The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams
by John Adams
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Book Summary Information
Author: John AdamsEditor: Lester J. Cappon
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1988-09-30
ISBN: 0807842303
Number of pages: 690
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Book Reviews of The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams
Book Review: A brilliant insight into how two of our Founding Fathers thought about the state and fate of our Republic
Summary: 5 Stars
Adams and Jefferson converse on a variety of subjects, ranging from the importance of religion in the public sector (and what that means), to what sets Native Americans apart from other "savages" (they remark on how advanced and civilized they are--and the theory that they may be descended from Israel!), to Greek translations!
A nice moment is when Jefferson gives the new president--John Quincy Adams--a nod of encouragement, as he also gives kduos to his friend for raising his son in a way that prepared him for the highest office of the land, without realizing it.
One of the most powerfull subjects they discuss, however, begins when Adams starts to express doubt on whether our Republic will truly stand the test of time. This, indeed, is the memorable exchange that commmentator Glenn Beck often refers to.
Adams rights on December 21st, 1819, "I know it is high treason to express a doubt of the perpetual duration of our vast American Empire...but I am sometimes Cassandra enough to dream that another Hamilton, another Burr might rend this mighty Fabric in twain, or perhaps into a leash, and a few more choice spirits of the same Stamp, might produce as many Nations in North America as there are in Europe."
At first, Jefferson replies with reassurance, saying, (on March 14, 1820), "We have, willingly, done injury to no man; and have done for our country the good which has fallen in our way, so far as commensurate with the faculties given us. That we have not done more than we could cannot be imputed to us as a crime before any tribunal. I look therefore to that crisis, as I am sure you also do, as one "who neither fears the final day nor hopes for it."
Later, he addresses the idea more fully, expressing that freedom CAN be restored, should the worst happen. On September 4th, 1823, he writes, "A first attempt to recover the right of self-government may fail; so may a 2nd, a 3rd, etc., bus as a younger, and more instructed race [in other words, as Beck paraphrases, a generation that finally understands what the Founders were trying to do] comes on, the sentiment becomes more and more intuitive, and a 4th, a 5th, or some subsequent one of the ever renewed attempts will ultimately succeed."
He adds that "To attain all this, however, rivers of blood must yet flow, and years of desolation pass over. Yet the object is worth rivers of blood, and years of desolation--for what inheritance so valuable can man leave to his prosperity?"
Thus, there is optimism, mixed with a dark warning--make sure you preserve your freedom. You can get it back if you lose it...but it will mean going through torment to restore it all to what it was.
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