Bought this book after a visit my sister and I took to to the Adams homes in Quincy, MA. Its focus is on the time after Adams finished being president and deals with his thoughts and actions connected to those thoughts over his later years. There is gold in this book. For example, her attacks the romanticization of our Founding Fathers, which he calls "ancestor worship," by reminding everyone that "Every measure of Congress from 1774 inclusively was disputed with acrimony, and decided by as small majorities as any question is decided these days" (99). We Americans are still at the mercy of false nostalgia by those who think our founding fathers were gods and that our entire nation sat in glowing approval of all they did, and Adams' words are a good corrective to remind us that what we are now is not that different from what we were then, at least in this respect.

I read a bit of this book at a time, and may get back again as I have been watching HBO's John Adams series on Netflix. (Loved McCullough's book too).

2.5* I didn't realize before reading that this book only covered Adams' retirement— not his actual presidency. What Passionate Sage did provide was a standard Ellis psychoanalysis of John Adams, the man— his vices, virtues, convictions and character. It was a little dry in places, but takeaways include:

1) Adams wanted to be a hero, but he never did make it into the canon of "greats" during his lifetime the way that many of his contemporaries did. This led him to harbor some major resentments toward those who got all the attention for championing American independence, as he felt (perhaps rightly so) that he did all the work while they got all the glory. He never got over this sense of jealousy and his very candid views about everyone in Congress made their way into detailed letters that got him into trouble at times (as when intercepted by the British and published throughout the states!) In Adams' mind, Jefferson was the man who stole his thunder (Declaration), Franklin was an exaggerating phony and Washington was nothing more than an actor/poster boy for the Revolution who did next to nothing but still managed to come out on top. Ellis makes the case that John Adams was the ardent instigator behind the Revolution; the brains behind the operation, if you will, and the most learned and scholarly of all the Founding Fathers.

2) Adams had a big ego. Despite his denials, he was obsessed with posterity’s interpretation of him (this seemed to have been a concern shared by all of the Founding Fathers). We have more primary source documents from Adams than any other early American leader simply because they weren't destroyed or edited with a fine-tooth comb, as was the case with many others. He wanted history to have an accurate picture of all the players involved in the Revolution, and if that picture had to include his flaws, too, then so be it. He not only saw this as his gift to posterity, but also as a jab to his contemporaries (a sort of "Ha- take that! Even if you destroy your records, mine will live on forever as an accurate portrayal of you character!") He wanted future generations to realize that the Founding Fathers were not, despite popular belief, the demigods they were chalked up to be.

3) You get the sense that pretty much everyone hated Hamilton... and Adams may have hated him more than Jefferson, which is saying something!

4) JA was contrary and argued with everything and everyone... even if he agreed with them. His library was littered with books whose margins were crammed with comments in which he conducted one-sided arguments with the authors.

5) His famous correspondence with Jefferson highlighted their differences (pragmatist vs. idealist), but for the most part both men let the sleeping dogs of their disagreements lie and cultured a cordial relationship. Adams wrote twice as many letters to Monticello as Jefferson returned to Quincy, knowing that history would take note of the statesmen's exchange of ideas.

6) I learned more about the difference between Federalists and Republicans. Federalists recognized that "aristocrats" and therefore inequality would always be part of society, while Republicans saw hierarchy as a social evil to be eliminated at all costs (which was nothing more than "utopian nonsense," according to Adams.) Adams' view that government should play a role in the lives of the people (banking, industry, etc.) was anathema to Jefferson.

I'll give McCullough's biography a try next. I still need a fuller picture of JA's life.

Passionate Sage: The character and legacy of John Adams by Joseph Ellis
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After a visit to John Adams home in Quincy, MA, I saw this book in the gift shop of the visitors center and had to have it. The author lays out the case as to why John Adams is perhaps the most important founding father and most responsible for our modern republican style government and independence from England. And also we learn why John Adams has been diminished into irrelevance in American history. This man is the most relatable and human of the founding fathers and through his extensive correspondence and writings with family and friends we get a true sense of what the man was like. John Adams had a knack for being a total contrarian on all issues and he loved to argue the opposite view point and be a reality check when emotions ran too high. He was a man who put public service above all else and wanted what was best for the country, making every attempt to avoid being partisan to any issue. During his presidency he was hated and misunderstood, with Alexander Hamilton on one side with the federalists and Thomas Jefferson on the other side with the democratic republicans. Adams, like his son John Quincy, both were destined to be one term presidents as they would not be beholden to party politics and told the truth even if it gained them enemies. Adams was prone to outbursts of passion on certain issues and this also gained him enemies or caused misunderstandings. He accurately predicted that no monuments would be built to honor him and to this day still no monument is found in our nations capitol honoring arguably the man most responsible for American independence. His correspondence and friendship with Jefferson is fascinating to read about, both men who were diametrically opposed on most issues were able to still be friends who were bound by mutually respect for each other’s intelligence, honor, virtue and love for their newly built country. They would both pass away on July 4th, 1926, a fitting end for two giants of our American story. Adams final words were, “Jefferson still survives”, little did he know his longtime friend died the earlier that same day.

#presidents

This book is a must-read, particularly with the current political controversies in the Untied States. Ellis’ insights into John Adams are a surprising journey, regardless of right or left leaning opinions. My first impression while reading this book was that John Adams was a highly educated version of President Donald Trump; highly volatile, easily antagonized and quick to react to perceived slights. The book provides an interesting look into the psychology and mental processes of one of our earliest founding fathers.

For my full review you can visit me at The Reading Nook: http://wp.me/p8sfpt-13