Democracy’s Muse Book Review

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In the latter half of the book, Burstein explains how Jefferson has played a role in today’s culture war. According to Burstein, the recent culture war facing society today is all about race and sexes. Due to the fact that Jefferson himself was a slave owner, he has been placed in the middle of some discussions about the race problem today. Traditional conservatives who believe that the Revolutionary Era was ideal argue that Jefferson encompassed the ideal American life, including the fact that he owned slaves. One point to think about is the fact that, as far as historians know, Jefferson never held to a specific religion. Christians have been trying to make Jefferson fit into their religion, and many others see Jefferson as a Deist, or even an Atheist. The reality of the situation is, Burstein believes, that because Christians have been unable to label Jefferson as a Christian, they have concluded that the best option would be to try and diminish his influence on modern society. Both liberals and conservatives have been trying to make Jefferson fit into the molds of their respective thought processes. Burstein believes that Jefferson is viewed so differently in political and social ways ultimately because liberals have accepted a racially pluralistic society and conservatives have not. Conservatives have romanticized the Revolutionary Era, where white people had social power over other races. Due to the fact that Jefferson was a slave owner, they see him as one of their own.

“Democracy’s Muse” is a reminder of how powerful historical memory can really be. Burstein asserts that context in history is very important, and he is right. By putting Thomas Jefferson into historical context, historians are able to see him in the accurate light, and understand Jefferson for who he truly was. Moving forward, Burstein does not have any predictions as to what new ways Jefferson will be interpreted next. He does conclude that Jefferson is currently entrenched as a conservative.

Thomas Jefferson is, and will continue to be interpreted differently by different people. “Democracy’s Muse” is a book that brings to light the historical context of why Jefferson seems to fit well into both Republican and Democratic circles. Burstein does a great job, making “Democracy’s Muse” an interesting read, and does an excellent job evaluating Thomas Jefferson and how he has been interpreted throughout history.

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