What do you think?
Rate this book
Library of America #214
Revolutionary Writings 1775–1783
The second of two volumes gathering the essential writings of one of the towering figures of the American Revolution traces John Adams’s career from his leading role in the debate over independence (he was “our Colossus on the floor,” remembered Thomas Jefferson), to his tireless efforts to establish the fledgling government of the United States and supply its army in the field, to his crucial diplomatic service in Europe, where he was hailed as “the George Washington of negotiation.”
Here are 191 letters, essays, reports, resolutions, and memoranda written by John Adams between 1775 and 1783, along with extensive selections from his diary for this period and selected passages from his unfinished autobiography recalling his service in the Continental Congress and in Europe during the American Revolution. Included are Thoughts on Government (1776), the pamphlet that shaped many of the state constitutions established after independence, and all of the “Letters from a Distinguished American” and “Replies to Hendrik Calkoen,” crucial essays Adams wrote in 1780 to influence European views of the newly independent United States and create a framework for postwar international relations. Also included is the “Report of a Constitution for Massachusetts,” Adams’s 1780 blueprint for what remains the world’s oldest working political charter. Throughout, in revealing excerpts from his diary and in his characteristically warm and frank letters, especially those to his “dearest friend” Abigail, Adams recounts the debate in Congress over independence, the struggles to form the government and law of the United States, and the intrigues and frustrations of diplomatic service.
Here are 191 letters, essays, reports, resolutions, and memoranda written by John Adams between 1775 and 1783, along with extensive selections from his diary for this period and selected passages from his unfinished autobiography recalling his service in the Continental Congress and in Europe during the American Revolution. Included are Thoughts on Government (1776), the pamphlet that shaped many of the state constitutions established after independence, and all of the “Letters from a Distinguished American” and “Replies to Hendrik Calkoen,” crucial essays Adams wrote in 1780 to influence European views of the newly independent United States and create a framework for postwar international relations. Also included is the “Report of a Constitution for Massachusetts,” Adams’s 1780 blueprint for what remains the world’s oldest working political charter. Throughout, in revealing excerpts from his diary and in his characteristically warm and frank letters, especially those to his “dearest friend” Abigail, Adams recounts the debate in Congress over independence, the struggles to form the government and law of the United States, and the intrigues and frustrations of diplomatic service.
750 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2011
About the author
John Adams
953 books124 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Adams was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain. During the latter part of the Revolutionary War and in the early years of the new nation, he served the U.S. government as a senior diplomat in Europe. Adams was the first person to hold the office of vice president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. He was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with important contemporaries, including his wife and adviser Abigail Adams and his friend and political rival Thomas Jefferson.
A lawyer and political activist prior to the Revolution, Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence. He defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a leader of the revolution. He assisted Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and was its primary advocate in Congress. As a diplomat he helped negotiate a peace treaty with Great Britain and secured vital governmental loans. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the United States Constitution, as did his essay Thoughts on Government.
Adams was elected to two terms as vice president under President George Washington and was elected as the United States' second president in 1796. He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. Adams's term was dominated by the issue of the French Revolutionary Wars, and his insistence on American neutrality led to fierce criticism from both the Jeffersonian Republicans and from some in his own party, led by his rival Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the Army and Navy in the undeclared naval war with France. He was the first president to reside in the White House.
In his bid in 1800 for reelection to the presidency, opposition from Federalists and accusations of despotism from Jeffersonians led to Adams losing to his vice president and former friend Jefferson, and he retired to Massachusetts. He eventually resumed his friendship with Jefferson by initiating a continuing correspondence. He and Abigail generated the Adams political family, including their son John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. John Adams died on July 4, 1826 – the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Adams and his son are the only presidents of the first twelve who never owned slaves. Historians and scholars have favorably ranked his administration.
John Adams was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain. During the latter part of the Revolutionary War and in the early years of the new nation, he served the U.S. government as a senior diplomat in Europe. Adams was the first person to hold the office of vice president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. He was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with important contemporaries, including his wife and adviser Abigail Adams and his friend and political rival Thomas Jefferson.
A lawyer and political activist prior to the Revolution, Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence. He defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a leader of the revolution. He assisted Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and was its primary advocate in Congress. As a diplomat he helped negotiate a peace treaty with Great Britain and secured vital governmental loans. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the United States Constitution, as did his essay Thoughts on Government.
Adams was elected to two terms as vice president under President George Washington and was elected as the United States' second president in 1796. He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. Adams's term was dominated by the issue of the French Revolutionary Wars, and his insistence on American neutrality led to fierce criticism from both the Jeffersonian Republicans and from some in his own party, led by his rival Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the Army and Navy in the undeclared naval war with France. He was the first president to reside in the White House.
In his bid in 1800 for reelection to the presidency, opposition from Federalists and accusations of despotism from Jeffersonians led to Adams losing to his vice president and former friend Jefferson, and he retired to Massachusetts. He eventually resumed his friendship with Jefferson by initiating a continuing correspondence. He and Abigail generated the Adams political family, including their son John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. John Adams died on July 4, 1826 – the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Adams and his son are the only presidents of the first twelve who never owned slaves. Historians and scholars have favorably ranked his administration.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 13, 2024
John Adams In His Own Words -- 2
As part of its ongoing mission of presenting the best and most significant American writing, the Library of America has been publishing a series of volumes called "The American Founders Series" which portrays the birth of the nation through extensive historical sources. The American Founders Series continues with two large volumes of the "Revolutionary Writings" of John Adams (1735 -- 1836). Adams served as the first vice president and as the second president of the United States, but these two books of Adams' writings have an earlier focus. The first volume begins with Adams as a young man in 1755. It covers his extensive activities as an American patriot in the years of controversy with Great Britain, concluding with Adams' service in the First Continental Congress in 1775, "John Adams: Revolutionary Writings, 1755-1775" (Library of America, No. 213). The companion volume, which I am reviewing here, begins with Adams' service in 1775 in the Second Continental Congress. It concludes with the Treaty of Paris of September 3, 1783, which Adams signed on behalf of the United States. This Treaty established American independence. The two volumes of Adams' writings were prepared and edited by the learned and revered American historian Gordon Wood. Besides selecting the texts, Wood wrote a detailed chronology which is essential towards understanding the content of the volume together with explanatory notes.
The book includes a variety of sources. It draws on Adams' letters to his contemporaries and, in particular, to his wife Abigail. For most of his adult life, Adams kept a detailed diary which, in this volume, is the source of information and personal reflection that add substantially to the published letters. The volume includes many published papers and articles which show Adams role in and understanding of America's revolutionary struggle, of the nature of government, and of the United States' role in the world. The volume concludes with a generous selection from Adams' unfinished Autobiography, written in his retirement between 1803 -- 1807, which offers a narrative of the time period covered in the volume. Adams' papers and letters frequently make for hard reading. The Autobiographical selections are engagingly written and offer Adams' own perspective on events at a distance of nearly 30 years.
The understanding of this collection of Adams' writings will vary depending upon the background the reader brings to it. A narrative history of the Revolutionary period would draw on a variety of sources and offer the historian's interpretation of events and individuals. In this collection, in contrast, we have source material, rather than a narrative, and it is presented from a single point of view: that of John Adams. Wood's chronology and notes help with the story. But the careful reader will be challenged to piece the story together, to question Adams in many places, and to consider how Adams' and his large accomplishments fits into the broader historical picture.
Apart from the Autobiographical selections which conclude the volume, the book consists of three large sections. The first section covers Adams' service in the Continental Congress from 1775 -1777. Adams played a pivotal role in the Declaration of Independence, as shown in a "Resolution in Congress on Establishing New Governments" of May 15, 1776 (p. 68), but his larger contributions were elsewhere. Adams drafted a "Plan of Treaties" dated September 17, 1776 (p.113) which formed the basis for an American policy of free trade and commerce with all nations of Europe and entangling alliances with none. This proved to be a critical document in America's foreign policy during the Revolutionary War, a good deal of which was conducted by Adams himself. A further important work from this period is the pamphlet "Thoughts on Government" of April, 1776 (p. 49) In this work, Adams rejected what he saw as the overly-democratizing tendency of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" and laid the foundation for a form of government including a bicameral legislature, separate executive, and independent judiciary that many colonies looked to for guidance in establishing their state constitutions and that was also influential in the United States constitution.
Adams spent most of 1778- 1783 abroad at great sacrifice to himself and to his family. The second section of this book covers Adams first term in France from 1778-1779. During this service, Adams became embroiled in disputes with other American commissioners, particularly Benjamin Franklin. Much of the difficulty may have been the result of personality differences between these two leaders. In any event, Adams was recalled, to his chagrin. His brief return to America led to one of Adams' greatest achievements, the "Report of a Constitution or Form of Government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" of November 1, 1779 (p. 249) Drawing on his "Thoughts on Government", Adams' constitution included a bill of rights and detailed provisions for legislative, executive, and judicial separation. It also included strong provisions for the support of public education, including higher education. Adams' report, with amendments, remains the longest continuously surviving state constitution and was important to the drafting of the United States constitution. It was a lasting accomplishment.
The third and longest section of the book covers Adams' second and extended period of diplomatic service from 1779 -- 1783. During this time, Adams' secured recognition of American independence, a treaty of commerce, and several critical loans from the Netherlands. The importance of this accomplishment is difficult to overestimate. And with Franklin and John Jay, Adams negotiated the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain while performing the difficult diplomatic task of maintaining relations with France.
Many of Adams' writings during this time are important for explaining the nature of America's revolution. This volume includes a series of "Letters from a Distinguished American" (p. 340) written in 1780 and published in Britain two years later which argue that American independence would in the long term benefit the commerce and liberties of people throughout Europe and the world. A series of letters addressed to Hendrik Calkoen, an influential Dutch citizen, (p.392) offers factual, historical, and philosophical arguments in support of American independence and Dutch support. In 1780. Adams published his own highly edited and translated edition of a book by one Thomas Pownall, called "Memorial to the Sovereigns of Europe". Adams' work on this source made the book his own, and it was greatly influential in promoting the cause of an independent America. Among other things, Adams wrote:
"In America, all the Inhabitants are free, and allow universal naturalization to all that wish to be so, and a perfect Liberty of using any mode of Life they choose, or any means of getting a Livelihood, that their talents lead them to. Their Reason is their own. Their Time is their own. They are their own Masters. ... They are animated with the Spirit of the New Philosophy. Their Life is a course of Experiments; and Standing on as high Ground of Improvement as the most enlightened Parts of Europe have advanced, like Eaglets commence the first Efforts of their Pinnions from a Towering Advantage."
There is much to be learned from this volume and its companion volume about John Adams, early America, and the nature and promise of the American experience. The Library of America subsequently has published another volume of Adams' writings from his eventful later life, including his service as vice-president, president, and his retirement. The Library of America performs a great service by making these and similar valuable American writings available to a wide readership.
Robin Friedman
As part of its ongoing mission of presenting the best and most significant American writing, the Library of America has been publishing a series of volumes called "The American Founders Series" which portrays the birth of the nation through extensive historical sources. The American Founders Series continues with two large volumes of the "Revolutionary Writings" of John Adams (1735 -- 1836). Adams served as the first vice president and as the second president of the United States, but these two books of Adams' writings have an earlier focus. The first volume begins with Adams as a young man in 1755. It covers his extensive activities as an American patriot in the years of controversy with Great Britain, concluding with Adams' service in the First Continental Congress in 1775, "John Adams: Revolutionary Writings, 1755-1775" (Library of America, No. 213). The companion volume, which I am reviewing here, begins with Adams' service in 1775 in the Second Continental Congress. It concludes with the Treaty of Paris of September 3, 1783, which Adams signed on behalf of the United States. This Treaty established American independence. The two volumes of Adams' writings were prepared and edited by the learned and revered American historian Gordon Wood. Besides selecting the texts, Wood wrote a detailed chronology which is essential towards understanding the content of the volume together with explanatory notes.
The book includes a variety of sources. It draws on Adams' letters to his contemporaries and, in particular, to his wife Abigail. For most of his adult life, Adams kept a detailed diary which, in this volume, is the source of information and personal reflection that add substantially to the published letters. The volume includes many published papers and articles which show Adams role in and understanding of America's revolutionary struggle, of the nature of government, and of the United States' role in the world. The volume concludes with a generous selection from Adams' unfinished Autobiography, written in his retirement between 1803 -- 1807, which offers a narrative of the time period covered in the volume. Adams' papers and letters frequently make for hard reading. The Autobiographical selections are engagingly written and offer Adams' own perspective on events at a distance of nearly 30 years.
The understanding of this collection of Adams' writings will vary depending upon the background the reader brings to it. A narrative history of the Revolutionary period would draw on a variety of sources and offer the historian's interpretation of events and individuals. In this collection, in contrast, we have source material, rather than a narrative, and it is presented from a single point of view: that of John Adams. Wood's chronology and notes help with the story. But the careful reader will be challenged to piece the story together, to question Adams in many places, and to consider how Adams' and his large accomplishments fits into the broader historical picture.
Apart from the Autobiographical selections which conclude the volume, the book consists of three large sections. The first section covers Adams' service in the Continental Congress from 1775 -1777. Adams played a pivotal role in the Declaration of Independence, as shown in a "Resolution in Congress on Establishing New Governments" of May 15, 1776 (p. 68), but his larger contributions were elsewhere. Adams drafted a "Plan of Treaties" dated September 17, 1776 (p.113) which formed the basis for an American policy of free trade and commerce with all nations of Europe and entangling alliances with none. This proved to be a critical document in America's foreign policy during the Revolutionary War, a good deal of which was conducted by Adams himself. A further important work from this period is the pamphlet "Thoughts on Government" of April, 1776 (p. 49) In this work, Adams rejected what he saw as the overly-democratizing tendency of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" and laid the foundation for a form of government including a bicameral legislature, separate executive, and independent judiciary that many colonies looked to for guidance in establishing their state constitutions and that was also influential in the United States constitution.
Adams spent most of 1778- 1783 abroad at great sacrifice to himself and to his family. The second section of this book covers Adams first term in France from 1778-1779. During this service, Adams became embroiled in disputes with other American commissioners, particularly Benjamin Franklin. Much of the difficulty may have been the result of personality differences between these two leaders. In any event, Adams was recalled, to his chagrin. His brief return to America led to one of Adams' greatest achievements, the "Report of a Constitution or Form of Government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" of November 1, 1779 (p. 249) Drawing on his "Thoughts on Government", Adams' constitution included a bill of rights and detailed provisions for legislative, executive, and judicial separation. It also included strong provisions for the support of public education, including higher education. Adams' report, with amendments, remains the longest continuously surviving state constitution and was important to the drafting of the United States constitution. It was a lasting accomplishment.
The third and longest section of the book covers Adams' second and extended period of diplomatic service from 1779 -- 1783. During this time, Adams' secured recognition of American independence, a treaty of commerce, and several critical loans from the Netherlands. The importance of this accomplishment is difficult to overestimate. And with Franklin and John Jay, Adams negotiated the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain while performing the difficult diplomatic task of maintaining relations with France.
Many of Adams' writings during this time are important for explaining the nature of America's revolution. This volume includes a series of "Letters from a Distinguished American" (p. 340) written in 1780 and published in Britain two years later which argue that American independence would in the long term benefit the commerce and liberties of people throughout Europe and the world. A series of letters addressed to Hendrik Calkoen, an influential Dutch citizen, (p.392) offers factual, historical, and philosophical arguments in support of American independence and Dutch support. In 1780. Adams published his own highly edited and translated edition of a book by one Thomas Pownall, called "Memorial to the Sovereigns of Europe". Adams' work on this source made the book his own, and it was greatly influential in promoting the cause of an independent America. Among other things, Adams wrote:
"In America, all the Inhabitants are free, and allow universal naturalization to all that wish to be so, and a perfect Liberty of using any mode of Life they choose, or any means of getting a Livelihood, that their talents lead them to. Their Reason is their own. Their Time is their own. They are their own Masters. ... They are animated with the Spirit of the New Philosophy. Their Life is a course of Experiments; and Standing on as high Ground of Improvement as the most enlightened Parts of Europe have advanced, like Eaglets commence the first Efforts of their Pinnions from a Towering Advantage."
There is much to be learned from this volume and its companion volume about John Adams, early America, and the nature and promise of the American experience. The Library of America subsequently has published another volume of Adams' writings from his eventful later life, including his service as vice-president, president, and his retirement. The Library of America performs a great service by making these and similar valuable American writings available to a wide readership.
Robin Friedman
March 30, 2017
The second volume of John Adams's Revolutionary Writings is better than the first, as a more mature John Adams writes more like the international statesman he had become. The genius of Adams lies not just in his incredibly rigorous and all-encompassing education, but in his perfect focus on what the world around him was, and what was to become. Adams was a brutally honest man, and it came out through his pen. His opinions on the British leaders and their policies, and especially his opinions on Washington, Franklin, Paine, Samuel Adams, Hancock and others, are gems. In the section "Letters From a Distinguished American," Adams's real brilliance shines in these dozen pieces that sum up the causes and major events of the war. John Adams- the Engine of the American Revolution...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews