Jefferson's Landmark Deal

Lara M. Brown currently serves as a senior policy advisor to the Center on Civility and Democracy at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Previously, she held academic posts at the George Washington University and Villanova University. Among her scholarly publications, she is the author of Amateur Hour: Presidential Character and the Question of Leadership.

"In Jefferson’s Landmark Deal, Lara M. Brown provides a delightfully readable account of the circumstances and consequences of one of Thomas Jefferson’s signature actions, the Louisiana Purchase. Delving into the details of the contemporaneous moment, she also illuminates its ramifications for the long history of ever-increasing presidential power, and how that history pertains to our present moment. This insightful analysis is a must-read for those interested in communication, policymaking, history, and political science, and is especially relevant to those interested in how the nation and its presidency have developed from Jefferson’s time to now."—Mary E. Stuckey, author of Remembering Jefferson: Who He Was, Who We Are"With a keen eye for what one contemporary described as the 'twistings, combinations, and maneuvers’ of politics and diplomacy, Lara M. Brown brings a political scientist’s grasp of presidential character to her vigorous reexamination of the circumstances in which a stalwart proponent of strict construction exercised presidential powers to double the size of the fledgling republic and reshape the history of North America and the world."—Jon Kukla, author of A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America, Mr. Jefferson’s Women, and Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty"If any presidential decision deserves the moniker of ‘landmark,’ it is the acquisition of the vast swath of territory known as the Louisiana Purchase. Writing with the sensibility of a political scientist, Lara Brown illuminates what Fred Greenstein calls ‘the presidential difference’ by carefully unravelling the many ways Jefferson’s character and leadership enabled him to exploit the unparalleled opportunity presented to him. That opportunity may have, as Hamilton famously jibed, been ‘a fortuitous concurrence of unforeseen and unexpected circumstances,’ but Brown’s important new synthesis compels our appreciation for Jefferson the ‘skilled opportunist’ and practitioner of ‘smart luck.’"—Richard J. Ellis, author of Lincoln’s Last Card: The Emancipation Proclamation as a Case of Command "What happens when a strict adherence to the law prevents a president from greatly enhancing the nation’s interests? Lara Brown masterfully takes us inside Thomas Jefferson’s efforts to unpack the legal, political, and moral choices over the possible purchase of the Louisiana territory. Compelling, nuanced, and deeply insightful, this book is an instant classic in presidential decision-making."—Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount University, author of The Modern Presidency: Six Debates that Define the Institution"Other authors far too often portray Jefferson as a philosopher or a sanctimonious ideologue, when in fact, he was just another politician of his era. The Louisiana Purchase is commonly depicted as the result of a situation where Jefferson took advantage of the opportunity when America’s interests aligned with France’s, but the reality was much more fluid and complicated for both countries. Lara Brown does an excellent job at illuminating that state of affairs."—Donald A. Zinman, Grand Valley State University, author of The Heir Apparent Presidency and America’s First Wartime Election: James Madison, DeWitt Clinton, and the War of 1812

• PrefaceAcknowledgments1. The Politics of the Louisiana Purchase2. Thomas Jefferson’s Character and Early Leadership3. Jefferson’s Opposition Party and a Divided Nation4. President John Adams and the Federalist Fracture5. European Empires and Napoleon’s Imperial Ambitions6. The Historic Bargain and Jefferson’s Big Catch7. The Purchase’s Legacy and Jefferson’s PrecedentsNotesBibliographyIndex