John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty

John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty

Author: C. Bradley Thompson

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13:

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In reexamining John Adams's political thought, Thompson reconstructs the contours and influences of Adams's mental universe, the ideas he challenged, the problems he considered central to constitution-making, and methods of his reasoning.


Book Synopsis John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty by : C. Bradley Thompson

Download or read book John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty written by C. Bradley Thompson and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In reexamining John Adams's political thought, Thompson reconstructs the contours and influences of Adams's mental universe, the ideas he challenged, the problems he considered central to constitution-making, and methods of his reasoning.


John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty

John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty

Author: C. Bradley Thompson

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 1998-11-16

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 0700611819

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America's finest eighteenth-century student of political science, John Adams is also the least studied of the Revolution's key figures. By the time he became our second president, no American had written more about our government and not even Jefferson or Madison had read as widely about questions of human nature, natural right, political organization, and constitutional construction. Yet this staunch constitutionalist is perceived by many as having become reactionary in his later years and his ideas have been largely disregarded. In the first major work on Adams's political thought in over thirty years, C. Bradley Thompson takes issue with the notion that Adams's thought is irrelevant to the development of American ideas. Focusing on Adams's major writings, Thompson elucidates and reevaluates his political and constitutional thought by interpreting it within the tradition of political philosophy stretching from Plato to Montesquieu. This major revisionist study shows that the distinction Adams drew between "principles of liberty" and "principles of political architecture" is central to his entire political philosophy. Thompson first chronicles Adams's conceptualization of moral and political liberty during his confrontation with American Loyalists and British imperial officers over the true nature of justice and the British Constitution, illuminating Adams's two most important pre-Revolutionary essays, "A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law" and "The Letters of Novanglus." He then presents Adams's debate with French philosophers over the best form of government and provides an extended analysis of his Defence of the Constitutions of Government and Discourses on Davila to demonstrate his theory of political architecture. From these pages emerges a new John Adams. In reexamining his political thought, Thompson reconstructs the contours and influences of Adams's mental universe, the ideas he challenged, the problems he considered central to constitution-making, and the methods of his reasoning. Skillfully blending history and political science, Thompson's work shows how the spirit of liberty animated Adams's life and reestablishes this forgotten Revolutionary as an independent and important thinker.


Book Synopsis John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty by : C. Bradley Thompson

Download or read book John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty written by C. Bradley Thompson and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 1998-11-16 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America's finest eighteenth-century student of political science, John Adams is also the least studied of the Revolution's key figures. By the time he became our second president, no American had written more about our government and not even Jefferson or Madison had read as widely about questions of human nature, natural right, political organization, and constitutional construction. Yet this staunch constitutionalist is perceived by many as having become reactionary in his later years and his ideas have been largely disregarded. In the first major work on Adams's political thought in over thirty years, C. Bradley Thompson takes issue with the notion that Adams's thought is irrelevant to the development of American ideas. Focusing on Adams's major writings, Thompson elucidates and reevaluates his political and constitutional thought by interpreting it within the tradition of political philosophy stretching from Plato to Montesquieu. This major revisionist study shows that the distinction Adams drew between "principles of liberty" and "principles of political architecture" is central to his entire political philosophy. Thompson first chronicles Adams's conceptualization of moral and political liberty during his confrontation with American Loyalists and British imperial officers over the true nature of justice and the British Constitution, illuminating Adams's two most important pre-Revolutionary essays, "A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law" and "The Letters of Novanglus." He then presents Adams's debate with French philosophers over the best form of government and provides an extended analysis of his Defence of the Constitutions of Government and Discourses on Davila to demonstrate his theory of political architecture. From these pages emerges a new John Adams. In reexamining his political thought, Thompson reconstructs the contours and influences of Adams's mental universe, the ideas he challenged, the problems he considered central to constitution-making, and the methods of his reasoning. Skillfully blending history and political science, Thompson's work shows how the spirit of liberty animated Adams's life and reestablishes this forgotten Revolutionary as an independent and important thinker.


Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams

Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams

Author: Joseph J. Ellis

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2011-02-14

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 0393068277

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An absorbing, insightful profile of the revolutionary leader, president, husband, and father from one of our best historians, now in a beautiful new package. John Adams was unique among the nation’s founders in leaving a record of his most intimate thoughts and feelings. Instinctively candid and politically incisive, Adams offers the clearest view of the ambitions and principles that drove the revolutionary generation. Passionate Sage offers a brilliant introduction to the second president: his politics, his affinities for family and friendship even with political opponents like Jefferson, and his enduring significance. “Ellis’s palpable affection lends a pleasing glow to his profile of Adams, which is why Passionate Sage is his best book.”—Judith Shulevitz, New York Times Book Review “Impassioned and erudite. . . . A captivating portrait of this Massachusetts native as a wonderfully contrary genius possessed of an uncommon moral intelligence and farsighted political wisdom.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times “The best portrait of a Revolutionary-era statesman.”—Evan Thomas, Wall Street Journal


Book Synopsis Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams by : Joseph J. Ellis

Download or read book Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams written by Joseph J. Ellis and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2011-02-14 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An absorbing, insightful profile of the revolutionary leader, president, husband, and father from one of our best historians, now in a beautiful new package. John Adams was unique among the nation’s founders in leaving a record of his most intimate thoughts and feelings. Instinctively candid and politically incisive, Adams offers the clearest view of the ambitions and principles that drove the revolutionary generation. Passionate Sage offers a brilliant introduction to the second president: his politics, his affinities for family and friendship even with political opponents like Jefferson, and his enduring significance. “Ellis’s palpable affection lends a pleasing glow to his profile of Adams, which is why Passionate Sage is his best book.”—Judith Shulevitz, New York Times Book Review “Impassioned and erudite. . . . A captivating portrait of this Massachusetts native as a wonderfully contrary genius possessed of an uncommon moral intelligence and farsighted political wisdom.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times “The best portrait of a Revolutionary-era statesman.”—Evan Thomas, Wall Street Journal


The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams

The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams

Author: John Adams

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13:

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The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams presents the principal shorter writings in which Adams addresses the prospect of revolution and the form of government proper to the new United States. Though one of the principal framers of the American republic and the successor to Washington as president, John Adams receives remarkably little attention among many students of the early national period. This is especially true in the case of the periods before and after the Revolution, in which the intellectual rationale for independence and republican government was given the fullest expression. The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams illustrates that it was Adams, for example, who before the Revolution wrote some of the most important documents on the nature of the British Constitution and the meaning of rights, sovereignty, representation, and obligation. And it was Adams who, once the colonies had declared independence, wrote equally important works on possible forms of government in a quest to develop a science of politics for the construction of a constitution for the proposed republic.


Book Synopsis The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams by : John Adams

Download or read book The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams written by John Adams and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams presents the principal shorter writings in which Adams addresses the prospect of revolution and the form of government proper to the new United States. Though one of the principal framers of the American republic and the successor to Washington as president, John Adams receives remarkably little attention among many students of the early national period. This is especially true in the case of the periods before and after the Revolution, in which the intellectual rationale for independence and republican government was given the fullest expression. The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams illustrates that it was Adams, for example, who before the Revolution wrote some of the most important documents on the nature of the British Constitution and the meaning of rights, sovereignty, representation, and obligation. And it was Adams who, once the colonies had declared independence, wrote equally important works on possible forms of government in a quest to develop a science of politics for the construction of a constitution for the proposed republic.


John Adams

John Adams

Author: David McCullough

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 18

ISBN-13: 141657588X

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Profiles John Adams, an influential patriot during the American Revolution who became the nation's first vice president and second president.


Book Synopsis John Adams by : David McCullough

Download or read book John Adams written by David McCullough and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2001 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Profiles John Adams, an influential patriot during the American Revolution who became the nation's first vice president and second president.


The Sons of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty

Author: Charles River Editors

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2013-11-21

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781494239015

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*Weaves the lives of the 4 Sons of Liberty together into one entertaining and educational narrative. *Explains the relationships between the men and the roles each one played in the pivotal events before and during the Revolution. *Includes Paul Revere's account of his midnight ride and Longfellow's famous poem Paul Revere's Ride. *Includes several letters and writings from John Adams, Sam Adams and John Hancock. *Includes an original introduction for each of the 4 Sons of Liberty. For over 200 years, Americans have been fascinated by the Revolutionary period and the patriots who led the growing resistance movement against British authority that eventually brought about the Revolutionary War. In particular, the clandestine activities of Boston's Sons of Liberty in the decade before the war continue to be a source of both intrigue and mystery. The American Revolution had no shortage of compelling characters with seemingly larger than life traits, including men like the multi-talented Benjamin Franklin, the wise Thomas Jefferson, the mercurial John Adams and the stoic George Washington. But no Revolutionary leader has been as controversial as Samuel Adams, who has been widely portrayed over the last two centuries as America's most radical and fiery colonist. Among his contemporaries, Adams was viewed as one of the most influential colonial leaders, a man Thomas Jefferson himself labeled "truly the Man of the Revolution" and the one who the Boston Gazette eulogized as the "Father of the American Revolution." Over the course of 83 years, Paul Revere was one of the most prominent citizens in Boston, heralded for his silversmith work, his participation in the Sons of Liberty, and his service in the Massachusetts militia. Given everything he did for Boston and his community, it would have no doubt greatly surprised Revere at the end of his life if he had known he would become an American legend for his midnight ride on the night of April 18, 1775, one of the most mythical events in American history. John Adams remained a celebrated figure in Boston for all the work he did in Massachusetts before and after the Revolution, but his national reputation has experienced quite a renaissance over the past decade, beginning with David Mccullough's best selling biography in 2001, followed in 2008 by the popular HBO series based on it. Then, in 2010, Dearest Friend, a record of the correspondence between Adams and his wife Abigail solidified his position as one of the most darling Founding Fathers of the 21st Century. Most Americans are familiar with John Hancock solely because of his famous signature on the Declaration of Independence, and his name has become a slang phrase for signing a document. But his conspicuous signature on the Declaration of Independence has overshadowed the various and important contributions Hancock made in colonial Boston before the Revolution, the Continental Congress during the Revolution, and Massachusetts state politics after the Revolution. The Sons of Liberty chronicles the amazing lives and careers of the 4 most famous members of the Sons of Liberty, examines their relationships before and during the Revolution, and analyzes their lasting legacies. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Samuel Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere and John Hancock like you never have before.


Book Synopsis The Sons of Liberty by : Charles River Editors

Download or read book The Sons of Liberty written by Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2013-11-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Weaves the lives of the 4 Sons of Liberty together into one entertaining and educational narrative. *Explains the relationships between the men and the roles each one played in the pivotal events before and during the Revolution. *Includes Paul Revere's account of his midnight ride and Longfellow's famous poem Paul Revere's Ride. *Includes several letters and writings from John Adams, Sam Adams and John Hancock. *Includes an original introduction for each of the 4 Sons of Liberty. For over 200 years, Americans have been fascinated by the Revolutionary period and the patriots who led the growing resistance movement against British authority that eventually brought about the Revolutionary War. In particular, the clandestine activities of Boston's Sons of Liberty in the decade before the war continue to be a source of both intrigue and mystery. The American Revolution had no shortage of compelling characters with seemingly larger than life traits, including men like the multi-talented Benjamin Franklin, the wise Thomas Jefferson, the mercurial John Adams and the stoic George Washington. But no Revolutionary leader has been as controversial as Samuel Adams, who has been widely portrayed over the last two centuries as America's most radical and fiery colonist. Among his contemporaries, Adams was viewed as one of the most influential colonial leaders, a man Thomas Jefferson himself labeled "truly the Man of the Revolution" and the one who the Boston Gazette eulogized as the "Father of the American Revolution." Over the course of 83 years, Paul Revere was one of the most prominent citizens in Boston, heralded for his silversmith work, his participation in the Sons of Liberty, and his service in the Massachusetts militia. Given everything he did for Boston and his community, it would have no doubt greatly surprised Revere at the end of his life if he had known he would become an American legend for his midnight ride on the night of April 18, 1775, one of the most mythical events in American history. John Adams remained a celebrated figure in Boston for all the work he did in Massachusetts before and after the Revolution, but his national reputation has experienced quite a renaissance over the past decade, beginning with David Mccullough's best selling biography in 2001, followed in 2008 by the popular HBO series based on it. Then, in 2010, Dearest Friend, a record of the correspondence between Adams and his wife Abigail solidified his position as one of the most darling Founding Fathers of the 21st Century. Most Americans are familiar with John Hancock solely because of his famous signature on the Declaration of Independence, and his name has become a slang phrase for signing a document. But his conspicuous signature on the Declaration of Independence has overshadowed the various and important contributions Hancock made in colonial Boston before the Revolution, the Continental Congress during the Revolution, and Massachusetts state politics after the Revolution. The Sons of Liberty chronicles the amazing lives and careers of the 4 most famous members of the Sons of Liberty, examines their relationships before and during the Revolution, and analyzes their lasting legacies. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Samuel Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere and John Hancock like you never have before.


A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law

A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law

Author: John Adams

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2014-10-29

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 9781503031234

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John Adams (October 30 1735 - July 4, 1826) was the second president of the United States (1797-1801), having earlier served as the first vice president of the United States (1789-1797). An American Founding Father, Adams was a statesman, diplomat, and a leading advocate of American independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was an Enlightenment political theorist who promoted republicanism, as well as a strong central government, and wrote prolifically about his often seminal ideas-both in published works and in letters to his wife and key adviser Abigail Adams. Adams was a lifelong opponent of slavery, having never bought a slave. In 1770 he provided a principled, controversial, and successful legal defense to the British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre, because he believed in the right to counsel and the "protect[ion] of innocence." Adams came to prominence in the early stages of the American Revolution. A lawyer and public figure in Boston, as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was its primary advocate in the Congress. Later, as a diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain, and was responsible for obtaining vital governmental loans from Amsterdam bankers. A political theorist and historian, Adams largely wrote the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which together with his earlier Thoughts on Government, influenced American political thought. One of his greatest roles was as a judge of character: in 1775, he nominated George Washington to be commander-in-chief, and 25 years later nominated John Marshall to be Chief Justice of the United States. Adams' revolutionary credentials secured him two terms as George Washington's vice president and his own election in 1796 as the second president. During his one term as president, he encountered ferocious attacks by the Jeffersonian Republicans, as well as the dominant faction in his own Federalist Party led by his bitter enemy Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the army and navy especially in the face of an undeclared naval war (called the "Quasi-War") with France, 1798-1800. The major accomplishment of his presidency was his peaceful resolution of the conflict in the face of Hamilton's opposition. In 1800, Adams was defeated for re-election by Thomas Jefferson and retired to Massachusetts. He later resumed his friendship with Jefferson. He and his wife founded an accomplished family line of politicians, diplomats, and historians now referred to as the Adams political family. Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States. His achievements have received greater recognition in modern times, though his contributions were not initially as celebrated as those of other Founders. Adams was the first U.S. president to reside in the executive mansion that eventually became known as the White House.


Book Synopsis A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law by : John Adams

Download or read book A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law written by John Adams and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-10-29 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Adams (October 30 1735 - July 4, 1826) was the second president of the United States (1797-1801), having earlier served as the first vice president of the United States (1789-1797). An American Founding Father, Adams was a statesman, diplomat, and a leading advocate of American independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was an Enlightenment political theorist who promoted republicanism, as well as a strong central government, and wrote prolifically about his often seminal ideas-both in published works and in letters to his wife and key adviser Abigail Adams. Adams was a lifelong opponent of slavery, having never bought a slave. In 1770 he provided a principled, controversial, and successful legal defense to the British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre, because he believed in the right to counsel and the "protect[ion] of innocence." Adams came to prominence in the early stages of the American Revolution. A lawyer and public figure in Boston, as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was its primary advocate in the Congress. Later, as a diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain, and was responsible for obtaining vital governmental loans from Amsterdam bankers. A political theorist and historian, Adams largely wrote the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which together with his earlier Thoughts on Government, influenced American political thought. One of his greatest roles was as a judge of character: in 1775, he nominated George Washington to be commander-in-chief, and 25 years later nominated John Marshall to be Chief Justice of the United States. Adams' revolutionary credentials secured him two terms as George Washington's vice president and his own election in 1796 as the second president. During his one term as president, he encountered ferocious attacks by the Jeffersonian Republicans, as well as the dominant faction in his own Federalist Party led by his bitter enemy Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the army and navy especially in the face of an undeclared naval war (called the "Quasi-War") with France, 1798-1800. The major accomplishment of his presidency was his peaceful resolution of the conflict in the face of Hamilton's opposition. In 1800, Adams was defeated for re-election by Thomas Jefferson and retired to Massachusetts. He later resumed his friendship with Jefferson. He and his wife founded an accomplished family line of politicians, diplomats, and historians now referred to as the Adams political family. Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States. His achievements have received greater recognition in modern times, though his contributions were not initially as celebrated as those of other Founders. Adams was the first U.S. president to reside in the executive mansion that eventually became known as the White House.


John Adams

John Adams

Author: David McCullough

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-12-11

Total Pages: 1295

ISBN-13: 1471104524

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The Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of an American Founding Father. A huge bestseller in America, David McCullough's JOHN ADAMS tells the extraordinary story of the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot -- 'the colossus of independence', as Thomas Jefferson called him -- who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution and who rose to become the second President of the United States. Both a riveting portrait of an abundantly human man and a vivid evocation of his time, JOHN ADAMS has the sweep and vitality of a great novel, taking us from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam to London, where Adams was the first American to stand before King George III as a representative of the new nation. This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war, but also about human nature, love, faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, it is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.


Book Synopsis John Adams by : David McCullough

Download or read book John Adams written by David McCullough and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-12-11 with total page 1295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of an American Founding Father. A huge bestseller in America, David McCullough's JOHN ADAMS tells the extraordinary story of the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot -- 'the colossus of independence', as Thomas Jefferson called him -- who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution and who rose to become the second President of the United States. Both a riveting portrait of an abundantly human man and a vivid evocation of his time, JOHN ADAMS has the sweep and vitality of a great novel, taking us from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam to London, where Adams was the first American to stand before King George III as a representative of the new nation. This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war, but also about human nature, love, faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, it is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.


The Revolutionary John Adams

The Revolutionary John Adams

Author:

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9780792254911

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A biography of John Adams with emphasis on his role in the American Revolution.


Book Synopsis The Revolutionary John Adams by :

Download or read book The Revolutionary John Adams written by and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2006 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of John Adams with emphasis on his role in the American Revolution.


The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States

Author: John Adams

Publisher:

Published: 1851

Total Pages: 616

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States by : John Adams

Download or read book The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States written by John Adams and published by . This book was released on 1851 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: