re: American history book recommendations

quote:

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I didn't know that Jefferson twice attempted affairs with married women, including one who accused him of trying to force himself on her.

I didn't know that Sally Hemings was the half-sister of Jefferson's late wife Martha.

I didn't know that, while the two of them disliked each other before this, the deep bitterness that existed between Jefferson and Patrick Henry was the result of an "inquiry" that the Virginia House of Delegates did into Jefferson's conduct as Virginia governor.

I didn't know that Jefferson wanted to end slavery, but he feared a race war.

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Did the book cover James Callender? He was a journalist always digging up dirt on political figures of the time. Callender and Jefferson worked together to trash Hamilton in the press. He basically ended Hamilton's career by publishing an expose on how Hamilton slept with another man's wife and also had corrupt financial dealings. Hamilton wrote a public response admitting to the affair but denying that he had corrupt financial dealings. Hamilton claimed the woman's husband tried to blackmail him for money or else he would go public with the affair.

Jefferson promised Callender a government job, but never followed through on the promise. As a result, Callender began attacking Jefferson and wrote that Jefferson had children with Sally Hemming. Jefferson never publicly responded to the allegation (though today, through DNA, we know it's true).

Callender was later found floating in the river. The official story was that he was drunk and fell off a pier.