Thomas Jefferson as the embodiment of the enlightenment is in full view in this excellent study of his philosophical evolution. Taking Jefferson’s nearly 20,000 letters as a base Holowchak investigates his thinking that ranges from race and African-Americans to religion, language, science, and many others subjects. Jefferson emerges as complex but also with a strongly moralist character that loved thinking and learning.

Richard Guy Wilson, University of Virginia

A well-written, thoughtful and provocative book of interest to anyone who finds Jefferson continuing influence on the world and United States important. It's emphasis on the moral and ethical dimension of this Founder's philosophical outlook and exhaustive treatment of the scholarly literature make this work significant.

Garrett Ward Sheldon, Clinch Valley College, University of Virginia

This profound and original study stands out in the crowded field of Jefferson studies by considering the great man as a serious – if not systematic – philosopher. While scholars have shied in the past for various reasons from examining Thomas Jefferson as a philosopher, M. Andrew Holowchak makes a first and remarkably successful attempt that brings to the fore significant and heretofore unrecognized aspects in Jefferson's thought. By addressing scholars across many disciplines, Dutiful Correspondent is set to spawn an important conversation among students of the sage of Monticello.

Eran Shalev, Haifa University, Israel