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

The first full account of the relationship between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, countering the legend of their enmity while drawing vital historical lessons from the differences that arose between them.

Martha Washington's worst memory was her husband's death. Her second worst was Thomas Jefferson's awkward visit to pay respects to his estranged friend. Yet this estrangement has obscured the fact that for three decades prior, the two men enjoyed a productive relationship. Precisely because they shared so much, their disagreements have something important to teach us.

While Washington favored a traditional aristocracy, Jefferson preferred a more meritocratic approach whereby elites would vie for elected office on the basis of education and skills. And while Washington emphasized strong central government, Jefferson sought to diffuse power across the states. Still, as Francis Cogliano argues, common convictions equally defined their relationship: a passion for American independence and republican government, as well as commitments to commerce and westward expansion. Both men also developed skeptical views of slavery, even as they did little to abolish it.

The differences between the two statesmen mirrored political fissures of the early United States, as the unity of the revolutionary moment gave way to competing visions for a new nation. A Revolutionary Friendship captures the dramatic and unsettling reality that there was no single founding ideal--only compromise between friends and rivals.

About the author

Francis D. Cogliano is the author of Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson’s Foreign Policy. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and cohost of the American history podcast The Whiskey Rebellion, he is Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh and Acting Director of the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello.

Product details

• Authors: Francis D Cogliano, Cogliano Francis D.
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 30.06.2026
• EAN: 9780674304994
• ISBN: 978-0-674-30499-4
• No. of pages: 368
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 210 mm x 24 mm
• Weight: 331 g
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Political, Biography: historical, political & military, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State, HISTORY / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800), Political leaders & leadership, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Biography: historical, political and military, Political leaders and leadership, c 1765 to 1783 (American Revolutionary period), c 1783 to c 1800 (American Federalist era)