THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504060438
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Book Review
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBOTHAM
LENGTH: Long : 146 lines
THE REPUBLIC OF LETTERS
The Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison 1776-1826
JAMES MORTON SMITH
W.W. Norton. 3 vols. 2,304 pp. $150.
THOMAS JEFFERSON is generally regarded as America's greatest philosopher-statesman - and with good reason. The principles of Jeffersonian democracy form the core of our national identity. But Jefferson's ideas did not evolve in a vacuum. They were rooted in the philosophy of the Enlightenment, and they took shape through extended dialogues with his contemporaries.
Of all Jefferson's intellectual companions, James Madison was arguably the most influential. The two men met in 1776, as members of the Virginia House of Delegates, and remained close friends and political partners for the next 50 years. During that time, they exchanged nearly 1,250 letters, covering all of the important issues of the times, especially the debate over the Constitution. The Republic of Letters presents, for the first time, every surviving letter exchanged between the two men.
The beauty of these three volumes is that they can be appreciated on several levels. For scholars and students, needless to say, they are invaluable. But casual readers with an interest in Jefferson and Madison, or the era in which they lived, will also enjoy these books. In addition to the letters themselves, which are laid out chronologically, the volumes include editor James Morton Smith's lengthy but highly readable introductory essay, and short introductions to various periods in the lives of the two men. Throughout, his commentary highlights the most significant elements of the letters, so the reader does not have to wade through relative trivia. Smith also draws on other writings of the period to place the letters into a larger context. Indeed, readers will find the commentary enlightening, even if they decide not to delve into the letters at all.
The letters themselves are well worth reading, of course - and for a variety of reasons. First, as Smith notes, Jefferson and Madison were products of ``the golden age of letter writing,'' and both men stood ``supreme on the American scene'' as practitioners of this art form. Their prose is characterized by simplicity and elegance and can thus be enjoyed purely on an aesthetic level.
The letters are also fascinating because of what they reveal about the lives of these two intellectual and political giants. But perhaps the most important aspect of this correspondence is that it breathes life into the history of our nation's formative years. Madison's and Jefferson's exchanges on the new Constitution, for example, are more revealing - and express a greater sense of urgency - than even the best secondary historical accounts.
``I sincerely rejoice at the acceptance of our new constitution by nine states,'' Jefferson wrote from Paris in the summer of 1788. ``It is a good canvas, on which some strokes only want retouching.''
Among the improvements Jefferson had in mind was a Bill of Rights that would ``guard the people against the federal government. . . .'' Madison initially saw no need for a Bill of Rights, and his reasoning - spelled out in a lengthy letter to Jefferson - cannot be dismissed lightly. Later on, of course, Madison was the one who introduced the amendments and put forth persuasive arguments in support of them. He did so, he said, not because he personally believed the core Constitution was deficient but ``because a great number of our fellow citizens think these securities necessary.''
Notwithstanding their disagreement over the Bill of Rights - and a handful of other issues such as Shay's Rebellion - Madison and Jefferson shared a fundamental outlook that would bind them for the rest of their lives. Above all, each had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Ultimately, this mutual love of learning culminated in what Smith calls their great ``retirement project'' - the founding of the University of Virginia.
Jefferson had taken the lead on the formation of the university, envisioning it as a place where ``each science (would) be taught in the highest degree it has yet attained.'' But as these letters make clear, Madison was an ardent supporter of the project from the very beginning. In time, he became involved in all aspects of the project, from site selection to recruitment of faculty.
Not all of the Jefferson-Madison letters deal with profound intellectual problems or ambitious public projects. The correspondence is sprinkled with references to their wide-ranging but not especially pressing interests. In the summer of 1786, for example, Madison wrote that he had ``a little itch to gain a smattering of Chymistry'' and asked Jefferson if he could ``pick up some good elementary treatise'' for him.
Such was the nature of Madison's mind that in the midst of his struggle to resolve profound political and economic problems, he never let his sense of wonder languish. It was this intellectual vitality that made Madison the ideal companion and ally for Jefferson. And now, thanks to Smith, we can appreciate the full impact of this extraordinary friendship between the author of the Declaration of Independence and the father of the Constitution. MEMO: Tom Robotham is a writer and historian who lives in Norfolk.
ILLUSTRATION: Graphic with photo of Thomas Jefferson
``I like much the general idea of framing a government which
should go on of itself peaceably, without needing continual
recurrence to the state legislatures. I like the organization of the
government into Legislative, Judiciary and Executive. . . I am
captivated by the compromise of the opposite claims of the great and
little states, of the latter to equal, and the former to
proportional influence. . . I will now add what I do not like.
First, the omission of a bill of rights providing for. . . freedom
of religion, freedom of the press. . . restriction against
monopolies. . . and trials by jury. . . I own I am not a friend to a
very energetic government. It is always oppressive.''
Jefferson to Madison
Paris, Dec. 20, 1787
(The following is the last letter that Jefferson wrote to Madison
before the former's death on July 4, 1826.)
``In comparison with my sufferings of the last year, my health,
altho not restored, is greatly better. Could I be permitted to
employ myself in what would be most agreeable to myself, which would
be the passive occupation of reading I should probably wear on in
tolerable ease and tranquility. . . The correspondence of my
bosom-friends is still very dear, and welcome and consolatory. Yours
among the most. . . ''
Jefferson to Madison
Monticello, May 3, 1826
Graphic with photo of James Madison
``You will herewith receive the result of the Convention. . . It
appeared to be the sincere and unanimous wish of the Convention to
cherish and preserve the Union of the States. No proposition was
made. . . in favor of a partition of the Empire into two or more
Confederacies. . . Hence was embraced. . . a government which
instead of operating, on the States, should operate without their
intervention on the individuals composing them. . . ''
Madison to Jefferson
New York, Oct. 24, 1787
(Madison wrote the following letter in response to a pamphlet
that Alexander Hamilton published in which he denounced Jefferson
and his allies.)
``The publication under all its characters is a curious specimen
of the ingenious folly of its author. Next to the error of
publishing at all, is that of forgetting that simplicity and candour
are the only dress which prudence would put on innocence. Here we
see every rhetorical artifice employed to excite the spirit of party
to prop up his sinking reputation. . . (H)e deals out in every page
the most malignant insinuations. . . The one against you is a
masterpiece of folly, because its impotence is in exact proportion
to its venom. . . Yrs. affecly.''
Madison to Jefferson
Orange County, Va., Oct. 20, 1797 by CNB