Historical Book Review: American Sphinx Thomas Jefferson stands as one of the greatest giants of American history symbolizing the vision that founded this nation whose soul and achievements have been searched and researched numerous times. In the biography American Sphinx authored by Joseph J Ellis, Jefferson’s life is evaluated at key points in his life rather than following the traditional biography format. Unlike the usual historical texts, Ellis focus delves deeper into capturing Jefferson’s character in 5 different episodes in his career covering twenty-seven years of his life. However, despite having strict chronological chapters, Ellis struggles stay within the bounds leaving many to believe the reading is cumbersome. Ellis declares that it is his “goal to catch Jefferson at propitious moments in his life, to zoom in on his thoughts and actions during those extended moments, [and] to focus on the values and convictions that reveal themselves in these specific historical contexts”. (Ellis, xi) …show more content…
(Ellis, 11). According to Robert P. Sutton, “taking [Ellis] at his own standard, he has succeeded in meeting it remarkably well…he has mastered the scholarly literature on his subject. (Sutton, 612) Robert Middlekauff states that although there are “no surprises” in Ellis’ rendition of these five Jeffersonian periods, there are “interesting interpretations in each” showing the life of young Jefferson through “the eyes of a romantic, even of a sentimentalist”. (Middlekauff, 436) Although Ellis offers a fresh take on the inner workings of Thomas Jefferson, his explanations often favors “psychological interpretation” in the presentation of his