History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson

“The greatest prose masterpiece of non-fiction in America in the 19th century” — Garry Wills, historian

“A master of English prose … a history yet to be replaced.” — C. Vann Woodward, The New York Times Book Review

Henry Adams’ History of the United States During the Administration of Thomas Jefferson is a complete and detailed account of political life in the U.S. from 1801 to 1809. 

With access to previously unavailable records from Europe, Adams chronicles the fascinating web of 19th century international diplomatic relations, the cast of characters including — in addition to the compelling figure of Jefferson himself — Napoleon Bonaparte, Aaron Burr, John Randolph and Toussaint L’Ouverture. 

“One of the greatest histories ever written in English, Henry Adams’s History of the United States is remarkable for its fullness of detail, its penetrating insight, and above all its strong, lively, and ironic style.” — Earl N. Harbert 

Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and member of the Adams political family, being descended from two U.S. Presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he was secretary to his father, Charles Francis Adams, Abraham Lincoln's ambassador in London, a posting that had much influence on the younger man, both through experience of wartime diplomacy and absorption in English culture, especially the works of John Stuart Mill. After the American Civil War, he became a noted political journalist who entertained America's foremost intellectuals at his homes in Washington and Boston. In his lifetime, he was best known for his History of the United States During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, a 9-volume work, praised for its literary style. His posthumously published memoirs, The Education of Henry Adams, won the Pulitzer Prize and went on to be named by the Modern Library as the top English-language nonfiction book of the 20th century.