John Adams
Overview
John Adams (1735-1826) was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, serving as the country’s second president from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he played a vital role in the American Revolution and advocated for independence from Great Britain.
Born in Massachusetts, Adams was a lawyer by profession and served as a delegate to both the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was a key figure in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and later served as a diplomat, negotiating the Treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolutionary War.
In addition to his political contributions, Adams was also an important legal theorist and writer, publishing works such as “Thoughts on Government” and “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America.” He was a strong supporter of the separation of powers and believed in the importance of an independent judiciary.
During his presidency, Adams worked to maintain American neutrality in the ongoing conflicts between Great Britain and France, but faced significant opposition from his own party and ultimately lost his bid for reelection in 1800.
Adams’s legacy includes his instrumental role in the founding of the United States and his contributions to the development of American political theory. He is also remembered for his close friendship and political rivalry with Thomas Jefferson, with whom he corresponded for over 50 years.
Primary Sources
A searchable database of John Adams Papers is maintained by the Massachusetts Historical Society.
The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: with a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations, by his Grandson Charles Francis Adams (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1856). 10 volumes. https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/adams-the-works-of-john-adams-10-vols.
Adams John, Abigail Adams and Frank Shuffelton. 2004. The Letters of John and Abigail Adams. New York: Penguin Books.
Secondary Sources
Adams, Charles Francis., Adams, John Quincy. The Life of John Adams. United States: B. Lippincott, 1871.
Vol. 1 https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Life_of_John_Adams/4zNC14Hz12kC?hl=en&gbpv=0
Bernstein, Richard B.. The Education of John Adams. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2020.
Bowen, Catherine Drinker. John Adams and the American Revolution. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1950.
Note that Bowen’s work contains invented dialogues and is best characterized as a fictional biography. However, Bowen conducted primary source research in preparation for her book.
Burleigh, Anne. John Adams. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1969, Republished with a new introduction by Taylor & Francis, 2009.
Chinard, Gilbert. Honest John Adams. Boston: Little, Brown, 1933.
Ellis, Joseph J. Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams. New York London: W.W. Norton, 1994.
Ferling, John. John Adams: A Life. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1992.
Fisher, David., Abrams, Dan. John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father’s Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial. United States: Hanover Square Press, 2020.
Grant, James. John Adams – Party of One. London: The Folio Society, 2008.
Haraszti, Zoltán. John Adams & the Prophets of Progress. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1952.
Holdzkom, Marianne. Remembering John Adams: The Second President in History, Memory and Popular Culture. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2023.
Hutson, James H. John Adams and the Diplomacy of the American Revolution. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2015.
Isenberg, Nancy, and Andrew Burstein. The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality. New York, NY: Viking, 2019.
Book Review: A compeling analysis of the contributions of John Adams and John Quincy Adams.
McCullough, David G. John Adams. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
“John Adams” in, Parker, Theodore. Historic Americans. United States: H. B. Fuller, 1870, 147-259.
Ryerson, Richard Alan. John Adams’s Republic: The One, the Few, and the Many. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016.
Shaw, Peter. The Character of John Adams. Chapel Hill: Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Va., by the University of North Carolina Press, 1976.
Shepherd, Jack. The Adams Chronicles: Four Generations of Greatness. 1st ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 1975.
Smith, Page. John Adams. 2 vols. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1962.
Wood, Gordon S. Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. New York: Penguin Press, 2017.
Abigail Adams
Overview
Abigail Adams (1744-1818) was the wife of John Adams and the second First Lady of the United States. She was a strong advocate for women’s rights and played an active role in the political and social issues of her time.
Born in Massachusetts, Abigail was well-educated and deeply involved in her husband’s political career. She served as a trusted advisor to John Adams and often corresponded with him while he was away from home. Her letters are now considered an important historical resource, providing insight into the personal and political struggles of the time.
Abigail was a passionate advocate for women’s rights and education, and she believed that women should have equal access to opportunities and be treated with respect and dignity. In her famous “Remember the Ladies” letter to her husband, she urged him to consider the rights and interests of women when drafting laws for the new nation.
Throughout her life, Abigail was also actively involved in social causes, such as the abolition of slavery and the promotion of education. She founded the Female Humane Society in Boston, which provided support and assistance to the poor and disadvantaged.
Abigail’s legacy includes her contributions to the early feminist movement and her role as a pioneering woman in American politics. Her dedication to social justice and equality continues to inspire generations of women today.
Primary Sources
Abigail Adams Letters, American Antiquarian Society https://www.americanantiquarian.org/abigailadams/.
Abigail Adams Letters, edited by Edith Gelles, Library of America, https://www.loa.org/books/491-letters.
Secondary Sources
Bohrer, Melissa Lukeman. Glory, Passion, and Principle: The Story of Eight Remarkable Women at the Core of the American Revolution. New York: Atria Books, 2003.
Holton, Woody. Abigail Adams. 1st Free Press hardcover ed. New York: Free Press, 2009.
Smith, John L. Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman Not Apt to Be Intimidated. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.
John and Abigail Adams
Abrams, Jeanne E.. A View from Abroad: The Story of John and Abigail Adams in Europe. United States: NYU Press, 2021.
Ellis, Joseph J.. First Family: Abigail and John Adams. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, 2010.
Gelles, Edith Belle. Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.
Georgini, Sara. Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2019.
Unidentified Artist
John Adams by Gilbert Stuart
Researching the American Revolution 