|
|
Author's Preface
he materials for this volume are principally derived from the posthumous works of Mr. Jefferson himself. These works were received with extraordinary approbation by one great portion of the public, as was the case indeed with everything which ever came from that remarkable man; and by another considerable portion with a corresponding degree of dissatisfaction, always to be expected from the well-known opinions of the author on certain fundamental points upon which a strongly marked division of public sentiment has prevailed since the foundation of the federal government.
These works, The Memoirs, Correspondence and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson, edited by his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, extend through four large octavo volumes of about 500 pages each, nearly the whole of which is occupied with the correspondence of the author, public and private. And taken as a whole, it comprises the richest autobiographical deposit and one of the most valuable publications ever presented to the world. It is written in a style of unrivaled felicity and supplies the record of many important transactions connected with our government, of which few authentic memorials have been preserved. But it is in the light of its private revelation, making its disclosures from the inmost recesses of the mind and character of the man, that its most distinguishing excellence consists. We have here the ungarbled contents of the cabinet of the author, gradually accumulating through an era among the most momentous in the annals of the world, and in which he was himself a principal actor, incessantly placed in the most trying situations which it afforded. This vast collection of letters, compiled from the unrevised manuscripts of the writer, thrown off on the spur of the occasion in the freedom of unrestrained confidence, and spreading over a period of fifty years, have opened the folding-doors to the character of Mr. Jefferson and introduced us into the sanctuary of his most secret meditations. They derive essential importance from the fact that at the time they were written, the author had no conception of their ever being made public.[note]
It would undoubtedly be a happy circumstance for this country and for the mass of mankind, besides serving to enhance the reputation of the author, if these works could obtain a circulation which should place them in the hands of every reader; for if anything could give stability to those principles which form alike the basis of his renown and the elements of the splendid structure of free government which he was instrumental in establishing, it would be such an extensive dissemination of his writings. Unfortunately, however, the form in which they have appeared is not the most advantageous to the accomplishment of this desirable purpose. The publication is too voluminous, and consequently too expensive, to admit of a general circulation; nor is the mode of arrangement the best adapted to its reception into ordinary use as a work of reference.
These considerations have suggested the plan of the present undertaking, which aspires to no higher claims than that of an analytic and, it is hoped, a well-assorted generalization of the original publication. It has been the leading object of this compilation to condense the most valuable substance of the four within the compass of one volume, and to supply what are presumed to be essential wants of the former, by interweaving a connected narrative of the author's life. The more important political papers of Mr. Jefferson contained in the original works have been copied into this, or their substance faithfully stated, and many others of importance that have been procured from other sources are likewise introduced.
The selections from his private correspondence are dispersed through the volume with reference to the topic under consideration, more than to the order of time; and in making the quotations from this department, it has been the object to bring the greatest quantity of useful matter within the smallest space. Parts of letters, therefore, are usually introduced -- rarely the whole of any one -- but sufficient to give the full sense of the writer on any required point, avoiding all extraneous observations. The historical and biographical portions of the work have also been derived, in great part, from this pregnant source. In some cases, the very language of the author has been adopted without invariably noting it with the usual mark of credit. In such cases, however, the style of the sentiment will be sufficiently distinguishable to place it where it belongs. Some parts of the narrative may appear overwrought with eulogy; it is indeed a difficult matter to commemorate the deeds of so distinguished a benefactor of the human race without yielding in some degree to the influence of a passion which those deeds are so justly calculated to inspire; and the writer does not scruple to admit that he has less endeavored to restrain his own grateful feelings, than to infuse them into the minds of his readers.
Top | Chapter 1. | Front Page
This page hosted by GeoCities. Get your own Free Home Page.