John Adams

Rating:
Summary: Good intro to revolutionary personalities from Adams' view
Review: John Adams was not only a central figure in bringing about the American Revolution, but managed to stay alive for 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This makes the story of his life and the peripheral activities a fitting stage for introducing this time in our history. To be fair I have read little about this period so I have little to compare.

It took me a couple of chapters before I was drawn in, but afterward I was hard pressed to put it down. McCullough's style is very engaging and succeeded at eliciting my love for his subjects. There were only a few occasions when McCullough's love for Adams and entourage caused me to doubt his objective evaluations. I was surprised to learn about the duplicitous nature of Jefferson, and the designs for power by Hamilton.

I take away from this book a desire to read more of McCullough's work and a need to learn more about the history that so clearly shapes the society we inhabit.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Snooze
Review: I have been reading this book for four weeks, and I am only halfway through it. I try, but my eyes just won't stay open through the long, dreary passages that seem to go nowhere. Much of what I have read is old stuff that we learned in sixth grade; Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, the First Continental Congress. But this author seems to have squeezed to life out of the story and served up the empty husks.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo, Mr. McCullough, fine job!
Review: If you like early American history this book is for you. It is not just about John Adams, it is really a biography of both Adams and Jefferson, and the people of their times. History has afforded most attention to Washington and Jefferson, without proper ado to Mr. Adams. This book changes all that. It tells the story of a great man and his amazing life.

Rating:
Summary: An exploratory look at John Adams-vintage McCullough.
Review: Biographies break down into two basic categories--exploratory narratives and explanatory narratives. This book is the former, a general--and altogether excellent--exploration of Adam's life and accomplishments. This seems to be the fitting choice when faced with Adams, one of those historical figures we all know of but know darn little about. This situation has more to do with Adams unfortunate juxtaposition between Washington and Jefferson in terms of his presidential stint as well as Hamilton's more celebrated role in the earlier Constitutional Convention process rather than any particular shortcomings in terms of either his accomplishments or the dynamics of his personal history. This being the case, McCullough obviously decided the exploratory approach--and informative rather than an inquisitive work--was a better choice for this effort. It was the right choice.

The book fortunately avoids some of the typical pitfalls of a McCullough biography. His works can be a bit turgid in terms of the prose and are often a bit too monumental in their scope, flaws that marks such works as Truman and Path Between the Seas. This book is much more in line with the author's best efforts, such as Mornings on Horseback.

Adams is certainly an extremely important figure in early American history and clearly there was a serious need for an excellent expository look at his life and accomplishments. We are in debt to Mr. McCullough for producing just such a work.

This is a truly excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: America's First Family - the Adams' of Braintree
Review: This is more than just a biography of John Adams, a great man in his own right, it is also a family history of his wife, and of his children in their early years. His wife, Abigail, and his son John Quincy Adams are fascinating characters in their own right. By use of the family leters, McCullough builds a riveting story of this prominent family in the heroic days of the American Revolution.

Like all families of that age, the family knew tragedy - a baby daughter died, their beloved daughter Abigail (Nabby) died of breat cancer, another much-loved son Charles turned out to be a spendthrift and alcoholic and died young. Possibly the worst shock of John Adams's life was to learn of his son's betrayal of his own wife and children.

John's pride was in his own eldest John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States, something which John Snr lived to see.

Someone, the two Adams Presidents never got their due from history - until now. John Snr was overshadowed by Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy by Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. A new biography which does justice to John Quincy is called for.

John Adams has somehow got the unfair tag 'loser' attached to him. The main fact is that he was the first Vice-President, and the second President, the first one to fail re-election. Yet, after George Washington, he was one of the 'indispensable men' of the Revolution, along with Jefferson and Franklin. True, he was cantankerous, proud and quick to take offence. But he was also the most modest of men, and unsparing of himself. His leadership style was to pick the best man for the job - hence his proposal of Washington for the job of Army commander (surely the most vital single proposal of the era), and his presuasion of Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence. Adams was also the one who argued for the Declaration in the Continental Congress.'He rose us in our seats' Jefferson said later.

Later, when the two became friends in Paris, Jefferson wrote to Madison (something like - I cannot exactly recall the words) "If you become acquainted with Mr Adams, you cannot fail to love him". The reader experiences something like this during the book, which covers the full career of John Adams.

If Jefferson was the soul of the Revolution, in some way Adams was the heart. A devout and plain-spoken New Englander, he embodied the radical Puritan spirit better than the planters Jefferson and Washington. Yet he was attacked as a 'monarchist' or 'monocrat' for his Federalist principles during his Presidency. He also at this time fell out with Jefferson, but the book follows closely the ups and downs in the relationship between the two men over the years.

That the American Revolution, almost uniquely, did not 'devour its children' is due in large part to Adams, who steered a moderate course between the Republicans of Jefferson and the High Federalists during his Presidency. The peace with France that followed the undeclared war between the countries was his triumph.

Following his Presidency, the 1800 Election was possibly the most crucial one in American history - it was at this time that the first opposition party was to take power legally, and the young American institutions were put to the test. As pointed out recently, by Henry Jaffa, the realisation dawned that factional parties did not necessarily mean civil strife, as long as certain rules were followed.

While Adams seemed to be a preennnial 'second' in politics, he has an impressive list of firsts - first President to live in the White House, first accredited Ambassador of the United States (to the Netherlands), first President to father a President,first Ambassador to Great Britain (as later were both his son and grand-son). Already mentioned was the way he marked both Washington and Jefferson for great tasks, another inspired appointment was John Marshall as Chief Justice of the United States.

Adams was certainly a lesser President that Jefferson, the man to which he is most often compared and contrasted. Jefferson ranks with Washington, but also with Lincoln and Roosevelt. Like these last two, Jefferson was not only a supreme party politician, hy also had the facility of being able to articulate the aspirations of his followers - possibly better than they could themselves. He could understand and empathise with the common man in a way Adams never could.

However, after reading this book, I think John Adams was altogether a better man, in sense of an all-rounded individual.
I urge you to read and judge for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Another hagiography
Review: This is an impressive book. The scholarship is unbeatable, the narrative impressive, and the story remarkable. It is also, on a physical level, quite gorgeous: lovely font and paper and cover. And yet why does it seem that modern historians feel the need to either glorify or assasinate the character of their subjects of biography? This book falls squarely in the former category, with no misstep, flaw, or incongruity in Adams presented without a lenghty rationalization. An example is McCullough's treatment of the Alien and Sedition Act (lasting all of two and half pages), surely one of the lowest points in US government and its earliest and most egregious breach of the Constitution. McCullough lays the blame on Congress and then tries to explain why the measure might have been necessary in a time of (un)decalred war. Adams was a great man, and this book does much to restore him to a deserved place amongst the founders of our country. McCullough also does a great deal to draw a clear and sobering comparison between Adams and Jefferson. Yet, interest flags near the end of this tale, as one realizes that Adam's temper has been dulled, his character softened, his views blurred, and his accomplishments exaggerated (as great as they were, McCullough manages to oversate them; countless accomplishments are described as bringing Adams "more pride than any other.") in the interests of sanctifying a man many of his contemporaries found reason to dislike. One can feel McCullogh's desire to burnish Adams' resputation, which inevitably leads to distrust of the author. How could it be that so many found him to be insane and yet we read so little of why they might think so? Surely there is a more interesting and compelling man behind the praise McCullough lavishes on Adams.

Rating:
Summary: The REAL Founding Fathers
Review: I was totally immersed in the eighteenth century by the time I had read a few pages. In spite of the size of the book, I read it in only 4 days, as I found it hard to put down. Compelling reading, and beautifully written. It was as though I knew each of these people personally by the time I had finished. I was lucky enought to have read another book just before this, "Children of Wrath" by Leo Hirrel, which gave me additional insight into the values and concerns of the New Englanders, such as John Adams, who impacted and shaped the development of our country. I highly recommend this as an adjunct to the John Adams book. I never enjoyed history so much.

Rating:
Summary: A Walk into History
Review: This is a terrific book, providing much more information about Adams than I had ever known in the past. Clearly well researched, the real joy of the book is found in the descriptive letters exchanged by John and Abigail Adams. The love the two of them shared is powerful, and the mutual respect is obvious. The presentation of these letters allow the reader to feel a connection with the Adams that a regular history book would not allow. John Adams' love for his family and his country is clear as one reads this book. You share in his adventures and his defeats. The relationship between him and Jefferson also is interesting as the book shows the tension that exsisted between the two men, as well as the respect. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: JOHN ADAMS, THE UNDER-RATED FOUNDING FATHER
Review: In recent years, there has been much written about John Adams, one of the founding fathers and, of course, our second president. For many years, Mr. Adams' reputation as a founder, diplomat, politician and statesman has been overshadowed by other, more charismatic leaders. A New England country lawyer, Mr. Adams was typically presented, in history classes, as a provincial politician, curmudgeon family man and second rate diplomat, particularly in comparison with such charismatic men as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In an era where style overshadows substance, the resurgence of Mr. Adams' reputation is indicative of the recognition of the inherent greatness of the man.

JOHN ADAMS, by David McCullough presents an engaging and articulate biography of this remarkable individual. As with Mr. McCullough's other biographies (TRUMAN, e.g.), the author provides both professional and personal insight into the man, neither placing the subject on a pedestal, nor glossing over his human frailties. A theme of "personal integrity" in matters public and private presents Mr. Adams, not as a relic of late 18th century America, but as a living, breathing human being, with virtues and flaws as immediate today as they were during those early days of the republic.

One of the most engaging aspects of this book is the comparison between Adams and Jefferson. Both men emerge as "two sides of the same coin," with love of country as the common bond. Their friendship ultimately epitomizes the concept of "agreeing to disagree." Unlike his more charismatic friend, Mr. Adams' intellect and brilliance often remain hidden beyond a presentation of stolid New England character.

This book is highly recommended for those seeking a thorough understanding of Mr. Adams and his times. For those who wish to read further, there is another excellent biography, JOHN ADAMS: A LIFE, by John Ferling.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing read!!!
Review: It's hard to say where to start on reviewing this gem. I have found that it is indeed a rarity when a history ("Yuch!! Not History!") book falls into the category of "hard to put down."
This one does!
What Mccullough has skillfully acomplished deserves merit: He has combined the task of bringing a (relatively) little known figure to life, both personally and politically, while making the narrative appealing to those readers who previously cared little for our second President, much less American history itself.
Tough task.
Mccullough blends Adam's interactions with the key players of the late 18th and early 19th century, namely, Jefferson, Washington,as well as some European diplomats, and how these relationships changed, both for the better and worse, during the events of the time.
My only criticism, albeit a small one, was Mccullough devoting only one or two sentences to the Hamilton/Burr duel.
Perhaps I'm being picky here.
For anyone interested in American history, I need not recommend this book; they no doubt have already devoured it; for those skeptical about finding anything enlightening about our second President, pull up a chair and give your TV a rest.