At 2:04 PM -0500 4/12/01, Paul Finkelman wrote: > >In fact, Jefferson's status or that of any >other president may be harmed or enhanced by what we find out about >them. Their >private lives may not affect how we view their public acts or even >their famous >words; but surely what we know about Jefferson as slaveowner does >affect our views >of him as person and even as a president. snips happen > >Serious historians, on the other hand, are not in the business of >defending the >honor or reputation of the Founders; we are in the business of understanding >people, their lives and the world they lived. I have problems reconciling these two statements from Professor Finkelman. Jefferson as slaveowner was merely a member of his class. To appreciate his works, of course, we must understand that they are from the pen of a slaveowner. But he was a lot of other things, too. He was a serious student of the Bible. He was a scientist. He was an amateur architect. He was a farmer. He was an industrialist. He was a politician. To identify "slaveowner" as a dominant characteristic of Jefferson's persona is to seriously distort the man as a whole, in the context of the milieu where he lived. So do we interpret the advocate of religious freedom as a slaveowner, or as a friend of Baptists? Do we interpret the architect of Monticello as a slaveowner, or as a student of classical architecture? While you can't isolate any aspect of this incredibly complex person, all the aspects must be present in any interpretation. While I happen to be a professional historian, I have misgivings about some of the basic tenets of the profession. Professional historians supposedly keep a certain detachment, but the best historical writing is anything but detached. Read any of the great historical writers: Samuel Eliot Morisn, Winston Churchill, or Ivor Noel Hume. I could name many more, but the curious fact is that none of the best historical writers are professors of history. There is a possibility that detachment is a disability when we want to interpret people's lives and works. Is it really possible for one human being to write about another without developing some kind of personal attachment? -- Ned Heite ([log in to unmask]) ************************************************* * Today's compost wisdom: * * Think about your fertilizer bill before * * you throw out that biodegradable garbage! * ************************************************* To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html