprint for becoming the people "who hold these truths to be self-evident."

This book is a perfect mix of thoughts about Jefferson's ideals and practical suggestions for living up to those ideals.

Reclaiming America
Clay Jenkinson's practical reminder of what it means to be a productive, "enlightened" and pro-active American citizen who actively participates in democracy is a must read and a pleasant read.

Revolutionary Philosopher
This short book (131 pgs) succinctly presents how Thomas Jefferson's philosophy of life could be applied by today's citizens. Jefferson was an astonishingly prolific and articulate proponent of the Enlightenment idea that reason and inquiry are the only oracles give to us by the Creator, and we should to gain happiness through reflection, conviction, and action. One of Jefferson's heroes, Francis Bacon, said, "...the improvement of man's lot and the improvement of man's mind are one and the same thing." Each chapter starts with a quote or quotes, followed by a few explanatory paragraphs. A listing of the first few chapter titles indicates something of the ideas presented: Self Reliance (pg. 12), Foreign Policy (pg. 15), Education, (pg. 19), Leadership, (pg. 22), Distributive Justice, (pg. 25), Love of Books (pg. 28), The Role of Government, (pg. 31), the Size of Government, (pg. 35), etc. Jeffersonian characteristics include a preference for the art of living over power, wealth, and status, an appreciation of the wholesomeness of nature, self-reliance and a sanguine outlook on life. Jenkinson states that "Jefferson believed that we exist to be happy, not to struggle through life or perform duties or deny ourselves pleasures." (pg. 69) The book is a call for renewal, courage, optimism, and change in both major political parties, neither of which, as Jenkinson describes in his introduction, behaves according to most Jeffersonian principles - both parties are identical in their essential respects. This book advocates a grass roots movement, though conversation, questions, email, postings, letters to the editor, etc. toward renewal of the republic.