Twilight at Monticello: The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson

This is a good book. The author has done his homework and authenticated the info thoroughly, so I trusted the history in the book. In many ways, this Thomas Jefferson is not the same man that Americans study in Social Studies or American History class. He was very human and had a really messed up personal life. He died deeply in debt and Monticello and all of his belongings, including slaves...more

This is a good book. The author has done his homework and authenticated the info thoroughly, so I trusted the history in the book. In many ways, this Thomas Jefferson is not the same man that Americans study in Social Studies or American History class. He was very human and had a really messed up personal life. He died deeply in debt and Monticello and all of his belongings, including slaves were up for auction within months of his death. He never acknowledged God and in fact spent much of his time attempting to refute that Christ was Holy. He was so idealistic in his thinking that he found it very difficult to be a realist, hence his lack of ability to make a good living for his family and manage his personal life. If it had not been for a his grandson, Jeff Randolph, he would have lost Monticello before his death. In fact, Jeff Randolph worked hard for many years just to pay off his grandfather's debts. The book also discusses the slavery issue and how Jefferson really felt about blacks. He felt that they could never integrate into our society, therefore, slavery should be abolished gradually, and all blacks sent to another country or given an area in the US to settle. Fascinating book--very educational as well as entertaining.   hide