Review Essays

Jefferson's "Empire for Liberty"

Bernard W. Sheehan

Odd that Thomas Jefferson excluded the Louisiana Purchase from the list of accomplishments to be chiseled on his gravestone. And for the rest of the nineteenth century, posterity agreed with this estimate. Not until the centennial celebration of the Purchase in 1903 did the public come to think of Jefferson's acquisition as a major event in his life.1 Nowadays the decision to buy a major section of the continent rates as a crucial event (perhaps the crucial event) in the making of the United States as a major industrial and continental nation. True, in keeping with the currently fashionable practice of stressing Jeffersonian hypocrisy, some historians quibble about the president's betrayal of his constitutional principles in acquiring the western territory, but his compromise of strict construction remains a minor blemish in his biography. Besides, the decision can as easily be seen as evidence of practicality in a man whose thought was so often circumscribed by the imperatives of Enlightenment universalism. Considering, then, the modern tendency of historians to rummage through the past for evidence of moral shortcomings, it is surprising how much agreement can be found on the merits and significance of the Louisiana Purchase.	1
But if historians do not much argue about Jefferson's decision, there is still a good deal to discuss. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Henry Adams doubted that Jefferson deserved much credit for obtaining the new lands. He portrayed the president as largely passive in the great drama unfolding in Paris and St. Domingue. Jefferson simply acquiesced in what others made happen. This interpretation, no doubt, seriously under-estimated Jefferson's role in the affair, though it is probably true to say that neither Jefferson nor his secretary of state James Madison were completely in command of the diplomatic situation. The Adams version of the story will not stand up to modern scrutiny.2 More controversial, from the earliest years after the purchase, were the relative roles of Robert R. Livingston, James Monroe, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, François Barbé-Marbois, and Napoleon Bonaparte in the diplomatic maneuverings between 1800 and 1803. Livingston has perhaps been the most controversial figure. On the whole, history has not been kind to him. It took George Dangerfield and more recently Charles Cerami to rescue the New York politician's diplomatic reputation.3	2
Jefferson's draft of his tombstone and epitaph, c. 1820. Jefferson wanted to be memorialized for only three things—the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the University of Virginia—and his wishes were followed. Courtesy Library of Congress, Manuscript Division   . . . There are about 6424 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.