Book · 1997 · Psychology
American Sphinx
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- 17
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- podcast
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- episodes
- 4
- critical mentions
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The whole point of that book by Ellis, American Sphinx, the reason he calls it American Sphinx is that Jefferson is really hard to pin down about this and other stuff.
What they say about it
- Explains Jefferson's ideological incoherence“the ideological incoherence”2
- Describes Jefferson as a fundamentalist“turning into kind of a fundamentalist”2
The best things said about it
The ideological incoherence between some of the words and most of the actions of this prophet of liberty is really well described in Ellis's book, American Sphinx, which is kind of written to explain this part of Jefferson.
In American Sphinx Ellis explains a lot of the kind of the the hypocrisy here by saying that Jefferson's chief goal in any face-to-face interaction was to avoid awkwardness and confrontation.
Ellis in American Sphinx describes him as entering National Affairs by the side door.
In American Sphinx, Ellis describes Jefferson as turning into kind of a fundamentalist on this point.
This passage from American Sphinx describes how much of a personal Focus Jefferson made of his new nail business.
Why people recommend it
American Sphinx by Joseph J. Ellis is a celebrated biographical history that examines the complex, contradictory character and legacy of founding father Thomas Jefferson. Robert Evans heavily referenced the book across multiple episodes of Behind the Bastards while detailing the historical realities of Jefferson's life. Evans cited the text to discuss Jefferson's massive financial debts, his meticulous personal focus on his newly established nail-making business, and the glaring ideological incoherence between his eloquent words as a prophet of liberty and his actions as an enslaver. Furthermore, Evans used Ellis's scholarship to explain Jefferson's acute aversion to personal confrontation, noting how the founding father consistently prioritized social courtesy and the avoidance of awkwardness over raw candor in face-to-face interactions. Through these detailed citations, the podcast utilized Ellis's historical analysis to deconstruct the mythos surrounding early American leaders and expose the deep hypocrisy inherent in their private lives.
Every mention
Robert Evans in American Sphinx Ellis estimates Jefferson's debt at several 100,000 now 17
Discussed
“in American Sphinx Ellis estimates Jefferson's debt at several 100,000 now”
Discussed
“this passage from American Sphinx describes how much of a personal Focus Jefferson made of his new nail business”
Discussed
“and that is contrary to how he is depicted even in Ellis's Book American Sphinx he this long passage where he he's like there was no such thing as good slavery like it was bad and it was hypocritical of Jefferson but among people who owned people in the Americas he treated the people he owned better than most”
Discussed
“the ideological incoherence behind between some of the words and most of the actions of this prophet of Liberty um are really well described in Ellis's Book American Sphinx which is kind of written to explain this part of Jefferson that like wow it really seems like he says a bunch of [ __ ] that he does not do”
Discussed
“So the ideological incoherence between some of the words and most of the actions of this prophet of liberty is really well described in Ellis's book, American Sphinx, which is kind of written to explain this part of Jefferson.”
Discussed
“In American Sphinx, Ellis bo—chicken season, yeah!”
Discussed
“so in American Sphinx Ellis explains a lot of the kind of the the hypocrisy here by saying that Jefferson's chief goal in any face-to-face interaction was to avoid awkwardness and confrontation right uh quote Jefferson always regarded kandor and courtesy as incompatible and when forced to choose he invariably picked courtesy thereby avoiding unpleasant confrontations”
Discussed
“I'll quote first a passage from the original edition of American Sphinx published in 1996.”
Discussed
“since Ellis was largely analyzing the work of generations of biographers and historians before then he speaks with the voice of most of his profession when he concludes”
Discussed
“Ellis in American Sphinx describes him as entering National Affairs by the side door”
Discussed
“from American Sphinx quote it was an Open Secret within the slave community at montelo that the privileged status enjoyed by the hemings family it derived from its mixed blood”
Discussed
“and Ellis's book comes out in '96 which is like to cut ahead a little bit two years before DNA evidence makes it very clear what Jefferson was doing with s there was”
Discussed
“Thomas gains a reputation for being in biographer Joseph Ellis's World words an obsessive student Ellis writes in the book American Sphinx that Thomas would spend sometimes 15 hours with his books 3 hours practicing his violin and the remaining 6 hours eating and sleeping”
Discussed
“and Jefferson agrees with this very strict stance right that there's no reason Parliament should be able to tax American land owners and Farmers for any purpose in American Sphinx Ellis describes Jefferson as turning into kind of a fundamentalist on this point”
Discussed
“In 'American Sphinx,' Ellis describes Jefferson as turning into kind of a fundamentalist on this point.”
Discussed
“I'm going to quote from 'American Sphinx' here: In Jefferson's account, a dedicated group of loyal Bostonians risked arrest and persecution to destroy a cargo of contraband.”
Discussed
“Now the whole point of that book by Ellis, 'American Sphinx,' the reason he calls it 'American Sphinx' is that Jefferson is really hard to pin down about this and other stuff.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“joining us now from amoris Massachusetts Joseph Ellis the Pulitzer prizewinning National book award-winning historian author of many books from founding Brothers to American Sphinx”