David McCullough. John Adams. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Date: 1 March 2005

Commentary: This is a reasonably thorough account of the public and private life of American founding father John Adams, drawn largely from letters written by both Adams and his wife Abigale.

Adams, from near Boston, was involved with the earliest continental congress while the American colonies were still subject to British rule. He drafted the first congressional resolution to assume the powers of government, the preamble for which was so strong so as to "put aside the possibility of reconciliation" with King George. He also wrote the Massachusetts state constitution, wherein he incorporated many of the standard freedoms and laws also outlined in the U.S. constitution.

In his private life, Adams appears to have typified the ideal Christian family man. He was a devoted husband and father, held a strong sense of virtual and morality, yet demonstrated acceptance of all people, including the French whom he refered to as a nation of atheists.

Navy: During the Revolution, Adams was the first delegate to France, sent to request Naval support. He was a lifelong supporter of Naval power, and initiated the Department of the Navy. Later, as President, he initiated a Naval build-up to thwart attacks by French ships on U.S. merchant vessels; this build-up possibly played a role in "ending France's designs on America" and averting war with France.

Presidency: After the Revolution, but before his Presidency, Adams was sent as a delegate to establish relations with France, which was one of the few happy periods during which he was able to spend considerable time with his wife and children, including his beloved son and later U.S. President John Quincy Adams. The senior Adams was also the first delegate to the British Court of St. James. Adams was the first Vice President under Washington. When he assumed the Presidency, he tried to remain party neutral. He retained Washington's Federalist cabinet. The Republican Thomas Jefferson became Vice President and remained a constant political enemy to Adams throughout Adams' presidency.

Jefferson: I found it interesting that, much later in life, Adams and Jefferson shared frequent correspondence until they both died during the Presidency of Adams' son John Quincy. Adams and Jefferson both died on the same day, which happened to be the 4th of July, which also happened to be the 50th anniversary of American Independence.

Education: From early on, Adams placed a strong emphasis on the importance of education for all American children, including the poor. His views outlined in the book are admirable, and are constistent with my own views regarding the importance of education (in the sense of actual knowledge) for all citizens. Unfortunately, public education today has many flaws. On this issue, I support proposals for a voucher system to introduce real accountability into public education. In my opinion, those who oppose vouchers have virtually no coherent objections against voucher systems that do not have some very simple and obvious workarounds that could ensure the integrity of such a system.

J. Sprigg