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Title details for Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's by Charles A. Cerami - Available

Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's

Three Men, Five Great Wines, and the Evening That Changed America

by Charles A. Cerami
William Dufris
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Soon after the new Constitution took effect and George Washington became president, the United States was in serious danger of disaster. A bitter political rivalry between two men who had once been allies and two surging issues that inflamed the nation led to grim talk of breaking up the fledgling republic. Then, a single great evening—arguably the most important dinner party in American history—achieved the compromises that led to America's mighty expansion. Though often mentioned, that dinner has not been recognized as a milestone in the nation's history, setting the stage for the next few years in American history. This book will give life to host Thomas Jefferson and his two guests, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, as well as the dinner itself—the courses, the wines, the nature of the conversation—and the rapid results that followed.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 1, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781481566988
      • File size: 227427 KB
      • Duration: 07:53:48

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 10-12

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In the wake of the American Revolution, the United States, collectively and individually, had acquired a sizable debt to numerous foreign governments. Questions of how to deal with the debt, as well as foreign policy and the location of the national government, led to a dispute between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison on one side and Alexander Hamilton on the other. To resolve these differences, Jefferson arranged a dinner between the three, during which they worked out solutions. William Dufris narrates this detailed historical work with ease. With his expressive and clear delivery, he sounds more like a storyteller recalling an intricate story than someone who is reading a text. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 4, 2008
      It was 1790, and Thomas Jefferson and one of his dinner guests, James Madison, were determined to work out a political compromise critical to the nation\x92s future with their third dinner companion (and political opponent), Alexander Hamilton. This gathering around Jefferson\x92s celebrated table involved nothing less than the creation of the young nation\x92s finances, foreign relations and the eventual location of its capital. The dinner\x92s results? An agreement that, Congress willing, the new government would assume the states\x92 war debts, issue bonds to fund the national debt and make the Potomac\x92s banks the capital\x92s permanent site. Congress agreed. Cerami (Jefferson\x92s Great Gamble) presents a fast-paced narrative of an event well-known but never told so brightly\x97nor at such unnecessary length. While Cerami puts the dinner-table agreement at his story\x92s center, it was but one of a number of seismic events, acts and decisions of the 1790s. Cerami slights many of those when he\x92s not giving us too much detail about other minor ones, such as Jefferson\x92s cooking recipes and a short disquisition (and a long document) on Hamilton\x92s role in the Coast Guard\x92s founding. Compression would have made this inherently fascinating story pack the punch it should.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:10-12

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