The Papers of Thomas Jefferson

FAIN: RQ-50257-07

Princeton University (Princeton, NJ 08540-5228)
Barbara Bowen Oberg (Project Director: November 2006 to February 2011)

Scholarly work on volumes 34-39 of the multi-volume edition of the Thomas Jefferson papers. (36 months)

This project at Princeton University is preparing the authoritative book edition as well as a digital edition of the already-published volumes of the papers of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), scientist, primary author of the Declaration of Independence, advocate of religious freedom and freedom of the press, and the nation's third president. Less than 20 percent of his documentary legacy had been published previous to the inception of the Princeton edition. Thirty-eight volumes have appeared under the imprint of the Princeton University Press, thirty-three in the chronological series and five in the topical. During the proposed grant period, 2007-2010, we will work on six volumes of Jefferson's presidency, Volumes 34-39. We will submit three of these volumes to the Press. Together they cover 1 May 1801 through 30 April 1803, reaching the heart of the first term of Jefferson's presidency.

Associated Products

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 38, 1 July to 12 November 1802 (Book)
Title: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 38, 1 July to 12 November 1802
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Editor: Research Associate John E. Little
Editor: General Editor Barbara B. Oberg
Editor: Senior Associate Editor James P. McClure
Editor: Senior Associate Editor Elaine Weber Pascu
Editor: Associate Editor Tom Downey
Editor: Associate Editor Martha J. King
Editor: Assistant Editor W. Bland Whitley
Editor: Editorial Assistant Linda Monaco
Abstract: Volume 38 opens on 1 July 1802, when Jefferson is in Washington, and closes on 12 November, when he is again there. For the last week of July and all of August and September, he resides at Monticello. Frequent correspondence with his heads of department and two visits with Secretary of State James Madison, however, keep the president abreast of matters of state. Upon learning in August of the declaration of war by Mawlay Sulayman, the sultan of Morocco, much of the president's and the cabinet's attention is focused on that issue, as they struggle to balance American diplomatic efforts with reliance on the country's naval power in the Mediterranean. Jefferson terms the sultan's actions "palpably against reason." In September, he addresses the concerns of the mayor of New York City and the governor of South Carolina that free blacks expelled from Guadeloupe by the French will be landed onto American shores. Although he believes the matter will be dealt with by the states, he also instructs Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin to direct custom house officers to be watchful. In late August, Jefferson is alerted that he has been touched by the "breath of Slander," when James T. Callender's accusations appear in the Richmond Recorder and make public his relationship with Sally Hemings. The president offers no comment, and a month later returns to Washington, where he continues planning for an impending visit by his daughters.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/papers-of-thomas-jefferson-volume-38-1-july-to-12-november-1802/oclc/775873126&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9575.html
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9781400840038

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 39, 13 November 1802 to 3 March 1803 (Book)
Title: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 39, 13 November 1802 to 3 March 1803
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Editor: John E. Little, Research Associate
Editor: Barbara B. Oberg, General Editor
Editor: James P. McClure, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Elaine Weber Pascu, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Tom Downey, Associate Editor
Editor: Martha J. King. Associate Editor
Editor: W. Bland Whitley, Assistant Editor
Editor: Linda Monaco, Editorial Assistant
Abstract: This volume opens on 13 November 1802, when Jefferson is in Washington, and closes on 3 March 1803, the final day of his second year as president. The central issue of these months is the closing of the right of deposit at New Orleans, an act that threatens the economic wellbeing of Westerners. Jefferson asks his old friend Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours to remind the French government of the strong friendship between the two nations. To disarm the political opposition, the president sends James Monroe, who is respected by the Federalists, to Europe as a special envoy to work with Robert Livingston in negotiating the dispute with France. Jefferson proposes a "bargain" that will result in the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory. In a confidential message to Congress, Jefferson seeks $2,500 to send a small party of men to explore the Missouri River. Congress concurs, and Jefferson's secretary Meriwether Lewis will lead the expedition. Settling the boundaries with Native American lands is a major theme of the volume. In reality, "settling" results in major cessions of Indian lands to the American government. During the months of this volume Jefferson never leaves the capital, even for a brief sojourn at Monticello. He does, however, enjoy a visit of six weeks from his daughters and two of his grandchildren. They participate in Washington society, capture the affection of Margaret Bayard Smith, and brighten Jefferson's days.
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/papers-of-thomas-jefferson-volume-39-13-november-1802-to-3-march-1803/oclc/811729292&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9880.html
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780691156712

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 40, March to July 1803 (Book)
Title: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 40, March to July 1803
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Editor: John E. Little, Research Associate
Editor: Barbara Oberg, General Editor
Editor: James P. McClure, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Elaine Weber Pascu, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Tom Downey, Associate Editor
Editor: Martha J. King, Associate Editor
Editor: W. Bland Whitley, Assistant Editor
Editor: Linda Monaco, Editorial Assistant
Abstract: This volume opens on 4 March 1803, the first day of Jefferson's third year as president. Still shaken by the closing of the right of deposit at New Orleans, he confronts the potential political consequences of a cession of Louisiana to France that might result in a denial of American access to the Mississippi. But he resists pressures to seize New Orleans by force, urging patience instead. The cabinet determines in April that "all possible procrastinations" should be used in dealing with France, but that discussions with Great Britain move forward as well. In Paris, a treaty for the cession of the Louisiana Territory to the United States is signed, and in May the right of deposit is restored. On 3 July, word reaches Jefferson in Washington of the agreement that France has sold the entire Territory for $15 million. The glorious news, which may be the most momentous that Jefferson receives while president, appears in the National Intelligencer the following day. Having received congressional approval to send an expedition to locate a continental route to the Pacific, Jefferson drafts instructions and a cipher for Meriwether Lewis and arranges for the needed instruments. Following through on a promise to a friend to give his views of Christianity, Jefferson puts his religious creed on paper, a "Syllabus" of the morals of Jesus and the comparative merits of Christianity. He intends it only for a few trusted friends.
Year: 2013
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/papers-of-thomas-jefferson-volume-40/oclc/841391683&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat Listing
Secondary URL: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10132.html
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780691160375
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 41, 11 July to 15 November 1803 (Book)
Title: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 41, 11 July to 15 November 1803
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Editor: John E. Little, Research Associate
Editor: Barbara B. Oberg, Editor
Editor: James P. McClure, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Elaine Weber Pascu, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Tom Downey, Associate Editor
Editor: Martha J. King, Associate Editor
Editor: W. Bland Whitley, Assistant Editor
Editor: Linda Monaco, Editorial Assistant
Abstract: The Louisiana Purchase dominates the months covered in this volume. Jefferson departs for Monticello to enjoy a needed respite after the busy three and a half months he has just spent in the nation’s capital. Shortly before leaving Washington, he has a last meeting with his cabinet, after which he issues a proclamation to reconvene Congress on 17 October, three weeks early. It is the “great and weighty” business of the French government’s stunning offer to transfer all of the Louisiana Territory to the United States that necessitates this important gathering. The event brings Jefferson enthusiastic congratulations from his friends and fellow Republicans. With Jefferson’s great success, however, comes the reality of getting the agreement with France approved and implemented. The boundaries of the territory ceded are not even clear. In private letters to his trusted advisers, Jefferson discusses the proper course of action. Should both houses of Congress be called to consider the French offer? Is it prudent to make the substance of a treaty public? And perhaps most vexing, does this executive action require an amendment to the Constitution? Some Federalists criticize the plan, but an expansion of the nation’s territory, proponents argue, will raise America’s stature in the eyes of the world. With the widening of the country’s borders, Jefferson’s project to send an exploratory party westward seems even timelier. William Clark accepts Meriwether Lewis’s invitation to join the expedition, and on the last day of August Lewis begins his journey down the Ohio River, the building of his boat finally complete.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/papers/oclc/16353926&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10373.html
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780691164205
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 42, November 1803 to March 1804 (Book)
Title: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Volume 42, November 1803 to March 1804
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Editor: John E. Little, Research Associate
Editor: James P. McClure, Editor
Editor: Elaine Weber Pascu, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Tom Downey, Associate Editor
Editor: Martha J. King, Associate Editor
Editor: W. Bland Whitley, Associate Editor
Editor: Andrew J.B. Fagal, Assistant Editor
Editor: Merry Ellen Scofield, Assistant Editor
Editor: Linda Monaco, Editorial Assistant
Abstract: In the 42 volume of this series, President Jefferson makes the Louisiana Purchase, tries to avoid war with Morocco in the Mediterranean, and continues dealing with political and diplomatic issues, all the while keeping up with his scientific interests. The Lewis and Clark expedition reaches St. Louis, Congress passes the 12th amendment, and Jefferson is nominated for a second presidential term.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/papers-of-thomas-jefferson-volume-42-16-november-1803-to-10-march-1804/oclc/926820321&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10746.html
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780691170466
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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