Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

By Jon Meacham

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power (2012) is a biography by Jon Meacham. Meacham presents Jefferson as a practical politician who sought and used power to shape the young American republic, from the Revolution through his presidency. Drawing on letters and political records, he portrays Jefferson's blend of ideals and maneuver rather than as a purely philosophical figure above politics.

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• Fareed Zakaria: “This week's book of the week is "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power" by my guest today Jon Meacham. Meacham takes Jefferson off his pedestal as a great thinker and statesman and presents him as the politician that he was: artful, ruthless, manipulative. It's an admiring portrait of a politician, not a saint, and as always with Meacham, wonderfully written.”