A Dusty Tomes Audio Book
In Cooperation with Spoken Realms
“The Jeffersonian System, 1801—1811” by Edward Channing, PhD, Professor of History, Harvard University
Narrated by Joseph Tabler
Volume 12 of 27 in “The American Nation: A History” published by Harper Brothers (1904—1918). Edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, Professor of History at Harvard University
From the Editor's Introduction to the Series: That a new history of the United States is needed, extending from the discovery down to the present time hardly needs a statement. No such comprehensive work by a competent writer is now in existence. Individual writers have treated only limited chronological fields. Meantime there, is a rapid increase of published sources and of serviceable monographs based on material hitherto unused. On the one side, there is a necessity for an intelligent summarizing of the present knowledge of American history by trained specialists; on the other hand, there is a need for a complete work, written in an untechnical style, which shall serve for the instruction and the entertainment of the general reader.
"A rigid classification would demand these volumes be assigned to the class of historical writings designed for the general reader rather than for the special student. The books are not and do not pretend to be distinct contributions to the historical scholar's knowledge of the period traversed; yet the sane and impartial judgement displayed and the admirable sense of proportion evinced, together with the clear grasp and scholarly exposition of the subjects treated, make each a work that the special student cannot afford to neglect."-Marshall S. Brown in the American Historical Review, Oct. 1906
From the Editor's Introduction to Volume Twelve: The title of “The Jeffersonian System”, chosen for this volume, with the title of its predecessor, Bassett's Federalist System, suggests two rival, and in some respects opposed, groups of political principles and methods of carrying on both the federal and the state governments. Nevertheless, however different in point of view, the problems of Jefferson and Madison were, with the one great exception of the Louisiana purchase, substantially the same as those of Washington and Adams. The personality of Thomas Jefferson is in many ways the dominant note in the period from 1801 to 1811.
From the Author's Preface: Jefferson's first administration has always had a great attraction for the writer of the present volume. At one time, indeed, he thought of making it the subject of a prolonged investigation. From that design, he was turned by the sight of some advanced sheets of Henry Adams's work on the early Republican administrations. In no way can the admiration for that notable book be better shown than by making it the foundation of the following sketch. In this place, therefore, a general reference is made to Henry Adams's masterpiece.
