A Revolutionary Friendship: Washington, Jefferson, and the American Republic

Martha Washington's worst memory was the death of her husband. Her second worst was Thomas Jefferson's awkward visit to pay his respects. Indeed, by the time George Washington died in 1799, the two founders were estranged. But that estrangement has obscured the fact that for most of their thirty-year acquaintance they enjoyed a productive relationship. Precisely because they shared so much, their disagreements have something important to teach us.



Whereas Washington believed in the rule of t...