John Adams

Daniel McCullough:  John Adams
John Adams:  2nd President (1797-1801); b. 1735; d. 1826

I’m a big fan of John Adams, and McCullough obviously is as well.  He’s a unique politician and statesman—he believes in the cause of the United States and is convinced that he’s right (common), but he’s so stubborn that he completely refuses to change his approach of his ways even when it’s apparent to him that by doing so he could better achieve his goals (supremely uncommon).  He’s principled—it’s a strength and a weakness.

The books is obviously a masterpiece.  McCullough won all sorts of awards for this book, and he gives a rich and detailed account of Adams’s life.  McCullough also does a wonderful job of working in certain details of each of the other individuals who played a role in Adams’s life:  his wife plays a major role; Jefferson is prominent; his son is a key character (more as he relates to his father’s career that in regards to his own); Franklin; King George; etc.  This is a huge book, 700+ pages, which is rather lengthy for someone living mainly in the 18th century.  But Adams was a vociferous writer and his prominent role in many crucial historical events more than justifies the length.  And McCullough, as always, keeps the reader engaged and does an excellent job of making sure that the reader isn’t lost in a sea of details.

 

Abigail Adams:  She’s obviously intelligent but unbelievably stogy.  She’s like the archetypical puritan—it’s like enjoyment is itself a sin.  But she’s supportive of her husband and makes obvious contributions to the cause of liberty.  And the way in which she loosens up when she gets to Paris is truly enjoyable to read about.  What’s also great is the extent to which the other founders—especially the southerners Jefferson and Washington—are drawn to her and her intelligence.

Her relationship to her sons is a central piece of the book.  She seems to have been extremely overbearing.  Her oldest son, John Quincy, appears to have at times struggled under the weight of her high expectations, and was nervous and high strung for most of his life.  Her other sons slowly descended into alcoholism, and their early deaths were major tragedies for her and her husband.  She was also a member of the Massachusetts aristocracy, cousin to the Hancocks and other prominent families in and around Boston.  She was a real puritan, both in her views and in her ancestry.  While 1620 seems like a long time ago to us (it was, to be fair, almost 400 years ago), people born in the mid to late 1700s could name recent ancestors that had arrived from England as part of the great migration.

Descended from These Guys--No Really

Jefferson:  This guys is unbelievable.  The fact that he would, while a member of Washington’s cabinet, actively work against the administration’s initiatives is troubling, especially for someone of his stature.  His conduct during the election of 1800 (which was brutal) is even more troubling.  Adams and Jefferson were close, closer than brothers, and Jefferson was willing to toss that aside to advance his own agenda.  Not cool.

The Election of 1800:  I find it reassuring.  This was a truly vile campaign, filled with vicious personal attacks.  Jefferson’s campaign accused Adams of being a monarchist (false) and mentally unstable (false, but less false).  Adams’s campaign accused Jefferson of fathering children with one of his slaves (true) and of being an anarchist (mostly false).  People often suggest that the U.S. is going to hell in a hand-basket because Republicans and Democrats were at each other’s throats.  But there is no way that it was worse than it was in 1800—I mean, a number of people were put in jail because of their criticisms of the Adams administration.  If that happened today, there would be an uprising.  And this reminds me of an SNL skit from the Clinton administration in which Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson come to the present with ideas for how to fix all of our problems.  In stead of substantive questions, the media grills them about their personal lives—Jefferson asked about sleeping with his slaves and Franklin about his amorous flirting in France.  The implication was that back in the day, people didn’t ask such questions—politicians were judged on their merits.  This is of course not true.  Both sides of the campaign of 1800 circulated vicious stories about each other.  Adams was accused of being insane and being a monarchist, both false.  Jefferson was accused of fathering children with one of his slaves, true.  The nation survived the election of 1800, it’ll survive Michelle Backman and Sarah Palin.   

Teacher in Worcester:  Many of the prominent individuals in this period spent some time teaching; for Adams this meant working as a school teacher in Worcester as he prepared for a career in the law.  Not a glamorous position, but it must have shaped his personality and taught him important skills that would be of use as a legislator and diplomat.

Rustic Beginnings

Reader, Writer, Poet:  It is in many ways impressive how cultured this man (and his son) were.  They really appear to have found joy in their books, and they constantly read and learned to better themselves.  When books, and therefore learning, were scarce, the Adamses put a premium on expanding their minds.  Both Adams presidents were true scholars as well as statesmen.  There is a lot to admire here.