Word
Gems
What is a
man but the sum of his thoughts?
Honor
& Character:
John
Adams
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"This portrait by Gilbert Stuart is
thought to have been painted in Philadelphia in 1798 but may have been done later. It is
considered the finest of several Stuart portraits of John Adams." David McCullough |
John
Adams |
2nd
President of the United States (1797-1801) |
- James
Grant, Party Of One: (from the inside jacket cover) "Few American public figures have ever been more devoted to doing the right
thing, or more contemptuous of doing the merely popular thing."
- C.
Bradley Thompson, Ashland University: From the Foreword to The
Revolutionary Writings of John Adams:
- "From
the moment he entered public life, he always seemed to travel the
road not taken. Americans have rarely seen a political leader of such fierce independence and unyielding integrity. In debate he was intrepid to the verge of temerity, and his political writings
reveal an utter contempt for the art of dissimulation. Unable
to meet falsehoods halfway and unwilling to stop short of the truth, Adams was in constant battle with the accepted, the conventional, the fashionable, and
the popular ... he had a way of shocking both his most ardent supporters and his
most partisan opponents...
-
- "On July 1 [1776], Congress considered final arguments on the question of
independence. John Dickinson [of Pennsylvania] argued forcefully against independence.
When no one responded to Dickinson, Adams rose and delivered a passionate but reasoned
speech that moved the assembly to vote in favor of independence. Years later, Thomas Jefferson recalled that so powerful in 'thought and expression' was
Adams's speech, that it 'moved us from our seats.' Adams was, Jefferson said, 'our
Colossus on the floor.' ... 'Every member of Congress,' Benjamin Rush would later write,
'acknowledged him to be the first man in the House' ...
- "As the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approached, the
ninety-one-year-old Adams was asked to provide a toast for the upcoming celebration in
Quincy. He offered as his final public utterance this solemn toast:
Independence Forever. These last words stand as a signature
for his life and principles. John Adams died on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the
day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence...
-
- "During his retirement years, [Adams] was fond of saying that the
War for Independence was a consequence of the American Revolution. The real
revolution, he declared, had taken place in the minds and hearts of the colonists in the
fifteen years prior to 1776. According to Adams, the American Revolution was first and
foremost an intellectual revolution."
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- The Boston
- (painting by Rod Claudius, 1962)
It was Tuesday, February 17, 1778. Two future presidents of the
United States, John Adams and his son, 10-year-old John Quincy Adams, in Marblehead
Harbor off the coast of Massachusetts, on board the frigate Boston, began their
voyage to France. This would be no sunny holiday cruise. It is
difficult for us today to appreciate the tremendous risks that such a journey presented:
the treacherous North Atlantic winter seas; British warships lying in wait, ready to seize
the "traitor" Adams for transport to a proper hanging in London; and for almost
two months, constant cold and dampness, threats of disease, lack of sanitation and
wretched food. Indeed, such a trip offered the prospects of almost certain disaster.
Adding to the burden of difficulties, Adams knew not a word of French; but he would begin
his foreign language studies on the high seas. The fate of the fledgling America rested
with Adams. His purpose was to persuade Louis XVI, with his
formidable fleet, to enter the War as ally against the British. |
-
- "Modern scholars of the American Revolution have published countless books on
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and George
Washington. Surprisingly, John Adams has not fared so well... This anomaly in the
scholarly literature is curious because Adams is often regarded as
the most learned and penetrating thinker of the founding generation, and his
central role in the American Revolution is universally recognized. Benjamin Rush thought
there was a consensus among the generation of 1776 that Adams
possessed 'more learning probably, both ancient and modern, than any man who subscribed
the Declaration of Independence.' Another contemporary is reported to have said
that 'The man to whom the country is most indebted for the great
measure of independence is Mr. John Adams. ... I call him the Atlas of American
Independence.'"
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