#2: John Adams Part 2

Really Cool Stuff about John Adams
1. He was a good judge of character and abilities, which was evident in his selection of George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and of Thomas Jefferson as writer the Declaration of Independence.
2. There is actually a book written exclusively about the voyage that John Adams and his son took in 1778 to France. It’s called Dangerous Crossing: The Revolutionary Voyage of John and John Quincy Adams. http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Crossing-Revolutionary-Voyage-Quincy/dp/0525469664/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263597217&sr=1-16
3. John Adams solely wrote the Constitution of the state of Massachusetts in 1779. “As time would prove, he had written one of the great, enduring documents of the American Revolution. The constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the oldest functioning written constitution in the world” (p. 225).
4. John Adams was the first American ambassador to the Netherlands and to England; the first Vice President of the United States, and the first (and last) President to run against his own Vice President.
5. He began the practice of “midnight judges” where the lame-duck President appointed party-friendly judges at the eleventh hour. His most famous appointment: John Marshall as Chief Justice to the Supreme Court. “Possibly the greatest Chief Justice in history, Marshall would serve on the Court for another thirty-four years” (p. 560).
6. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the very same day, July 4, 1826. John Adams was 90 and Jefferson was 83.
7. The Adams’ were extremely prolific writers. John and Abigail wrote thousands of letters to each other and thousands more to their children. Adams’ letters to Jefferson and other friends range in the hundreds. “The Adams Papers, from which much of this book has been drawn, may be rightly described as a national treasure” (p. 653).

I really liked this book. I’m not just saying that because of the great reviews nor did I simply rent the HBO series and cheat, I genuinely and with good reason love this book. Part of that, I mentioned earlier. The sheer amount of information that John Adams literally just gives to us through all his diaries and letters over a considerable span of years is just awe-inspiring. McCullough states that “Not Washington, not Jefferson or Madison or Hamilton, not even Franklin for all that he wrote, was so forthcoming on paper as was John Adams over a lifetime of writing about himself and his world” (p. 653). With all this information, on the other hand, I’m sure that it was also a little more difficult for David McCullough to write this book. Having to edit away what wasn’t important must have been extremely hard in and of itself but McCullough shows his genius by his delicate handling of such copious knowledge. He sticks to the point, only giving us enough extraneous detail so that we can fully know how very human John Adams really was. Yet, he balances that with a respect for all that John Adams does in the service of our country. John Adams, while not making the best President, was a true blue American…before there was a United States of America.

David McCullough also is quite objective about John Adams in this book. He uses everything about John Adams, the good and the bad. For instance, John Adams had many admirable qualities but he was also vain and stubborn. We are given a blank slate when it comes to the Founding Father and we are left to make the final evaluation. Thus, I have come to realize that John Adams was a great man, doing his best at a time of national crises, but like all men, had issues and problems and human failings like everyone else. His marriage alone inspires true admiration for this man. The respect and love that he holds for Abigail his entire life is a tremendous love story in itself. His unshaken ideals for himself, the people he knows and loves and for his country is also remarkable in their tenacity. He had high expectations for all whom he encounters and, while repeatedly disappointed, remained high-minded to the end of his days.

Another reason I really liked this book is that it was such an easy read. It is close to 650 pages and for a history book, that can be an eternity of sifting through facts and boring commentary. However, David McCullough uses so many quotes from so many letters and diaries, it’s like reading a novel! This book is not just straight narrative but a deft dialogue that transpires between John Adams and everyone else through their correspondence. It is so well-contrived that you forget that you are reading about real life.

I also have a new respect for John Adams and what life was like during that time. Through his eyes, we see the deprivation that the Adams’ endured by fighting for their independence or from John having to work consistently away from home. As good a mother as Abigail undoubtedly was seemed to be no match for an absentee father as evidenced in their two youngest sons dying of alcoholism. Their daughter married a man who was in and out of work and generally someone not to be trusted to take care of her. John Quincy, we’ll see more of in another book but he was so stiff and formal that we can deduce how much he was affected by his father’s work. It is sad to see such a good man and one of our Founding Fathers be tormented by the paths that his children chose. His family life just shows us how human John Adams really was and the impact that that had on the founding of our nation.

In conclusion, I thought this book a well-written and objective account of our second President and a Founding Father of our nation. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this era of our history not only due to the prolific primary sources that abound in this work but also to the fantastic feel of history in the hands of David McCullough. John Adams leapt off the pages of history for me and I suggest a similar journey for you.

Please let me know if these posts are helpful to you or not. Also if you have any questions, just write up a comment for me. Thanks!