Thomas Jefferson, Time, and History

Abstract

John Locke considered the nature of time “very abstruse,” so Hannah Spahn accomplishes no small feat in lucidly tracing Thomas Jefferson's evolving views on time and history (p. 23). She offers many subtle readings of Jefferson texts as well as thoughtful reflections on such issues as the pace of historical change and the timeless appeal of the founders. The book's first part situates Jefferson within “the intellectual history of temporality” (p. 17), between what Isaac Newton called “absolute time”—the objectively measurable eons and epochs of natural laws—and a growing appreciation of “relative” time, experienced subjectively in hours, days, and years. Spahn terms the former rational time and the latter sentimental time. Jefferson's devotion to rational time was manifest in his collection and design of clocks and watches, in his meticulous record keeping, and in his rigorous organization of his daily schedule as well as those of his family and slaves. He believed that only by spending time conscientiously in the present could individuals and nations improve their future. French aristocrats, particularly women, and black slaves, he thought, were incapable of self-improvement because of their present-centeredness and lack of restraint, punctuality, and foresight.