Empire of Liberty: The Statecraft of Thomas Jefferson / Edition 1

by Robert W. Tucker, David C. Hendrickson

Overview

Empire of Liberty takes a new look at the public life, thought, and ambiguous legacy of one of America's most revered statesmen, offering new insight into the meaning of Jefferson in the American experience. This work examines Jefferson's legacy for American foreign policy in the light of several critical themes which continue to be highly significant today: the struggle between isolationists and interventionists, the historic ambivalence over the nation's role as a crusader for liberty, and the relationship between democracy and peace. Written by two distinguished scholars, this book provides invaluable insight into the classic ideas of American diplomacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195074833
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/30/1992
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 5.31(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Robert Tucker is Professor of American Diplomacy at the School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. He has written widely on American foreign policy, nuclear weapons, and international law and ethics. David Hendrickson is Associate Professor of Political Science at Colorado College, and is the author of two books on American defense policy. Their previous book together, The Fall of the First British Empire: Origins of the War of American Independence, appeared in 1982.

Table of Contents

Part I.	An American Statesman
1.	The Man and the Nation	3
2.	Jefferson and the Diplomacy of the Old Regime	11
3.	"Conquering Without War,"	18
Part II.	The Development of Republican Statecraft (1783-1801)
4.	Commerce, Manufactures, and the West	25
5.	The Rival Systems of Hamilton and Jefferson	33
6.	Neutrality and the Law of Nations	48
7.	The Diplomacy of Federalism	64
8.	Toward the Republican Triumph of 1800	74
Part III.	The Diplomacy of Expansion (1801-5)
9.	The Nature of Jefferson's Success	87
10.	The Significance of the Mississippi Valley	95
11.	Napoleon's Colonial Design	101
12.	War and Alliance in Republican Diplomacy	108
13.	"Playing for Time,"	125
14.	The Gambit for West Florida	137
15.	Lessons of the Louisiana Purchase	145
16.	The Empire of Liberty: The Conflict between Means and Ends	157
Part IV.	The Maritime Crisis (1805-9)
17.	The Nature of Jefferson's Failure	175
18.	Jefferson's Diplomatic Design	180
19.	The Anglo-American Dispute: Neutral Rights and Impressment	189
20.	The Abortive Peace Settlement	198
21.	Jefferson and the Embargo	204
22.	Neutral Rights versus the Balance of Power	214
23.	Embargo and War	222
Part V.	The Jeffersonian Legacy
24.	The Role of a Democratic Foreign Policy	231
25.	The Isolationist Impulse	239
26.	Jefferson and Liberty: Exemplar or Crusader?	249
	Notes	257
	Bibliography	337
	Index	349

Editorial Reviews

"[A] very worthwhile survey of Jeffersonian America."—Paul Doutrich, York College of Pennsylvania

"An interesting and provocative interpretation of Jefferson. Well-written and very persuasive."—Thomas A. Schwartz, Vanderbilt University

"The most provocative and stimulating single volume now available on Jefferson's diplomacy."—Journal of Southern History

"An excellent book that is the best succinct account of Jefferson's foreign policy and a superb primer for understanding America's response to the outside world."—New York Times Book Review

"An impressive intellectual exercise. Two able political scientists have moved in among historians to produce an insightful history of Thomas Jefferson's public life written with verve and high style."—Journal of American History

From the Publisher