"I Tremble for My Country": Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Gentry

At every turn, Hatzenbuehler is interested in the backstory, the factors mat influenced A Summary View of the Rights of British America, the Declaration of Independence, Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson's extreme statements in defense of liberty and revolution in the 1780s and 1790s, the policy decisions he made as president, and the building of bodi the University of Virginia and his home at Poplar Forest. The problem of slavery runs as a theme throughout the book, a theme alluded to in the title, mentioned in all chapters, but not featured principally in the book's introduction or thesis statement.