Democracy's muse

Thomas Jefferson remains a central, yet often contradictory, figure in American political speech, claimed by both the Left and the Right. From Franklin Roosevelt's liberal humanism to Ronald Reagan's small-government conservatism, Jefferson's legacy has been continuously reinterpreted. Andrew Burstein explores this tortuous afterlife, examining how different political factions have appropriated Jefferson's image and pronouncements to suit their contemporary agendas. This book offers insights into how politicized Americans construct and sometimes misappropriate the past, creating 'Jeffersonian' stances on issues the founder himself could never have conceived.