On the occasion of Thomas Jefferson's 250th birthday, a number of today's leading historicans take a fresh look at our third president, architect of democracy for his time and still for ours. Jeffersonian Legacies reconstructs the worlds Thomas Jefferson created for himself and envisioned for his countrymen.

The authors consider Jefferson's career as a slave owner, his ambiguous and controversial testimony on the institution of slavery, and his significance for the civil rights movement and contemporary race relations. Jeffersonian Legacies provides the next generation of students, scholars, and citizens a better understanding not only of Jefferson in his own world but also his influence in the shaping of ours.