Lincoln a Most Fascinating Man

American History is a particular interest of mine. There are two Presidents from the past that have always interested me, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. I have been to Monticello many times and have read several books on both Jefferson and Lincoln.

Lincoln's Last Trial is written by Dan Abrams and David Fisher.  If you watch Good Morning America, then you are familiar with Dan Abrams since he is the shows legal analyst.

 The book centers around a trial Lincoln accepted around the time he was considering running for President of the United States. It is a local murder trial and what makes it very interesting is the fact that the murder victim had trained in his law office.  The accused man was the son of Lincoln's good friend and loyal supporter. In this day and age with all the legal mumbo jumbo going on, Lincoln would never have accepted the case since it would definitely be seen as conflict of interest. Times were very different then and practice of the law was evolving and extremely fluid.

At this time he had an untarnished reputation and taking this case was very risky for him especially since he was considering a run for President.

The book gave great incite into Lincoln the man.  It captured all the drama in the courtroom. In fact, I actually felt like I was in the court room. In addition it discussed how the law was interpreted at the time.  The comparison of the law then and now was extremely interesting.

I would highly recommend this book if you want to get a good feel for Lincoln's character and for his prowess in the courtroom.

Jefferson, One of my Favorite Guys in History

Thomas Jefferson has to be one of my  favorite figures in Colonial History. He was a multi-faceted individual. At sixteen, he entered the College of William and Mary and graduated two years later. In addition to being a politician, he was an inventor,architect, horticulturist,and a musician (he played the violin).  That is why when I was on the hunt for a non-fiction book this one stood out.  If you are ever in the Charlottesville, Virginia area go see Monticello his home where many of his inventions are on display.

Jefferson, as you may well know was the second Vice President under John Adams and then went on to become the third President of the United States. He was one of the Founding Fathers and one of the principal authors of the Declaration of Independence.  He held many positions in the United States government including the first Secretary of state and the "ambassador to Europe" which lead him to take up residency in France. 

Jefferson had a love for cooking with fresh ingredients. France was a perfect place for someone with a more discerning palate such as his. He took his slave James Hemings with him and paid for James to be an  apprentice in a French kitchen.  His hope was to bring the cuisine back to the colonies and incorporate it into everyday dishes.

The cuisine of Virginia during Jefferson's lifetime was more comfort food with very little done to develop the flavors of the food. My foodie friends probably would reject the food served as being to boring.

The gentry and some of the middle class had plenty to eat and it was not uncommon to be served a Huge breakfast and dinner.  A common breakfast according to this book was freshly baked bread, corn pone, pancakes, cold ham, chicken and several types of hash. Coffee and tea were both served. My breakfast of toast and coffee pales against the early colony breakfast. Dinner was lots of meats, veggies from the garden, salad etc.

Jefferson enjoyed experimenting with different varieties of plants.  He imported many of them from Europe. Monticello was a "laboratory" for his many species of fruits and vegetables.  Grapes were grown for wine making.  Should you choose to visit his home, there is a the Jefferson Vineyards that you may want to swing by on your way home.

When the French added their might and army to assist during the Revolution they brought with them their cuisine which Jefferson immediately enjoyed.  Sadly the colonists did not share his love.  It wouldn't be until years later that Americans would accept French cooking.  In fact, Americans can credit Julia Childs for making it popular in the 1960's and to this day it is incorporated into many of the dishes eaten here in the US.

I have gone on and on but really if you are looking to read a little history of Jefferson and his time  that is not bogged down with a lot of talk about politics than this might be your book. It focuses of course on cuisine and the relationships between the people of his times. It also gives an account of life in Paris before the French Revolution.

If you are looking to read about Jefferson from a different perspective than this is your book. And if you are interested in the first American Cookbook click on the book below.