John Adams

When I finished the book I really just wanted to read it all over again, to be taken again by the author into the vivid world of John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson and Elbridge Gerry and Benjamin Rush and Timothy Pickering and Alexander Hamilton and the many others who lived through the birth and early years of the USA. This is an exceptionally superb biography, one reason from many is that the author paints his scenes with such an abundance of detail that you really feel you are there, and can hear their voices. Just from memory I can now see Adams watching slaves at the new White House with a heaviness in his heart; I can still feel the joy the whole family experienced when John Quincey returned from Russia; or the satisfaction felt by Benjamin Rush when Adams and Jefferson start to correspond again. So it is much more than just a political biography. This is a work of art, taking us into all that was going in and around the Adams family. And as with all good art while there is no polemic, nevertheless it is impossible not to draw some moral lessons from the lives as they are drawn on the author's canvas. This is especially true with the contrast between Jefferson and Adams. Adams the hard-working farmer, the faithful husband of Abigail, cautious with money who died with an estate to pass on; Jefferson the extravagant land-owning aristocrat, suspected of having an affair, who died in debt. Adams the enemy of slavery; Jefferson the owner of slaves. And when he died, those slaves had to be sold because of his debts. It is never stated, but there is no doubt which man the author - with good reason - admires more.

I was inspired to read this biography of the second president of the United States, as it was the basis for the excellent HBO series. As McCullough's writes in the introduction, "John Adams was a lawyer and a farmer, a graduate of Harvard College, the husband of Abigail Smith Adams, the father of four children. He was forty years old and he was a revolutionary." Why was that so? The biography reveals a man passionate about virtue and liberty, a man who would never give up the fight, and a man who was the real driver of independence. When people think of the fight for independence, they naturally bring to mind Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin - but it was Adams who was the driving force. I am also glad that I read this book because I was able to see where the truth of Adam's life has been sacrificed for the drama of the TV series: the Hollywood version of history is just as active on America's own as well as the rest of the world's! For example, in the first episode I learn that Captain Preston was actually tried separately from his men, and of the eight soldiers, two were found guilty of manslaughter. But there are also scenes that should have been in the series but which did not make it, scenes such as Franklin and Adams sharing a bed and arguing over whether the window should be open or closed. David McCullough's clear and highly-readable prose also covers much of the important but undramatic work of Adams, including his drafting of the constitution of his home state, Massachusetts, written whilst back home between time spent as ambassador to Holland and France.It is "the oldest, functioning written constitution in the world." Much of the series played on Adams's relationship with his wife, and I was glad to see how true it was that they were a meeting of minds in so many ways and had a long and happy marriage, supporting each other and their children, although Adams himself had such high ideals that he was a difficult father to please. The end came dramatically, like Beethoven, with a thunderstorm. And I still cannot get over how he died on the same day as Thomas Jefferson - and they both died on the fiftieth Fourth of July since independence! How amazing is that?

I just finished this great book while watching for the second time the marvelous HBO miniseries that is based on this book. One of its themes is the remarkable friendship between Adams and Jefferson while serving as American representatives in France, followed later by political rivalry in which Jefferson ousted Adams from the presidency, followed years later by a great deal of friendly correspondence between the old friends and former presidents in their declining years. The extravagance of Jefferson and the slavery based system that supported Jefferson and others of the Virginia aristocracy is contrasted with the frugality and physical farm labor of Adams. Both were among the best educated, most cultured and well traveled Americans of their day and both champions of liberty. Adams was much more than the pious Puritan as he is sometimes portrayed. At the end, Adams left his family with a quite sizable estate while Jefferson left a great legacy but mountains of debt. Adams had a great marriage to Abigail and their surviving letters illuminate perhaps the greatest love story in American history. This is the second McCullough presidential biography I have read. The first was Harry Truman which was also great.

John Adams seems to be the "forgotten" founding father, taking a backseat to Washington and Jefferson. I had never read much of anything about John Adams and his role in America's founding and early history and after reading this book I have a new appreciation for what a major contributor John A. was. He participated in all facets of the work to put together the new country and seemed to be one of the most humble of contributors. The interaction between John and his wife Abigail was fascinating. She was a learned woman with strong opinions and never hesitated to share those with her husband throughout his career. She was a strong independent woman and ran the family business when John was away for many years at a time doing the business of the new country as an ambassador to multiple European countries. Very impressive woman. The interplay between Adams and Jefferson was especially interesting, with Adams coming off as a well grounded, honest, humble adult while Jefferson came off as a spoiled, arrogant, not completely honest politician. It was of interest to find that Adams, being from Massachusetts, i.e. a northerner, was against slavery as was his wife while the Virginians, Jefferson and Washington, seemed to have no qualms about slavery even though they were fighting for freedom/independence themselves. I wish that I had a better appreciation for Adams long ago. This book provided a perspective I never had before and was an enjoyable read.

The difficulty in reviewing a book like David McCullough's "John Adams" is that you know that whatever you write, it will not do the book justice. So, with that said, I will affirm that this is one of the best books I have ever read, much less one of the best biographies. It has been said that McCullough "rescued" Adams from relative obscurity, and I must agree. Having read this most important story, it is amazing to me that there is no monument on the National Mall in honor of John Adams. There are numerous points in his career where it may be said that if not for John Adams, the United States of America would not exist. His importance in our history cannot be overstated. I am glad that Tom Hanks took it upon himself to produce an award-winning miniseries based on this book, so that many more Americans who will not undertake its reading, may still benefit from the story of its hero. Let me just state a couple of brief takeaways: 1) Two of the most long-lasting and defining attributes of America are its form of government (bicameral legislature, strong executive, and independent judiciary), and the peaceful transfer of power; and 2) that there is nothing new under the sun. If you think that the extremes of speech or action undertaken in our times regarding elections, manipulation, the press, or the extreme passions on every part of the political spectrum are new, then you need to read more history. Compared to what has gone before us in this great nation, I am more convinced than ever, that we will be just fine.