Thomas Jefferson: A Film By Ken Burns

Returning from France, Jefferson strives to preserve the fragile new U.S. government and helps create the first political party, in bitter struggles with the Federalists. He becomes vice president in 1797, and the third U.S. president in 1801. His Louisiana Purchase doubles the nation's size, but he faces controversy and scandal, finally retiring to his beloved Monticello in 1809. His last years are spent founding the University of Virginia.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 097368859340
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: PBS Home Video
• Number of Disks: 1
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Anything touched by Ken Burns must be good.

This film is split-focused, half on the man and half on the politics of the man. There is a lot of visual support as the subject matter changes. The only drawback with this presentation is that it is mostly in soundbite format; that is, approximately 5 presenters each present one point at a time with five different views, then move on to the next point. Thomas Jefferson is a complex person in a complex subject. Each of these film presentations shows a different aspect of Thomas Jefferson. I suggest that before you view this film, you view “American Experience: John and Abigail Adams” (2005), as there is as much information about Thomas Jefferson as there is about the Adamses. And in this case, Ken Burns is not as well-rounded as in most of his presentations, and you can use the background information ahead of time from the other film. Whether you’re interested in Thomas Jefferson or the times that he lived in, the American Revolution, or just curious about history, you will not be disappointed in this presentation and may want to watch it more than once. Just a note: Thomas Jefferson had between 9,000 and 10,000 books. His famous Monticello library was sold to Congress; that number is 6,487 volumes. I have no empty walls with 10K+ books.