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Overview
This book examines Thomas Jefferson's attempt to combine respect for a fundamental constitution with the fact that no set of laws can foresee every event. His solution to this problem offers a democratic, yet strong, alternative to the more common, Hamiltonian solution. Jefferson scholars have long written of 'two Jeffersons,' one before he became president and one after he became president. The first was opposed to a strong executive, while the second embraced one out of necessity. This book challenges this account. It presents Jefferson's understanding of executive power, which, though it developed over time, pointed to an executive that was both democratic and powerful.Editorials
From the Publisher
"Jeremy D. Bailey has accomplished something truly remarkable. In Thomas Jefferson and Executive Power, he has thoroughly and convincingly overturned the received historical wisdom....pathbreaking"-Presidential Studies Quarterly
"...timely and highly readable...There will be more books on Jefferson, but this is the best among the recent offerings."
-The Federal Lawyer
"...stands alone against Henry Adams's Jefferson, and wins...Bailey's Jefferson solves one of the puzzles at the heart of Jefferson's intellectual and political life...Bailey's understanding of Jefferson's executive power is so persuasive that it changes the question from what Jefferson actually thought to whether he was right about what he actually thought."
-Benjamin A. Kleinerman, Review of Politics
"Jeremy Bailey has written a fine analysis of [Thomas] Jefferson’s theory and practice of presidential leadership that is relevant for the contemporary presidency."
-Erwin C. Hargrove, Vanderbilt University, Congress & the Presidency
"[A] tightly written text."
-Douglas A. Ollivant, ISAF Counterinsurgency Advisory/Assistance Team, Perspectives on Politics