WEBVTT

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Imagine being the second president of a brand

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new nation. I mean, stepping into the colossal

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shadow of George Washington. And then after your

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own tumultuous term, preceding another giant,

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Thomas Jefferson. Yeah, that's quite the position

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to be in. Right. And not just navigating a nation

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on the brink of war, but then after a lifetime

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of really immense contributions, dying on the

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exact same day as your greatest rival and, well...

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complex friend, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration

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of Independence itself. It's almost unbelievable,

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isn't it? Like something out of fiction. Exactly.

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That's just a glimpse into the life of John Adams,

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a man of... unwavering principle, profound contradictions,

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and often, let's be honest, exasperating stubbornness.

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Okay, let's unpack this. We've got a treasure

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trove of information today about a man who often

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felt destined to be forgotten, yet whose influence

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indelibly shaped the very foundations of American

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government. That fear of being forgotten is such

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a fascinating part of his psychology, actually.

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It really is. From a Boston lawyer defending

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British soldiers, we'll get into that, to a tenacious

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diplomat securing vital loans, and then of course

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to the highest office, his story is far richer

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and more complex than many realize. You might

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think you know John Adams, but get ready for

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some truly surprising insights. Our mission today

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is to go beyond the standard textbook narrative,

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to truly understand the man behind the myth.

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We'll uncover why his legacy is both celebrated

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and, well, for too long, was overlooked. Yeah,

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he definitely spent some time in the historical

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shadows. You can expect a deep dive into his

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principled legal battles, shrewd diplomatic triumphs,

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that tumultuous presidency, and his enduring

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philosophical impact on American governance.

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And what's truly fascinating here is how Adams'

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personal character, you know, often described

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as prickly or irascible, was so intrinsically

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linked to his political actions and deeply held

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beliefs. Completely intertwined. We'll see how

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this tenacity, this willingness to stand firm,

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even in the face of widespread opposition, often

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proved to be America's strength, even if it cost

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some personal popularity, big time. Oh, it definitely

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cost him. We'll also examine the nuanced details

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of his thought from his groundbreaking ideas

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on government structure to his deeply held religious

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convictions, all of which had a lasting impact

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on the trajectory of the nation. His commitment

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to intellectual rigor and personal integrity,

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even when unpopular, is just this consistent

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thread that defines his entire life. So before

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he was a revolutionary, before he was a diplomat,

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before he was president, John Adams was just

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a kid from Braintree, Massachusetts, born way

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back on October 30, 1735. Right. Humble beginnings

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in many ways. Yeah. His father, John Adams Sr.,

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was a deacon, a farmer, a cord -weiner, that's

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a shoemaker, and a militia lieutenant. a man

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Adams deeply admired and praised throughout his

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life. His mother, Susanna Boylston, came from

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a prominent medical family, so this background

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truly grounds him, doesn't it? He emerged from

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solid New England stock, steeped in a world of

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community, hard work, and faith. Absolutely.

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And that upbringing provided a foundational framework

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for his character. His formal education began

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pretty early, age six, moving from a dame school

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to brain tree Latin school. The curriculum was

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quite robust for the era, you know, Latin rhetoric,

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logic, arithmetic. Classics. Exactly. But young

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Adams wasn't always the eager scholar. He confessed

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to truancy and openly disliked his first schoolmaster,

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even expressing a strong desire to become a farmer

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instead of continuing his studies. Imagine history

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if he'd gotten his wish. It took his father's

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firm command to keep him in school and the hiring

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of a new, more effective schoolmaster, Joseph

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Marsh, for Adams to respond positively. He later

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reflected on his mother's profound influence,

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noting, As a child, I enjoyed perhaps the greatest

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of blessings, that of a mother who was anxious

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and capable to form the characters of her children.

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So it's just that even as he struggled with,

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let's say, academic discipline, his parents instilled

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in him a strong sense of purpose and the value

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of education that would later Well, define him.

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That youthful desire to just farm to escape the

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classroom feels so incredibly human, almost relatable.

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But his father's push and his mother character

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-forming influence clearly steered him towards

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a path less ordinary. He entered Harvard College

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at 16 in 1751, graduated with his AB in 1755

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and an AM in 1758. Now, his father expected him

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to become a minister, but Adams clearly had other

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ideas, right? Oh, definitely. He spent some time

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teaching in Worcester, kind of pondering his

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future. He certainly did. During those four years

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after graduation, he wasn't just drifting, he

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was actively seeking honor or reputation and

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more deference from his fellows. determined,

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as he put it, to be a great man. Ambition, plain

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and simple. Yes, this ambition, this powerful

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drive for influence and recognition was a constant

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force within him. He ultimately decided against

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the ministry, writing to his father that he found

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noble and gallant achievements among lawyers

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in stark contrast to the pretended sanctity of

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some absolute dunces among the clergy. Pretty

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harsh words. Wow. Yeah, pulling no punches there.

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Though he harbored reservations about his own

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trumpery and a perceived failure to share the

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happiness of his fellow men, his path was set.

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In 1756, he began reading law under James Putnam

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and Worcester and was admitted to the bar in

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1759. So he finds his calling in law with a clear

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ambition to make a mark. But it's not just personal

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ambition that shaped him. He also developed an

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early habit of diary writing, which offers us

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incredible insight into his thought process.

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And one specific event in his early legal career

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really ignited a spark in him, didn't it? It

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did, profoundly so. His impressions of James

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Otis Jr.'s 1761 challenge to the legality of

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British writs of assistance were a pivotal moment.

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These writs were essentially general search warrants,

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allowing British officials to search homes without

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specific cause or notice an arbitrary exercise

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of power that deeply troubled Adams. You can

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see why. Absolutely. Otis's passionate argument

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against them, delivered in a colonial courtroom,

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resonated deeply, inspiring Adams to the cause

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of the American colonies and solidifying his,

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well, his unwavering legal and moral compass.

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This commitment to intellectual rigor, his self

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-directed study of ancient writers like Thucydides,

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Plato, Cicero, Tacitus, in their original languages

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combined with his pivotal moment, showcases his

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early dedication to defending fundamental rights

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against arbitrary power. It's really the first

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hint of the principled lawyer and statesman he

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would become. 1759 to 1765. Okay, so away from

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the courtroom and into the heart, John Adams

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also experienced the universal human drama of

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love and family. In the late 1750s, he fell in

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love with a woman named Hannah Quincy, but apparently

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a proposal was interrupted and the moment was

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lost. Ah, fate. Right. However, in 1759, he met

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15 -year -old Abigail Smith, his third cousin,

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through a friend. His initial impression wasn't

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exactly glowing, was it? He wrote that she and

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her sisters were not fond, nor frank, nor candid,

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quite a blunt first assessment. A rather unvarnished

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assessment indeed. But despite that initial,

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perhaps superficial reaction, Adams grew very

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close to Abigail. They shared a profound love

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of books and developed a relationship built on

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remarkable honesty, where both praise and criticism

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were exchanged freely. They were married on October

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25, 1764, despite some initial opposition from

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Abigail's mother. Interesting. A strong match

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from the start, it seems. Definitely. After his

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father's death in 1761, Adams inherited a farm

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and a house in Braintree, where they lived until

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1783. This was the stable domestic foundation

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from which he would embark on his extraordinary

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public life. It's compelling to consider the

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personal side of these historical figures, the

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love story with Abigail, who became such pivotal

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advisor and confidant, but also the challenges

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of raising a family that included a future president,

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John Quincy. A huge weight on any family. Yeah,

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they had six children, but their fates were dramatically

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mixed. While John Quincy, born in 1767, went

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on to become the sixth president, two of their

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other sons, Charles and Thomas, sadly succumbed

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to alcoholism and died at relatively young ages.

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It reminds us that alongside their grand historical

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roles, these were real people facing very human

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struggles and triumphs, providing a, well, a

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poignant backdrop to the unfolding revolution.

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Absolutely. This human element is crucial to

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understanding the founders. And even before the

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revolutionary fervor fully ignited, Adams was

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already dabbling in political theory. In 1763,

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under the pen name Humphrey Plowjogger, isn't

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it? He wrote seven essays for Boston newspapers.

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In these early writings he began to articulate

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his views on power, ridiculing what he called

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the selfish thirst for power he observed among

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the Massachusetts colonial elite. So he's recognizing

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these power dynamics early on. It's also worth

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noting that Adams was initially less well -known

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than his older cousin Samuel Adams, a real firebrand

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of popular protest. How did John's approach differ

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from his more famous cousin at this stage? Well,

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his influence even then emerged from his work

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as a constitutional lawyer, his rigorous analysis

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of history, and his unwavering dedication to

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Republican principles. John Adams often found

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his own irascible nature, as he called it, a

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constraint in his political career. But this

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same tenacity would later serve him and the nation

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in critical moments. That stubbornness again.

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Exactly. The contrast with his cousin Samuel

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Adams highlights John's preference for legal

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and constitutional arguments over mob action,

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a characteristic that would define much of his

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public life. He sought to address grievances

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through the rule of law, a foundational principle

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for him, even then. This brings us to a pivotal

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moment where John Adams truly steps onto the

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national stage. The British Parliament, without

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consulting colonial American legislatures, passed

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the Stamp Act in 1765. Right, taxation without

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representation, the classic grievance. Exactly.

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This act required the colonies to pay a direct

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tax for stamped documents, primarily to cover

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the costs of the Seven Years' War. But it wasn't

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just the money that angered the colonists. It

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was the method of implementation. Enforcement

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power was given to British Vice Admiralty Courts,

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which operated without juries. That was a huge

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deal. For colonists, this was a severe blow to

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fundamental rights, as jury trials were seen

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as essential protection against arbitrary power.

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No doubt. This act was deeply resented, sparking

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widespread resistance that ultimately prevented

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its enforcement. And this context is critical

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for understanding Adams' emergence as a leader.

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He rose to prominence by spearheading widespread

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opposition to the Stamp Act. His key contribution

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was authoring the Braintree Instructions in 1765,

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a powerful letter sent to the representatives

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of Braintree in the Massachusetts legislature.

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The Braintree Instructions, right. This document

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was a succinct and forthright defense of colonial

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rights and liberties, arguing that the Act denied

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two fundamental rights guaranteed to all Englishmen,

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and which all free men deserved. To be taxed

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only by consent, and to be tried by a jury of

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one's peers. This document served as a model

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for other towns, providing a crucial legal blueprint

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for organized resistance. This is where Adams

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truly made his mark. Not with a musket, but with

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a powerful pen. He was all about the principles,

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the law, even when passions were running high.

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He even revived his Humphrey Plowjogger pen name

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for four articles in the Boston Gazette that

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August, further opposing the Stamp Act. That's

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a crucial detail. His opposition wasn't just

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local. It was carefully reasoned and articulated

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for a broader audience, demonstrating a sophisticated

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understanding of legal and political theory.

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These articles were later republished in London,

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giving his arguments an international platform

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and intellectual weight. Wow, taking it to the

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source. Pretty much. He also spoke directly before

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the governor and council in December, boldly

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pronouncing the Stamp Act invalid due to the

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absence of Massachusetts representation in Parliament.

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He noted that many protests were indeed sparked

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by a popular sermon from Boston Minister Jonathan

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Mayhew, who invoked Romans 13 to justify insurrection.

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This period reveals a deep intellectual engagement

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with both legal precedent and the moral underpinnings

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of resistance. So he was actively opposing, speaking

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out, writing, but he drew a clear line, didn't

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he? While Adams strongly opposed the act, he

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explicitly rebuffed attempts by his cousin Samuel

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Adams, a leader in more popular protest movements,

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to involve him in mob actions and public demonstrations.

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Right, he wasn't about the violence or the chaos.

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He wasn't one for street theatrics or violence,

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but for constitutional argument. This is a key

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moment that truly defines his approach to revolution.

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Precisely. This is a critical insight into Adams's

00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:36.600
character. He was a revolutionary, yes, but fundamentally

00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:39.659
a man of law and order. His opposition to the

00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:42.179
Stamp Act wasn't just about taxes. It was about

00:12:42.179 --> 00:12:45.059
the foundational rights of consent and due process,

00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:47.840
which he saw as being systematically eroded.

00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:50.679
His methodical, legalistic approach distinguished

00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:53.460
him from more radical elements and lent intellectual

00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:55.600
weight and credibility to the colonial cause.

00:12:55.700 --> 00:12:58.379
Yeah, give it some real grounding. And this commitment

00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:00.600
to legal process would be tested even further,

00:13:00.740 --> 00:13:03.299
and quite controversially, in the aftermath of

00:13:03.299 --> 00:13:06.919
the Boston Massacre. In 1766, Braintree elected

00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:09.000
him as a selectman, demonstrating his growing

00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:15.919
local influence. OK, so with the repeal of the

00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:19.059
Stamp Act in early 1766, tensions with Britain

00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:22.519
eased, but it short lived. Britain's passage

00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:25.759
of the Townsend Acts in 1767 revived those tensions

00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:28.460
and an increase in mob violence led the British

00:13:28.460 --> 00:13:30.460
to dispatch more troops to the colonies. Things

00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:32.720
were heating up again. Definitely. Adams moved

00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:35.919
his family back to Boston in April 1768 to focus

00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:38.299
on his law practice, where he quickly became

00:13:38.299 --> 00:13:40.559
Boston's most prominent lawyer after the death

00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:43.000
of Jeremiah Gridley and the mental collapse of

00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:45.639
James Otis Jr. This set the stage for one of

00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:47.779
the most controversial decisions of his career.

00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:52.740
Indeed. On March 5, 1770, a lone British sentry

00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:56.009
was accosted by a mob. Eight soldiers came to

00:13:56.009 --> 00:13:58.570
reinforce him, and the crowd swelled to several

00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:00.669
hundred, pelting the soldiers with snowballs,

00:14:00.830 --> 00:14:04.610
ice, and stones. In the ensuing chaos, the soldiers

00:14:04.610 --> 00:14:07.669
opened fire, killing five civilians in what became

00:14:07.669 --> 00:14:11.090
known as the Boston Massacre. An incredibly charged

00:14:11.090 --> 00:14:14.149
event. An explosive situation, deeply inflamed

00:14:14.149 --> 00:14:16.889
by public sentiment and poised to plunge the

00:14:16.889 --> 00:14:19.129
city into further chaos. The accused soldiers

00:14:19.129 --> 00:14:21.470
were arrested on charges of murder. This is such

00:14:21.470 --> 00:14:23.830
a striking moment in his life. The man who's

00:14:23.830 --> 00:14:26.169
building a reputation as a fierce advocate for

00:14:26.169 --> 00:14:28.710
colonial rights turns around and defends the

00:14:28.710 --> 00:14:31.049
very British soldiers who fired on his countrymen.

00:14:31.149 --> 00:14:32.690
It seems almost counterintuitive, doesn't it?

00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:35.659
Totally. When no other attorneys would come to

00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:38.580
their defense, Adams decided to do so despite

00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:41.440
the enormous risk to his own reputation and safety.

00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:44.759
He profoundly believed that no person, regardless

00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:47.299
of their actions or public opinion, should be

00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:49.559
denied the right to counsel and a fair trial.

00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:52.179
The trials were strategically delayed to allow

00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:54.899
passions to cool. This reveals a fundamental

00:14:54.899 --> 00:14:57.399
aspect of his character, his unwavering belief

00:14:57.399 --> 00:14:59.980
in justice for all, even the most unpopular.

00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:03.370
Precisely. It showcases his unwavering belief

00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:05.350
in the presumption of innocence and the right

00:15:05.350 --> 00:15:08.230
to counsel, cornerstones of justice, and principles

00:15:08.230 --> 00:15:10.149
he would later work to enshrine in the Massachusetts

00:15:10.149 --> 00:15:12.470
Constitution. The week -long trial of Captain

00:15:12.470 --> 00:15:14.990
Thomas Preston ended in his acquittal as it was

00:15:14.990 --> 00:15:16.889
impossible to prove he had ordered his soldiers

00:15:16.889 --> 00:15:20.090
to fire. A key point. Right. The remaining soldiers

00:15:20.090 --> 00:15:22.789
were tried in December. It was during this trial

00:15:22.789 --> 00:15:25.690
that Adams delivered his famed argument regarding

00:15:25.690 --> 00:15:28.629
jury decisions. Facts are stubborn things, and

00:15:28.629 --> 00:15:30.889
whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations,

00:15:30.990 --> 00:15:33.149
or the dictates of our passions, they cannot

00:15:33.149 --> 00:15:35.889
alter the state of facts and evidence. Adams

00:15:35.889 --> 00:15:38.330
won an acquittal for six of the soldiers, with

00:15:38.330 --> 00:15:40.830
two others who had fired directly into the crowd,

00:15:41.169 --> 00:15:43.529
convicted of manslaughter. That commitment to

00:15:43.529 --> 00:15:46.250
the rule of law, prioritizing facts over passion,

00:15:46.509 --> 00:15:49.409
is truly powerful. While some historians, like

00:15:49.409 --> 00:15:51.549
Johnny Ferling, suggest Adams might have strategically

00:15:51.549 --> 00:15:54.009
influenced jury selection by challenging individual

00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:56.049
jurors. There's always that political angle to

00:15:56.049 --> 00:15:58.840
consider. True. But Adams's public statements

00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:02.019
consistently emphasize the supremacy of law and

00:16:02.019 --> 00:16:05.179
fact over inflamed public sentiment. This act

00:16:05.179 --> 00:16:07.379
of moral courage, though controversial at the

00:16:07.379 --> 00:16:10.220
time, solidified his reputation as a principled

00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:12.860
lawyer who would uphold the law regardless of

00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:15.500
personal cost, demonstrating a rare and critical

00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:17.700
independence of mind for a revolutionary leader.

00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:21.200
Hashtag chaged 2 .3 growing disenchantment with

00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:25.799
Britain, 1772 to 1774. The Boston massacre trial

00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:28.620
certainly boosted Adams' law practice and prosperity,

00:16:28.659 --> 00:16:31.200
but also placed immense demands on his time.

00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:35.059
In 1774, due to the increasingly unstable situation

00:16:35.059 --> 00:16:37.580
in Boston, Adams and Abigail returned their family

00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:39.820
to the farm in Braintree, which remained their

00:16:39.820 --> 00:16:41.960
permanent Massachusetts home. You can feel a

00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:44.179
growing unease, can't you? You absolutely can.

00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:46.360
Adams, who had initially been among the more

00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:48.700
conservative of the Founding Fathers, persistently

00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:50.620
held that while British actions against the Colonies

00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:52.940
were wrong, open insurrection was unwarranted.

00:16:53.289 --> 00:16:55.629
He preferred peaceful petition, you know, with

00:16:55.629 --> 00:16:57.149
the view of remaining part of Great Britain.

00:16:57.350 --> 00:16:59.710
Still holding out hope for reconciliation. For

00:16:59.710 --> 00:17:03.070
a time. But his ideas began to fundamentally

00:17:03.070 --> 00:17:07.660
change around 1772. This marks a critical ideological

00:17:07.660 --> 00:17:10.220
evolution for Adams as he moved from seeking

00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:12.980
redress for specific grievances to challenging

00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:15.180
the very nature of Parliament's authority. And

00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:18.059
the spark that accelerated this shift was Britain's

00:17:18.059 --> 00:17:20.359
decision to assume payment of the salaries of

00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:23.619
Governor Thomas Hutchinson and his judges, bypassing

00:17:23.619 --> 00:17:27.000
the Massachusetts legislature entirely. Adams,

00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.519
recognizing the grave danger, wrote in the Gazette

00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:32.180
that these measures would destroy judicial independence

00:17:32.180 --> 00:17:34.880
and place the colonial government in closer subjugation

00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:37.339
to the Crown. A direct assault on the separation

00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:40.460
of powers he so deeply believed in. Precisely.

00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.380
After discontent grew among members of the legislature,

00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:45.819
Hutchinson delivered a speech warning that Parliament's

00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:47.819
powers over the colonies were absolute and any

00:17:47.819 --> 00:17:51.000
resistance illegal. In response, John Adams,

00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:53.740
along with Samuel Adams and Joseph Hawley, drafted

00:17:53.740 --> 00:17:55.900
a resolution adopted by the House of Representatives

00:17:55.900 --> 00:17:58.039
threatening independence as an alternative to

00:17:58.039 --> 00:17:59.920
tyranny. Wow, threatening independence already.

00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:03.799
This resolution argued a profound point, that

00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:05.700
the commonists had never been out of the sovereignty

00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:08.220
of parliament. Their charter, as well as their

00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:12.259
allegiance, was exclusive to the king. This reinterpretation

00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:14.720
laid the intellectual groundwork for independence,

00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:17.779
fundamentally shifting the argument from an appeal

00:18:17.779 --> 00:18:20.700
to British rights to asserting a distinct American

00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:23.180
sovereignty. And then the powder keg ignited.

00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:27.220
On December 16th, 1773, we have the Boston Tea

00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:30.039
Party, a defiant demonstration against the Tea

00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:32.279
Act and the British East India Company's tea

00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:36.130
monopoly. Protesters destroyed 342 chests of

00:18:36.130 --> 00:18:38.930
tea. While Adams briefly offered legal counsel

00:18:38.930 --> 00:18:41.430
to the Dartmouth owners, he himself applauded

00:18:41.430 --> 00:18:43.829
the destruction of the tea, calling it the grandest

00:18:43.829 --> 00:18:46.109
event in the history of the colonial protest

00:18:46.109 --> 00:18:49.750
movement. He even wrote in his diary that it

00:18:49.750 --> 00:18:52.230
was an absolutely and indispensably necessary

00:18:52.230 --> 00:18:54.569
action. This isn't just a political shift, it's

00:18:54.569 --> 00:18:57.109
a deeply personal one for him, a recognition

00:18:57.109 --> 00:18:59.210
that the ties with Britain were fundamentally

00:18:59.210 --> 00:19:04.910
broken. for peaceful petition to endorsing such

00:19:04.910 --> 00:19:08.069
a defiant act shows his growing conviction that

00:19:08.069 --> 00:19:10.349
the relationship with Britain was beyond repair

00:19:10.349 --> 00:19:13.470
through conventional means. This was not a man

00:19:13.470 --> 00:19:16.549
who embraced radicalism lightly. His endorsement

00:19:16.549 --> 00:19:19.390
of the Tea Party signifies his realization that

00:19:19.390 --> 00:19:21.670
constitutional arguments alone were no longer

00:19:21.670 --> 00:19:24.490
sufficient against what he perceived as escalating

00:19:24.490 --> 00:19:26.890
tyranny. The gloves were coming off. Pretty much.

00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:30.299
In 1774, in response to the punitive and tolerable

00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:33.380
acts, the first Continental Congress was convened.

00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:35.819
John Adams, despite an emotional plea from his

00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:38.220
friend, Attorney General Jonathan Sewell, not

00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:40.880
to attend, agreed to go as one of the four delegates

00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:43.220
chosen by the Massachusetts legislature. The

00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:46.569
die was well and truly cast. So John Adams arrives

00:19:46.569 --> 00:19:48.789
in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress,

00:19:49.150 --> 00:19:51.609
stepping into a room full of delegates with diverse

00:19:51.609 --> 00:19:54.930
and often conflicting viewpoints. Almost immediately,

00:19:55.089 --> 00:19:56.529
he was placed on the grand committee, tasked

00:19:56.529 --> 00:19:58.309
with drafting a letter of grievances to King

00:19:58.309 --> 00:20:01.539
George III. And, uh... No surprise that committee

00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:03.940
quickly split into conservative and radical factions.

00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:06.299
Can you imagine the pressure in that room? Oh,

00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:09.099
intense indeed. And this period is crucial for

00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:11.279
understanding the nascent American political

00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.299
process. It highlights the deep divisions, even

00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:16.599
among those seeking change from British rule.

00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:19.779
Adams, as a key figure in the Massachusetts delegation,

00:20:20.279 --> 00:20:22.960
was vocal. He criticized conservatives like Joseph

00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:26.099
Galloway and James Dwayne, who advocated a conciliatory

00:20:26.099 --> 00:20:28.579
policy or felt the colonies still owed allegiance

00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:31.299
to Britain. But he wasn't fully radical yet himself.

00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:34.200
Not entirely. His own views at this time still

00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:36.119
aligned in some ways with those of conservative

00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:38.579
John Dickinson, as Adams primarily sought the

00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:40.920
repeal of objectionable policies while still

00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:42.839
seeing benefits in maintaining ties with Britain.

00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:45.059
He renewed his push for the fundamental right

00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:47.579
to a jury trial. He's advocating for rights,

00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:51.190
but still hoping for reconciliation. Amidst all

00:20:51.190 --> 00:20:53.390
this high -stakes diplomacy, he also expressed

00:20:53.390 --> 00:20:55.990
a very human frustration with the pace and nature

00:20:55.990 --> 00:20:58.450
of the debates. He complained of what he considered

00:20:58.450 --> 00:21:00.630
the pretentiousness of the other delegates writing

00:21:00.630 --> 00:21:04.690
to Abigail. This is great. I believe if it was

00:21:04.690 --> 00:21:07.589
moved and seconded that we should come to a resolution

00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:10.210
that three and two make five, we should be entertained

00:21:10.210 --> 00:21:12.470
with logic and rhetoric, law, history, politics

00:21:12.470 --> 00:21:14.750
and mathematics, concerning the subject for two

00:21:14.750 --> 00:21:17.599
whole days and then... We should pass a resolution

00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:21.019
unanimously in the affirmative. Huh. That's classic

00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:23.740
Adams, isn't it? A detail -oriented lawyer stuck

00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:26.279
in what felt like endless trivial debates. Totally.

00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:28.779
It perfectly captures his intellectual impatience

00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:31.640
and his desire for decisive action based on clear

00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:34.920
principles. Yet, despite his frustrations, Adams

00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.059
ultimately helped engineer a crucial compromise

00:21:37.059 --> 00:21:39.579
between the Conservatives and the Radicals. The

00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:41.880
Congress disbanded in October after sending a

00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:44.380
petition to the King, and importantly, showing

00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:47.000
its displeasure with the intolerable acts by

00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:49.019
endorsing the Suffolk Resolves, which called

00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:51.599
for a boycott of British goods. So he could still

00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.519
work across the aisle, so to speak. This demonstrated

00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:57.779
an ability to unite disparate factions, even

00:21:57.779 --> 00:22:00.160
if the process was agonizing for him personally.

00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:02.380
And while he was wrestling with these monumental

00:22:02.380 --> 00:22:05.539
decisions, his personal life was, as always,

00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:08.700
deeply intertwined. His absence was hard on Abigail,

00:22:09.079 --> 00:22:10.779
who was left alone to care for their growing

00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:14.329
family. But her support was unwavering. She still

00:22:14.329 --> 00:22:16.450
encouraged her husband, sending him powerful

00:22:16.450 --> 00:22:19.190
letters. She wrote, You cannot be I know, nor

00:22:19.190 --> 00:22:21.430
do I wish to see you an inactive spectator. But

00:22:21.430 --> 00:22:23.750
if the sword be drawn, I bid adieu to all domestic

00:22:23.750 --> 00:22:25.890
felicity and look forward to that country where

00:22:25.890 --> 00:22:28.890
there is neither wars nor rumors of war. What

00:22:28.890 --> 00:22:30.670
an incredible woman and what a powerful message

00:22:30.670 --> 00:22:32.710
of unwavering support and shared conviction.

00:22:33.150 --> 00:22:35.069
Her letter underscores the profound personal

00:22:35.069 --> 00:22:37.730
sacrifices made by the Adams family and so many

00:22:37.730 --> 00:22:40.460
others during this period. It showcases her strength

00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:42.900
and her shared conviction in the cause, even

00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:45.940
as it demanded immense personal cost. This unwavering

00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:48.539
domestic front allowed Adams to focus his formidable

00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:51.099
intellect on the task at hand, knowing his family

00:22:51.099 --> 00:22:53.539
stood with him in spirit, preparing for the inevitable

00:22:53.539 --> 00:23:03.980
escalation towards independence. With the news

00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:05.859
of the opening hostilities at the battles of

00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:08.519
Lexington and Concord, Adams' hoax for independence

00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:11.259
soared. He witnessed the militia's high spirits,

00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:14.940
but also their disorganization. A month later,

00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:16.759
Adams returned to Philadelphia for the Second

00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:19.240
Continental Congress, now as a clear leader of

00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:21.440
the Massachusetts delegation, firmly convinced

00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:23.039
that Congress was moving towards a full break

00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:25.339
with Great Britain. This was Adams at his most

00:23:25.339 --> 00:23:29.920
influential. He moved cautiously at first, recognizing

00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:32.680
that Congress was deeply divided between loyalists,

00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:35.740
those favoring independence, and those hesitant.

00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:38.940
Publicly he supported reconciliation if practicable,

00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:42.000
but privately he aligned with Benjamin Franklin's

00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:44.740
confidential observation that independence was

00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:48.119
inevitable. His pragmatism and strategic foresight

00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:50.390
were becoming increasingly evident. and in a

00:23:50.390 --> 00:23:52.410
move that would prove foundational for the American

00:23:52.410 --> 00:23:56.109
military, in June 1775, with a view to promoting

00:23:56.109 --> 00:23:58.750
union among the colonies, he nominated George

00:23:58.750 --> 00:24:00.869
Washington of Virginia as commander -in -chief

00:24:00.869 --> 00:24:03.890
of the army then assembled around Boston. He

00:24:03.890 --> 00:24:06.869
praised Washington's skill and experience, as

00:24:06.869 --> 00:24:09.650
well as his excellent universal character. A

00:24:09.650 --> 00:24:11.930
masterstroke, really, unifying the colonies behind

00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:14.950
a respected Southern leader and cementing a critical

00:24:14.950 --> 00:24:18.029
military structure. Absolutely. This was a brilliant

00:24:18.029 --> 00:24:20.789
political maneuver, crucial for solidifying inter

00:24:20.789 --> 00:24:24.549
-colonial unity. Yet Adams also fiercely opposed

00:24:24.549 --> 00:24:26.650
various attempts, including the Olive Branch

00:24:26.650 --> 00:24:29.309
petition aimed at finding peace with Britain.

00:24:29.690 --> 00:24:32.150
Invoking the already long list of British actions,

00:24:32.289 --> 00:24:35.250
he wrote. In my opinion, powder and artillery

00:24:35.250 --> 00:24:37.730
are the most efficacious, sure, and infallibly

00:24:37.730 --> 00:24:40.809
conciliatory measures we can adopt. Strong words.

00:24:41.410 --> 00:24:43.750
No more talking. His frustration with appeasement

00:24:43.750 --> 00:24:46.150
was palpable. After his failure to prevent the

00:24:46.150 --> 00:24:48.450
petition from being enacted, he wrote a private

00:24:48.450 --> 00:24:51.069
letter derisively referring to conservative delegate

00:24:51.069 --> 00:24:54.190
John Dickinson as a piddling genius. The letter

00:24:54.190 --> 00:24:56.450
was intercepted and published in loyalist newspapers,

00:24:56.869 --> 00:24:59.109
leading to a period of ostracization for Adams.

00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:02.680
As historian and Ferling notes, by late 1775,

00:25:03.099 --> 00:25:05.019
quote, no one in Congress labored more ardently

00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:07.079
than Adams to hasten the day when America would

00:25:07.079 --> 00:25:09.359
be separate from Great Britain. That private

00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:11.619
letter about Dickinson shows us that even founding

00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:14.440
fathers had their moments of unfiltered frustration.

00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:17.339
But his intellectual contributions were also

00:25:17.339 --> 00:25:19.799
profound during this time. He never served as

00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.099
chief judge at the Massachusetts Superior Court.

00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:24.500
But more importantly, in response to queries

00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:28.400
from other delegates, Adams wrote the 1776 pamphlet,

00:25:28.750 --> 00:25:31.950
on government. Ah yes, thoughts on government.

00:25:32.670 --> 00:25:35.609
Hugely influential. This laid out an incredibly

00:25:35.609 --> 00:25:38.549
influential framework for Republican constitutions,

00:25:38.910 --> 00:25:41.210
advocating for bicameralism, separation of powers,

00:25:41.369 --> 00:25:43.589
and enumerated powers for a continental government.

00:25:44.049 --> 00:25:46.410
This was a blueprint for how a new republic should

00:25:46.410 --> 00:25:49.750
function. Indeed. Adams's intellectual contributions

00:25:49.750 --> 00:25:52.430
here are foundational to American constitutionalism.

00:25:52.619 --> 00:25:56.220
Throughout the first half of 1776, he grew increasingly

00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:58.539
impatient with the slow pace of declaring independence.

00:25:59.140 --> 00:26:01.220
He helped push through a plan to outfit armed

00:26:01.220 --> 00:26:03.740
ships to launch raids on enemy vessels and later

00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:05.500
drafted the first set of regulations for the

00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:08.599
Provisional Navy, a true one -man war department

00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:11.200
in many respects. Getting things done. He also

00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:13.900
drafted the Preamble to the Lee Resolution. It's

00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:15.799
during this time he developed a rapport with

00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:18.200
Thomas Jefferson, who had been slower to support

00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:21.539
independence, but by early 1776 agreed it was

00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:25.109
necessary. Then, on June 7, 1776, the moment

00:26:25.109 --> 00:26:28.009
arrived. Adams seconded the Lee Resolution, which

00:26:28.009 --> 00:26:30.470
declared that the colonies were free and independent

00:26:30.470 --> 00:26:33.369
states. This was the true breaking point. It

00:26:33.369 --> 00:26:36.410
was. Prior to independence being declared, Adams

00:26:36.410 --> 00:26:39.130
organized a committee of five, charged with drafting

00:26:39.130 --> 00:26:41.730
a Declaration of Independence, selecting himself,

00:26:42.089 --> 00:26:44.890
Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston,

00:26:45.069 --> 00:26:48.029
and Roger Sherman. Though Jefferson thought Adams

00:26:48.029 --> 00:26:50.349
should write the document, Adams persuaded the

00:26:50.349 --> 00:26:52.420
committee to choose Jefferson. Why was that?

00:26:52.819 --> 00:26:54.539
He later recorded his reasoning to Jefferson.

00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:57.880
Reason first, you are a Virginian, and a Virginian

00:26:57.880 --> 00:26:59.299
ought to appear at the head of this business.

00:26:59.799 --> 00:27:01.819
Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and

00:27:01.819 --> 00:27:03.880
unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason

00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:05.980
third, you can write 10 times better than I can.

00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:08.660
What a humble yet shrewd assessment of his own

00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:11.180
political standing and Jefferson's writing prowess.

00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:13.579
While Jefferson wrote the first draft, Adams

00:27:13.579 --> 00:27:16.559
assumed a major role in the process. On July

00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:18.779
1st, the resolution was debated in Congress,

00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:20.880
with opponents like Dickinson making a strong

00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:24.279
effort to resist it. Jefferson, a famously poor

00:27:24.279 --> 00:27:27.160
debater, remained silent while Adams argued fiercely

00:27:27.160 --> 00:27:29.140
for its adoption. He really carried the weight

00:27:29.140 --> 00:27:32.380
of that debate. Many years later, Jefferson hailed

00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:35.279
Adams as the pillar of the Declaration's support

00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:37.940
on the floor of Congress, its ablest advocate

00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:40.539
and defender against the multifarious assaults

00:27:40.539 --> 00:27:42.579
it encountered. High praise from a rival. This

00:27:42.579 --> 00:27:44.940
is a critical testament to Adams' persuasive

00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:48.519
power and intellectual force. On July 2, Congress

00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:51.359
officially voted for independence, with 12 colonies

00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:53.539
voting affirmatively and New York abstaining.

00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:57.150
Dickinson was notably absent. On July 3, Adams

00:27:57.150 --> 00:27:59.509
wrote to Abigail that yesterday was decided the

00:27:59.509 --> 00:28:01.529
greatest question which was ever debated in America.

00:28:02.269 --> 00:28:04.190
He famously predicted that the second day of

00:28:04.190 --> 00:28:07.250
July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch

00:28:07.250 --> 00:28:08.970
in the history of America and will be celebrated

00:28:08.970 --> 00:28:11.349
annually. He got the date slightly wrong, but

00:28:11.349 --> 00:28:13.710
the sentiment was right. Huh? Yes. Just missed

00:28:13.710 --> 00:28:16.539
it by a couple of days. Congress formally approved

00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:19.039
the Declaration of Independence on July 4. His

00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:21.019
vision for governance was being laid out in real

00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:23.819
time with immense personal and political effort

00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:26.380
fundamentally redefining the American experiment.

00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:30.539
Hashtag 3 .3 war effort and peace efforts. 1776

00:28:30.539 --> 00:28:34.190
to 1777. This period is Adam's at his most influential,

00:28:34.529 --> 00:28:36.710
truly an engine of the revolution. His workload

00:28:36.710 --> 00:28:39.650
was immense. Benjamin Rush reported he was acknowledged

00:28:39.650 --> 00:28:42.430
to be the first man in the house. He sat on 90

00:28:42.430 --> 00:28:45.269
committees, chaired 25. An unmatched workload.

00:28:45.490 --> 00:28:48.529
It's staggering, really. In June 1776, he became

00:28:48.529 --> 00:28:51.329
head of the Board of War and Ordnance, a de facto

00:28:51.329 --> 00:28:54.289
Secretary of War. He was referred to as a one

00:28:54.289 --> 00:28:57.130
-man war department, working up to 18 -hour days,

00:28:57.329 --> 00:28:59.490
mastering the details of raising, equipping,

00:28:59.609 --> 00:29:02.789
and fielding an army under— control. This demonstrates

00:29:02.789 --> 00:29:05.670
Adams's extraordinary capacity for work and his

00:29:05.670 --> 00:29:07.650
deep understanding of logistics and strategy.

00:29:08.190 --> 00:29:10.130
The depth of his involvement in the Board of

00:29:10.130 --> 00:29:13.190
War reveals a crucial often overlooked insight.

00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:16.500
For Adams, the American Revolution wasn't just

00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:19.380
a fight of ideals, but a grueling exercise in

00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:21.579
practical administration. Right, the unglamorous

00:29:21.579 --> 00:29:24.960
stuff. Exactly. He understood that without the

00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:27.059
unglamorous work of supplies and discipline,

00:29:27.720 --> 00:29:29.819
grand declarations meant nothing. He was worn

00:29:29.819 --> 00:29:31.859
out by the rigor of his duties and longed to

00:29:31.859 --> 00:29:34.640
return home, but the crisis caused by the defeat

00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:37.740
of American soldiers kept him at his post, a

00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:40.019
testament to his selflessness. And then came

00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:42.880
a brief, but incredibly telling attempt at peace.

00:29:43.210 --> 00:29:45.589
After defeating the Continental Army at the Battle

00:29:45.589 --> 00:29:49.369
of Long Island in August 1776, British Admiral

00:29:49.369 --> 00:29:51.710
Richard Howe requested Congress send representatives

00:29:51.710 --> 00:29:54.809
to negotiate. A delegation consisting of Adams,

00:29:55.109 --> 00:29:57.190
Franklin, and Edward Redledge met with Howe at

00:29:57.190 --> 00:29:59.509
the Staten Island Peace Conference. But there

00:29:59.509 --> 00:30:01.750
was no common ground, was there? Howe's authority

00:30:01.750 --> 00:30:03.549
was premised on the state's submission to the

00:30:03.549 --> 00:30:06.410
Crown. Exactly. When Lord Howe stated he could

00:30:06.410 --> 00:30:09.029
view the American delegates only as British subjects,

00:30:09.690 --> 00:30:12.390
Adams famously replied, your lordship may consider

00:30:12.390 --> 00:30:15.369
me in what light you please, except that of a

00:30:15.369 --> 00:30:18.829
British subject. Boom. That's the spirit. This

00:30:18.829 --> 00:30:22.329
defiant spirit, this absolute refusal to concede

00:30:22.329 --> 00:30:24.410
even a rhetorical inch of American sovereignty,

00:30:25.049 --> 00:30:27.569
was Adams encapsulated in a single sentence.

00:30:28.230 --> 00:30:30.589
He was unimpressed with Howe and confidently

00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:33.519
predicted American success. He learned many years

00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:35.920
later that his name was on a list of people specifically

00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:38.420
excluded from Howe's pardon -granting authority,

00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:40.940
underscoring the British recognition of his pivotal

00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:44.000
role. After a brief respite at home, Adams returned

00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:46.059
to Congress, but the brutal realities of war

00:30:46.059 --> 00:30:48.559
had shifted his focus. It was no longer enough

00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:50.980
to just declare independence. The nation needed

00:30:50.980 --> 00:30:53.299
to secure its survival through strategic alliances.

00:30:53.859 --> 00:30:56.359
What was his next move? He immediately refocused

00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:59.400
on strategy. advocating in Congress that independence

00:30:59.400 --> 00:31:01.859
was necessary to establish trade and conversely

00:31:01.859 --> 00:31:03.720
that trade was essential for the attainment of

00:31:03.720 --> 00:31:06.579
independence. He specifically urged the negotiation

00:31:06.579 --> 00:31:09.180
of a commercial treaty with France. Diplomacy

00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:12.200
and trade, hand in hand. Right. He was appointed,

00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:14.440
along with Franklin and others, to prepare a

00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:16.779
plan of treaties to be proposed to foreign powers.

00:31:17.480 --> 00:31:19.200
While Jefferson was writing the declaration,

00:31:19.579 --> 00:31:21.819
Adams worked on the Model Treaty, which authorized

00:31:21.819 --> 00:31:24.440
a commercial agreement with France, but contained

00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:27.299
no provisions for formal recognition or military

00:31:27.299 --> 00:31:30.140
assistance. The treaty adhered to the provision

00:31:30.140 --> 00:31:33.859
that free ships make free goods. meaning a neutral

00:31:33.859 --> 00:31:36.299
country could trade with a warring nation and

00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:38.480
their non -military goods wouldn't be seized.

00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:41.660
A pragmatic approach initially? Yes, but by late

00:31:41.660 --> 00:31:44.759
1777 America's finances were in tatters and a

00:31:44.759 --> 00:31:47.559
British army had captured Philadelphia. More

00:31:47.559 --> 00:31:49.720
Americans came to determine that mere commercial

00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:52.180
ties would not be enough. Military assistance

00:31:52.180 --> 00:31:54.980
would be needed. The American victory at Saratoga

00:31:54.980 --> 00:31:57.380
was expected to help induce France to agree to

00:31:57.380 --> 00:32:00.619
a full alliance and Adams, ever pragmatic, was

00:32:00.619 --> 00:32:03.500
ready to adapt his strategy. Adams' tireless

00:32:03.500 --> 00:32:05.720
work in the Continental Congress soon led him

00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:10.380
to a new vital role, diplomat. In November 1777,

00:32:10.460 --> 00:32:12.140
he learned that he was to be named commissioner

00:32:12.140 --> 00:32:14.680
to France, joining Benjamin Franklin and Arthur

00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:17.700
Lee in Paris to negotiate an alliance. A huge

00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:21.619
responsibility. James Lovell invoked Adams' inflexible

00:32:21.619 --> 00:32:24.140
integrity and the need for a youthful man to

00:32:24.140 --> 00:32:27.960
counterbalance Franklin's age. On November 27,

00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:30.279
Adams accepted, a decision that would lead to

00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:32.019
one of the most perilous journeys of his life.

00:32:32.170 --> 00:32:35.210
It was indeed a monumental undertaking. Abigail

00:32:35.210 --> 00:32:37.269
was left in Massachusetts to manage their home,

00:32:37.329 --> 00:32:39.289
but it was agreed that their 10 -year -old son,

00:32:39.490 --> 00:32:42.430
John Quincy, would accompany Adams as the experience

00:32:42.430 --> 00:32:45.430
was deemed of inestimable value to his maturation.

00:32:45.809 --> 00:32:47.690
Imagine sending your 10 -year -old on that voyage.

00:32:47.930 --> 00:32:52.630
Incredible. On February 17, 1778, Adams set sail

00:32:52.630 --> 00:32:55.410
aboard the frigate Boston. The trip was stormy

00:32:55.410 --> 00:32:57.890
and treacherous. British vessels pursued the

00:32:57.890 --> 00:33:00.170
ship, with Adams personally taking up arms to

00:33:00.170 --> 00:33:03.190
help capture one. Tragically, a cannon malfunction

00:33:03.190 --> 00:33:05.789
wounded several sailors and killed one. On April

00:33:05.789 --> 00:33:08.170
1, the Boston arrived in France, where Adams

00:33:08.170 --> 00:33:09.990
learned that France had already agreed to an

00:33:09.990 --> 00:33:12.130
alliance with the United States on February 6,

00:33:12.349 --> 00:33:14.549
before he'd even arrived. Talk about arriving

00:33:14.549 --> 00:33:17.180
after the party started. Adams and Franklin together

00:33:17.180 --> 00:33:19.140
in Paris. You'd think that would be a dream team,

00:33:19.579 --> 00:33:22.259
but it sounds like a classic odd couple scenario

00:33:22.259 --> 00:33:25.000
with Adams's pragmatism clashing with Franklin's

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:28.400
more laid back diplomacy. Adams was clearly annoyed

00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:30.859
by the other two commissioners. Lee, whom he

00:33:30.859 --> 00:33:33.279
thought paranoid and cynical, and the popular

00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:36.200
and influential Franklin, whom he found lethargic

00:33:36.200 --> 00:33:38.880
and overly deferential to the French. Different

00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:41.930
styles for sure. Adams assumed a less visible

00:33:41.930 --> 00:33:45.390
role, but meticulously helped manage the delegation's

00:33:45.390 --> 00:33:47.970
finances and record -keeping, clearly ready to

00:33:47.970 --> 00:33:50.650
roll up his sleeves and demand action, even taking

00:33:50.650 --> 00:33:52.990
up arms on the journey over. He wasn't just going

00:33:52.990 --> 00:33:56.190
to sit back. This period reveals Adams' relentless

00:33:56.190 --> 00:33:58.849
drive and his deep -seated distrust of relying

00:33:58.849 --> 00:34:02.119
solely on the goodwill of allies. Frustrated

00:34:02.119 --> 00:34:04.099
by the perceived lack of commitment on the part

00:34:04.099 --> 00:34:06.440
of the French, Adams wrote a letter to French

00:34:06.440 --> 00:34:09.179
Foreign Minister Virgin in December, arguing

00:34:09.179 --> 00:34:11.420
for more robust French naval support in North

00:34:11.420 --> 00:34:14.400
America. Franklin, ever the smoother diplomat,

00:34:14.619 --> 00:34:16.920
toned down the letter, but Virgin ultimately

00:34:16.920 --> 00:34:19.719
ignored it, further fueling Adams' exasperation.

00:34:19.860 --> 00:34:22.260
You can just picture Adams fuming. Oh, undoubtedly.

00:34:22.639 --> 00:34:25.480
In September 1778, Congress increased Franklin's

00:34:25.480 --> 00:34:27.480
powers by naming him Minister Plenipotentiary

00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:30.079
to France while Lee was sent to Spain. Adams

00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:32.460
received no instructions, signaling his reduced

00:34:32.460 --> 00:34:34.980
role. Feeling slighted and his presence unneeded,

00:34:35.300 --> 00:34:37.300
he departed France with John Quincy on March

00:34:37.300 --> 00:34:40.440
8, 1779, arriving back in Braintree on August

00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:43.539
2. His determination to see his son gain experience

00:34:43.539 --> 00:34:46.480
abroad, even in perilous circumstances, reflects

00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:49.179
his belief in rigorous education for future leaders.

00:34:54.900 --> 00:34:57.940
Despite the frustrations in France, Adams's diplomatic

00:34:57.940 --> 00:35:01.219
skills were far from finished. In late 1779,

00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:03.099
he was appointed as the sole minister charged

00:35:03.099 --> 00:35:05.440
with negotiations to establish a commercial treaty

00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:08.559
with Britain and ultimately to end the war. Following

00:35:08.559 --> 00:35:10.340
the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention,

00:35:10.420 --> 00:35:12.599
he departed for France in November, again accompanied

00:35:12.599 --> 00:35:14.639
by his sons John Quincy and a now nine -year

00:35:14.639 --> 00:35:17.179
-old Charles, after another arduous journey involving

00:35:17.179 --> 00:35:19.820
a ship leak and an overland trek across Spain.

00:35:20.219 --> 00:35:22.239
Another immense personal sacrifice for Adams

00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:25.530
and his family. While in France, constant disagreement

00:35:25.530 --> 00:35:27.949
between Lee and Franklin eventually resulted

00:35:27.949 --> 00:35:31.269
in Adams assuming the role of tiebreaker in almost

00:35:31.269 --> 00:35:34.829
all votes on commission business. He pragmatically

00:35:34.829 --> 00:35:37.050
increased his usefulness by mastering French,

00:35:37.309 --> 00:35:39.670
and Lee was eventually recalled. Smart move,

00:35:39.730 --> 00:35:42.710
learning the language. Absolutely. Adams also

00:35:42.710 --> 00:35:45.389
closely supervised his son's education, while

00:35:45.389 --> 00:35:47.650
writing to Abigail about once every 10 days,

00:35:48.010 --> 00:35:50.449
a testament to his dedication to family, even

00:35:50.449 --> 00:35:53.570
amidst national crisis. In contrast to Franklin,

00:35:53.989 --> 00:35:56.050
Adams viewed the Franco -American alliance with

00:35:56.050 --> 00:35:58.769
a healthy dose of pessimism. He believed the

00:35:58.769 --> 00:36:00.550
French were primarily involved for their own

00:36:00.550 --> 00:36:03.190
self -interest, and he grew increasingly frustrated

00:36:03.190 --> 00:36:05.550
by what he saw as their sluggishness in providing

00:36:05.550 --> 00:36:08.449
substantial aid. He famously wrote that the French

00:36:08.449 --> 00:36:10.809
meant to keep their hands above our chin to prevent

00:36:10.809 --> 00:36:13.309
us from drowning, but not to lift our heads out

00:36:13.309 --> 00:36:16.150
of water. It perfectly captures his shrewd assessment

00:36:16.150 --> 00:36:19.469
of international relations. His direct, unvarnished

00:36:19.469 --> 00:36:21.690
approach, while sometimes creating friction,

00:36:22.130 --> 00:36:24.250
often cut through diplomatic niceties to address

00:36:24.250 --> 00:36:27.929
fundamental issues. In March 1780, Congress,

00:36:27.929 --> 00:36:30.849
attempting to curb inflation, voted to devalue

00:36:30.849 --> 00:36:34.349
the dollar. Virgin summoned Adams, insisting

00:36:34.349 --> 00:36:37.010
this fluctuation was unacceptable without an

00:36:37.010 --> 00:36:40.269
exception for French merchants. Adams bluntly

00:36:40.269 --> 00:36:42.289
defended the decision, not only claiming French

00:36:42.289 --> 00:36:44.250
merchants were doing better than Virgin implied,

00:36:44.829 --> 00:36:47.590
but voicing grievances about the alliance arguing

00:36:47.590 --> 00:36:50.070
France needed to commit more fully. It wasn't

00:36:50.070 --> 00:36:53.139
backing down. Not at all. Vergen, angered, stated

00:36:53.139 --> 00:36:55.239
he would deal only with Franklin, who then sent

00:36:55.239 --> 00:36:57.960
a letter to Congress critical of Adams. Adams,

00:36:58.139 --> 00:37:00.420
feeling unsupported and unheard, left France

00:37:00.420 --> 00:37:02.840
of his own accord. So he takes his talents elsewhere,

00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:05.619
literally. In mid 1780, Adams traveled to the

00:37:05.619 --> 00:37:07.500
Dutch Republic, one of the few other republics

00:37:07.500 --> 00:37:09.599
at the time. He thought it might be sympathetic

00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:11.760
to the American cause, and crucially, securing

00:37:11.760 --> 00:37:13.960
a Dutch loan could increase American independence

00:37:13.960 --> 00:37:15.900
from France and pressure Britain into peace.

00:37:16.280 --> 00:37:19.239
A strategic pivot. At first, he had no official

00:37:19.239 --> 00:37:22.139
status. But in July, he was formally given permission

00:37:22.139 --> 00:37:24.460
to negotiate for a loan and took up residence

00:37:24.460 --> 00:37:27.079
in Amsterdam in August. Did it go smoothly there?

00:37:27.340 --> 00:37:29.860
Not initially. His optimism was high, but he

00:37:29.860 --> 00:37:32.340
soon became disappointed. The Dutch, fearing

00:37:32.340 --> 00:37:34.579
British retaliation, especially after the British

00:37:34.579 --> 00:37:36.940
discovered secret aid they had sent to the Americans,

00:37:37.679 --> 00:37:40.340
refused to meet with Adams. Word of American

00:37:40.340 --> 00:37:42.619
battlefield defeats also reached Europe, further

00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:45.199
dampening their enthusiasm. After five months

00:37:45.199 --> 00:37:47.780
without meeting a single Dutch official, Adams,

00:37:47.980 --> 00:37:51.320
in early 1781, pronounced Amsterdam the capital

00:37:51.320 --> 00:37:53.559
of the reign of Mammon. Ouch. His frustration

00:37:53.559 --> 00:37:56.320
was boiling over. Understandably. In July, he

00:37:56.320 --> 00:37:58.500
consented to the departure of both his sons.

00:37:59.059 --> 00:38:01.039
John Quincy went to St. Petersburg as a French

00:38:01.039 --> 00:38:02.940
interpreter to seek recognition from Russia,

00:38:03.340 --> 00:38:05.510
and a homesick Charles returned home. This was

00:38:05.510 --> 00:38:07.769
a period of incredible highs and lows for Adams.

00:38:08.269 --> 00:38:10.469
In August, shortly after being removed from his

00:38:10.469 --> 00:38:13.170
position as sole head of peace treaty negotiations,

00:38:13.809 --> 00:38:16.469
Adams suffered a major nervous breakdown. This

00:38:16.469 --> 00:38:18.610
was a true testament to the immense pressure

00:38:18.610 --> 00:38:21.269
and isolation he felt. It truly encapsulates

00:38:21.269 --> 00:38:24.070
his personal sacrifices and resilience. However,

00:38:24.489 --> 00:38:26.789
that November, he learned that American and French

00:38:26.789 --> 00:38:28.909
troops had decisively defeated the British at

00:38:28.909 --> 00:38:32.369
Yorktown. The victory was, in large part, due

00:38:32.369 --> 00:38:34.750
to the assistance of the French Navy, which,

00:38:34.869 --> 00:38:37.530
in a vindicating moment, proved Adams's earlier

00:38:37.530 --> 00:38:39.809
stance for increased naval assistance correct.

00:38:40.250 --> 00:38:42.630
Vindication must have felt good. The news of

00:38:42.630 --> 00:38:44.989
the American triumph at Yorktown convulsed Europe,

00:38:45.469 --> 00:38:47.889
creating a new diplomatic opening. In January

00:38:47.889 --> 00:38:51.210
1782, after recovering, Adams arrived at the

00:38:51.210 --> 00:38:53.349
Hague to demand that the state's general answer

00:38:53.349 --> 00:38:56.369
his petitions. When his efforts stalled, he took

00:38:56.369 --> 00:38:58.670
his cause directly to the people, successfully

00:38:58.670 --> 00:39:01.269
capitalizing on popular pro -American sentiment.

00:39:01.989 --> 00:39:04.289
Several provinces began recognizing American

00:39:04.289 --> 00:39:06.750
independence. On April 19th, the stats general

00:39:06.750 --> 00:39:09.110
formally recognized American independence and

00:39:09.110 --> 00:39:11.550
acknowledged Adams as ambassador. This was a

00:39:11.550 --> 00:39:14.019
monumental diplomatic victory. achieved through

00:39:14.019 --> 00:39:15.960
sheer persistence and a direct appeal to the

00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:18.739
people, a clear departure from traditional European

00:39:18.739 --> 00:39:21.659
diplomacy. On June 11th, with the aid of the

00:39:21.659 --> 00:39:23.719
Dutch patriot and leader, Joan van der Capellen,

00:39:23.900 --> 00:39:26.500
talked in Pol. Adams negotiated a loan of five

00:39:26.500 --> 00:39:29.139
million guilders. In October, he negotiated a

00:39:29.139 --> 00:39:31.659
treaty of amity and commerce. The house that

00:39:31.659 --> 00:39:33.460
Adams bought during the stay in the Netherlands

00:39:33.460 --> 00:39:35.719
became the first American embassy on foreign

00:39:35.719 --> 00:39:38.260
soil, a powerful symbol of American sovereignty.

00:39:39.019 --> 00:39:41.420
Securing that loan was not just financial, it

00:39:41.420 --> 00:39:43.800
was a strategic move to assert American independence

00:39:43.800 --> 00:39:46.559
from all European powers, including France, and

00:39:46.559 --> 00:39:49.280
critical for national solvency. Hashtag, hashtag,

00:39:49.460 --> 00:39:53.400
4 .3 Treaty of Paris, 1782 to 1783. Fresh off

00:39:53.400 --> 00:39:55.460
his triumph in the Dutch Republic, Adams was

00:39:55.460 --> 00:39:57.440
immediately reappointed as the American Commissioner

00:39:57.440 --> 00:39:59.940
to negotiate the war -ending treaty, the Treaty

00:39:59.940 --> 00:40:03.099
of Paris. French foreign minister version and

00:40:03.099 --> 00:40:05.139
France's minister to the United States disapproved

00:40:05.139 --> 00:40:07.719
of Adams. So Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,

00:40:07.920 --> 00:40:09.880
John Jay and Henry Lawrence were appointed to

00:40:09.880 --> 00:40:11.619
collaborate with him, although only Franklin

00:40:11.619 --> 00:40:13.780
and Jay were consistently present. So he was

00:40:13.780 --> 00:40:17.780
back on a team, but with some significant internal

00:40:17.780 --> 00:40:20.639
and external resistance. The stage was set for

00:40:20.639 --> 00:40:23.920
complex negotiations. In the final negotiations,

00:40:24.360 --> 00:40:26.480
securing fishing rights off Newfoundland and

00:40:26.480 --> 00:40:28.719
Cape Breton Island proved both very important

00:40:28.719 --> 00:40:30.920
and very difficult. These weren't minor details,

00:40:31.239 --> 00:40:33.840
right? Vital for New England? Absolutely. Vital

00:40:33.840 --> 00:40:36.159
for the economy and a symbol of national sovereignty.

00:40:37.239 --> 00:40:39.480
In response to very strict restrictions proposed

00:40:39.480 --> 00:40:42.139
by the British, Adams insisted that not only

00:40:42.139 --> 00:40:43.900
should American fishermen be allowed to travel

00:40:43.900 --> 00:40:46.480
as close to shore as desired, but that they should

00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:49.159
also be allowed to cure their fish on the shores

00:40:49.159 --> 00:40:52.059
of Newfoundland. His tenacity on this point was

00:40:52.059 --> 00:40:54.679
characteristic. And this insistence, along with

00:40:54.679 --> 00:40:57.139
other strong statements, prompted Virgin to secretly

00:40:57.139 --> 00:40:59.239
inform the British that France did not feel compelled

00:40:59.239 --> 00:41:01.579
to sustain these pretentious ambitions of the

00:41:01.579 --> 00:41:04.500
Americans. This highlights a crucial dynamic.

00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:07.199
The French were allies, but also had their own

00:41:07.199 --> 00:41:10.380
interests. Definitely. Overruling Franklin and

00:41:10.380 --> 00:41:13.460
deeply distrustful of Virgin's motivations, Jay

00:41:13.460 --> 00:41:15.980
and Adams made a bold move. They decided not

00:41:15.980 --> 00:41:18.179
to consult with France, instead dealing directly

00:41:18.179 --> 00:41:21.559
with the British. going rogue, a master class

00:41:21.559 --> 00:41:24.239
in independent diplomacy. This was a pivotal,

00:41:24.699 --> 00:41:26.840
controversial, but ultimately brilliant strategic

00:41:26.840 --> 00:41:29.719
decision. During these independent negotiations,

00:41:30.239 --> 00:41:32.679
Adams leveraged the French position against itself.

00:41:33.280 --> 00:41:35.320
He mentioned to the British that his proposed

00:41:35.320 --> 00:41:37.820
fishing terms were more generous than those offered

00:41:37.820 --> 00:41:41.079
by France in 1778, arguing that accepting them

00:41:41.079 --> 00:41:43.079
would foster goodwill between Britain and the

00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:45.659
United States while simultaneously putting pressure

00:41:45.659 --> 00:41:48.219
on France. Clever, playing them off each other.

00:41:48.590 --> 00:41:51.949
Britain agreed to Adams' terms, and the two sides

00:41:51.949 --> 00:41:54.829
worked out other provisions afterward. Virgin

00:41:54.829 --> 00:41:56.809
was angered when he learned from Franklin of

00:41:56.809 --> 00:41:59.030
the American duplicity, but he didn't demand

00:41:59.030 --> 00:42:01.590
renegotiation. He was surprised at how much the

00:42:01.590 --> 00:42:04.070
Americans could extract. This willingness to

00:42:04.070 --> 00:42:06.949
go rogue reveals Adams' deep conviction that

00:42:06.949 --> 00:42:09.449
America's interests, even when unpopular with

00:42:09.449 --> 00:42:12.570
allies, must always come first, a principle crucial

00:42:12.570 --> 00:42:14.769
for establishing the new nation's true sovereignty.

00:42:15.019 --> 00:42:17.340
So, his willingness to challenge conventional

00:42:17.340 --> 00:42:20.320
diplomacy and act on principle, even if controversial,

00:42:20.800 --> 00:42:22.699
yielded significant benefits for the nascent

00:42:22.699 --> 00:42:25.820
nation. On September 3rd, 1783, the Treaty of

00:42:25.820 --> 00:42:28.340
Paris was signed, and American independence was

00:42:28.340 --> 00:42:31.280
formally recognized. This was a triumph not just

00:42:31.280 --> 00:42:34.820
for America, but for Adams's tenacious, independent

00:42:34.820 --> 00:42:38.480
diplomatic style. Hashtag tag, hashtag 4 .4,

00:42:38.639 --> 00:42:42.730
ambassador to Great Britain, 1785, 1788. Fresh

00:42:42.730 --> 00:42:44.929
from helping negotiate the Feast Treaty, Adams

00:42:44.929 --> 00:42:47.409
was then appointed as the very first American

00:42:47.409 --> 00:42:50.550
ambassador to Great Britain in 1785. Can you

00:42:50.550 --> 00:42:53.070
imagine the sheer symbolism of that? The former

00:42:53.070 --> 00:42:55.130
rebel, now representing his sovereign nation

00:42:55.130 --> 00:42:57.750
to the very monarch he defied? It was an extraordinary

00:42:57.750 --> 00:43:00.050
moment in history, and Adams meticulously recorded

00:43:00.050 --> 00:43:02.929
his first audience with King George III on June

00:43:02.929 --> 00:43:06.489
1, 1785. The exchange was remarkably respectful.

00:43:06.750 --> 00:43:08.769
Adams promised to do all he could to restore

00:43:08.769 --> 00:43:10.889
friendship and cordiality between people who,

00:43:11.150 --> 00:43:12.889
though separated sick by an ocean and under different

00:43:12.889 --> 00:43:14.949
governments, have the same language, a similar

00:43:14.949 --> 00:43:16.889
religion, and kindred blood. Trying to build

00:43:16.889 --> 00:43:19.329
bridges. The King, for his part, agreed to receive

00:43:19.329 --> 00:43:21.130
with pleasure the assurances of the friendly

00:43:21.130 --> 00:43:23.809
dispositions of the United States. But then,

00:43:24.010 --> 00:43:26.250
the King threw a curveball, didn't he? He startled

00:43:26.250 --> 00:43:35.940
Adams by commenting that, Adams famously replied,

00:43:36.480 --> 00:43:38.619
That opinion, sir, is not mistaken. I have no

00:43:38.619 --> 00:43:41.360
attachments but to my own country. Perfect Adams'

00:43:41.559 --> 00:43:43.920
response. And King George, perhaps surprisingly,

00:43:44.099 --> 00:43:46.639
responded, An honest man will never have any

00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:49.820
other. This exchange, steeped in mutual respect

00:43:49.820 --> 00:43:52.179
despite their history, truly highlights Adams'

00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:54.840
consistent Republican principles, even one abroad.

00:43:55.559 --> 00:43:58.179
His honesty and unwavering patriotism cut through

00:43:58.179 --> 00:44:01.239
the formal diplomatic setting. Indeed. Adams

00:44:01.239 --> 00:44:04.369
was joined by Abigail in London. but they often

00:44:04.369 --> 00:44:06.349
suffered the hostility of the king's courtiers.

00:44:06.949 --> 00:44:09.090
They found solace by seeking out Richard Price,

00:44:09.510 --> 00:44:11.630
a minister who advocated for the American Revolution

00:44:11.630 --> 00:44:14.289
within Britain. Adams also corresponded diligently

00:44:14.289 --> 00:44:16.849
with his sons at Harvard, emphasizing the importance

00:44:16.849 --> 00:44:18.809
of intellectual development. He never stopped

00:44:18.809 --> 00:44:21.449
being a father, even as ambassador. His old friend

00:44:21.449 --> 00:44:24.469
Jonathan Sewell, now a loyalist exile, visited

00:44:24.469 --> 00:44:26.889
Adams in London, but they discovered their paths

00:44:26.889 --> 00:44:29.010
had diverged too much to renew their friendship,

00:44:29.409 --> 00:44:32.139
a poignant casualty of the war. Sewell offered

00:44:32.139 --> 00:44:34.159
a pointed critique of Adams as an ambassador,

00:44:34.559 --> 00:44:37.960
stating he lacked the courtly graces to dance,

00:44:38.320 --> 00:44:42.179
drink, game, flatter, small talk, and flirt with

00:44:42.179 --> 00:44:44.699
the ladies. That perfectly captures the contrast

00:44:44.699 --> 00:44:47.440
between Adams's blunt, principled nature and

00:44:47.440 --> 00:44:50.079
the superficial demands of courtly life. While

00:44:50.079 --> 00:44:52.460
in London, Adams also wrote his three -volume

00:44:52.460 --> 00:44:55.099
mop. a defense of the constitutions of government

00:44:55.099 --> 00:44:57.820
of the United States of America, a direct response

00:44:57.820 --> 00:45:00.460
to European critics of American state government

00:45:00.460 --> 00:45:02.900
frameworks. This wasn't just a rebuttal. It was

00:45:02.900 --> 00:45:05.360
a profound articulation of his political philosophy,

00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:07.619
emphasizing the need for robust governmental

00:45:07.619 --> 00:45:09.539
structures and a mixed government that balanced

00:45:09.539 --> 00:45:12.300
different social forces. His consistent vision

00:45:12.300 --> 00:45:14.800
for a stable, virtuous republic founded on laws,

00:45:14.920 --> 00:45:17.659
not men, shines through in this work. But his

00:45:17.659 --> 00:45:20.659
job wasn't easy. No. Adams' tenure in Britain

00:45:20.659 --> 00:45:23.099
was complicated by both countries failing to

00:45:23.099 --> 00:45:25.599
follow their treaty obligations. The American

00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:27.840
states were delinquent in paying debts owed to

00:45:27.840 --> 00:45:30.119
British merchants, and in response, the British

00:45:30.119 --> 00:45:32.659
refused to vacate forts in the Northwest as promised.

00:45:33.500 --> 00:45:35.739
Adams' attempts to resolve this dispute failed,

00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:38.340
and he was often frustrated by a lack of progress

00:45:38.340 --> 00:45:41.219
from home. The fragility of the new nation and

00:45:41.219 --> 00:45:43.760
the domestic instability, such as Shea's Rebellion,

00:45:44.219 --> 00:45:46.159
further complicated his efforts to establish

00:45:46.159 --> 00:45:48.840
America's credibility on the global stage. He

00:45:48.840 --> 00:45:51.260
eventually asked to be relieved, and in 1788

00:45:51.260 --> 00:45:54.360
took his leave of George III. He then went to

00:45:54.360 --> 00:45:56.559
The Hague to secure refinancing from the Dutch,

00:45:57.079 --> 00:45:58.940
allowing the United States to meet obligations

00:45:58.940 --> 00:46:01.579
on earlier loans, solidifying his reputation

00:46:01.579 --> 00:46:04.480
as a master financial diplomat. After years of

00:46:04.480 --> 00:46:07.059
intense, sometimes life -threatening diplomatic

00:46:07.059 --> 00:46:09.820
service abroad, Adams returned to Massachusetts

00:46:09.820 --> 00:46:14.239
in June 1788 to a triumphant welcome. He initially

00:46:14.239 --> 00:46:16.659
returned to farming life, but the nation's first

00:46:16.659 --> 00:46:18.900
presidential election was rapidly approaching.

00:46:19.500 --> 00:46:21.940
With George Washington widely expected to win

00:46:21.940 --> 00:46:24.340
the presidency unanimously, there was a strong

00:46:24.340 --> 00:46:26.280
feeling that the vice presidency should go to

00:46:26.280 --> 00:46:29.000
a northerner, and Adams was the primary contender.

00:46:29.420 --> 00:46:31.619
This inaugural election reveals the early fault

00:46:31.619 --> 00:46:34.239
lines in American politics, even before formal

00:46:34.239 --> 00:46:37.360
parties fully developed. Each state's presidential

00:46:37.360 --> 00:46:40.320
electors gathered on February 4, 1789 to cast

00:46:40.320 --> 00:46:43.860
their two votes. Adams received 34 electoral

00:46:43.860 --> 00:46:46.500
college votes, placing him second behind Washington,

00:46:46.780 --> 00:46:49.699
who was, as expected, a unanimous choice with

00:46:49.699 --> 00:46:52.380
69 votes. Adams finished well ahead of all others

00:46:52.380 --> 00:46:54.480
except Washington, but he was profoundly offended

00:46:54.480 --> 00:46:56.619
by Washington receiving more than twice as many

00:46:56.619 --> 00:46:59.480
votes. Imagine being the second in command and

00:46:59.480 --> 00:47:01.619
finding out your election was partly a strategic

00:47:01.619 --> 00:47:03.579
manipulation to ensure you didn't accidentally

00:47:03.579 --> 00:47:05.980
become president. Yeah, that had to sting. Alexander

00:47:05.980 --> 00:47:08.440
Hamilton, in an effort to prevent Adams from

00:47:08.440 --> 00:47:11.300
potentially tying Washington and to ensure Washington's

00:47:11.300 --> 00:47:13.500
overwhelming victory, convinced at least seven

00:47:13.500 --> 00:47:15.960
of the 69 electors not to cast their vote for

00:47:15.960 --> 00:47:19.019
Adams. The audacity. After finding out about

00:47:19.019 --> 00:47:21.659
the manipulation, though not Hamilton's direct

00:47:21.659 --> 00:47:24.059
role in it at the time, Adams wrote to Benjamin

00:47:24.059 --> 00:47:26.840
Rush that his election was a curse rather than

00:47:26.840 --> 00:47:29.880
a blessing. This deeply personal reaction profoundly

00:47:29.880 --> 00:47:32.579
shaped Adams's perception of his office and his

00:47:32.579 --> 00:47:35.019
subsequent frustrations. It's a key example of

00:47:35.019 --> 00:47:37.440
how personal relationships and political machinations,

00:47:37.519 --> 00:47:39.639
even among the founders, impacted the formation

00:47:39.639 --> 00:47:41.579
of the government and the nascent role of the

00:47:41.579 --> 00:47:43.889
vice presidency. Although his term officially

00:47:43.889 --> 00:47:47.329
started on March 4, 1789, Adams did not begin

00:47:47.329 --> 00:47:49.949
serving as vice president until April 25, due

00:47:49.949 --> 00:47:52.369
to his late arrival in New York. This late start

00:47:52.369 --> 00:47:54.469
perhaps further contributed to his sense of being

00:47:54.469 --> 00:48:01.650
somewhat sidelined from the outset. Now, let's

00:48:01.650 --> 00:48:04.530
talk about the vice president's role. The sole

00:48:04.530 --> 00:48:07.210
constitutionally prescribed responsibility of

00:48:07.210 --> 00:48:09.869
the vice president is to preside over the U .S.

00:48:10.230 --> 00:48:12.449
Senate, where they were empowered to cast a tie

00:48:12.449 --> 00:48:15.449
-breaking vote. But early in his term, Adams

00:48:15.449 --> 00:48:18.030
became deeply involved in a rather lengthy Senate

00:48:18.030 --> 00:48:20.989
controversy over official titles for the president

00:48:20.989 --> 00:48:23.050
and executive officers of the new government.

00:48:23.530 --> 00:48:26.070
The titles debate, a classic moment. While the

00:48:26.070 --> 00:48:27.969
House agreed on George Washington, president

00:48:27.969 --> 00:48:30.389
of the United States, the Senate debated the

00:48:30.389 --> 00:48:33.150
issue at length. And Adams had some strong opinions,

00:48:33.289 --> 00:48:35.989
didn't he? He certainly did. Adams favored the

00:48:35.989 --> 00:48:38.429
style of highness and even the title of protector

00:48:38.429 --> 00:48:41.190
of the United States liberties for the president.

00:48:41.750 --> 00:48:44.050
Some senators favored similar elevated titles.

00:48:44.809 --> 00:48:47.369
However, anti -Centralists in the Senate vehemently

00:48:47.369 --> 00:48:49.510
objected to the monarchical sound of these titles.

00:48:50.110 --> 00:48:52.050
Thomas Jefferson, with his characteristic wit,

00:48:52.429 --> 00:48:55.980
described them as Superlatively ridiculous. Jefferson

00:48:55.980 --> 00:48:58.420
really had a way with words. They argued that

00:48:58.420 --> 00:49:01.880
these distinctions, as Adams called them, directly

00:49:01.880 --> 00:49:04.239
violated the Constitution's prohibition on titles

00:49:04.239 --> 00:49:07.460
of nobility, reflecting a deep -seated American

00:49:07.460 --> 00:49:10.619
fear of anything resembling European aristocracy.

00:49:11.099 --> 00:49:13.420
John Adams, the staunch Republican, advocating

00:49:13.420 --> 00:49:17.000
for His Highness and then being nicknamed His

00:49:17.000 --> 00:49:19.860
Rotundity. It's almost comical. but it speaks

00:49:19.860 --> 00:49:22.059
volumes about the early republic's anxieties

00:49:22.059 --> 00:49:24.679
about monarchical power and Adams's inability

00:49:24.679 --> 00:49:27.300
to read the room sometimes. He argued that such

00:49:27.300 --> 00:49:29.300
distinctions were necessary because the highest

00:49:29.300 --> 00:49:31.599
office of the United States must be marked with

00:49:31.599 --> 00:49:34.340
dignity and splendor to command respect on the

00:49:34.340 --> 00:49:37.570
world stage. He was widely derided for his combative

00:49:37.570 --> 00:49:40.110
nature and stubbornness, especially as he actively

00:49:40.110 --> 00:49:44.230
debated and lectured the senators. This episode,

00:49:44.329 --> 00:49:47.090
while seemingly trivial in retrospect, underscores

00:49:47.090 --> 00:49:49.489
a fundamental tension in early American identity,

00:49:50.489 --> 00:49:52.590
balancing the need for governmental dignity with

00:49:52.590 --> 00:49:54.869
a fervent rejection of European aristocratic

00:49:54.869 --> 00:49:58.210
traditions. Senator William McClay of Pennsylvania,

00:49:58.690 --> 00:50:01.309
Adams' fiercest opponent, recorded that Adams,

00:50:01.670 --> 00:50:04.010
for 40 minutes, he harangued us from the chair

00:50:04.010 --> 00:50:06.969
and privately likened him to a monkey just put

00:50:06.969 --> 00:50:10.489
into preaches. Ouch. It was Ralph Isard who suggested

00:50:10.489 --> 00:50:13.409
Adams be referred to as his rotundity, a joke

00:50:13.409 --> 00:50:16.820
that quickly became popular. On May 14, 1789,

00:50:17.000 --> 00:50:19.139
the Senate decided that the simple title of Mr.

00:50:19.360 --> 00:50:22.059
President would be used. Privately, Adams conceded

00:50:22.059 --> 00:50:23.920
that his vice presidency had begun poorly and

00:50:23.920 --> 00:50:25.400
that perhaps he had been out of the country too

00:50:25.400 --> 00:50:27.179
long to accurately gauge the sentiment of the

00:50:27.179 --> 00:50:29.269
people. This highlights the challenging and often

00:50:29.269 --> 00:50:31.610
thankless nature of the vice presidency, especially

00:50:31.610 --> 00:50:34.909
in its infancy. Hashtag tag tag 5 .3 Federalist

00:50:34.909 --> 00:50:38.650
alignment and frustration 1789 1797. Despite

00:50:38.650 --> 00:50:42.170
that rocky start as vice president, Adams largely

00:50:42.170 --> 00:50:44.230
sided with the Washington administration and

00:50:44.230 --> 00:50:47.929
the emerging Federalist Party. He supported Washington's

00:50:47.929 --> 00:50:50.309
policies against opposition from the anti -Federalist

00:50:50.309 --> 00:50:53.119
Republicans. He wasn't just a silent figurehead

00:50:53.119 --> 00:50:56.420
either. He cast 29 tie -breaking votes, which

00:50:56.420 --> 00:50:59.199
is quite significant. Really shaping key early

00:50:59.199 --> 00:51:02.860
decisions. He notably voted against a bill sponsored

00:51:02.860 --> 00:51:06.000
by his nemesis, McClay, that would have required

00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:08.380
Senate consent for the removal of executive branch

00:51:08.380 --> 00:51:10.199
officials. And he played a role in the Capitol

00:51:10.199 --> 00:51:12.559
location debate, too, right? His active use of

00:51:12.559 --> 00:51:14.900
the tie -breaking vote demonstrates his commitment

00:51:14.900 --> 00:51:18.099
to the Federalist agenda. In 1790, for example,

00:51:18.199 --> 00:51:20.380
when Jefferson, James Madison, and Hamilton struck

00:51:20.380 --> 00:51:22.059
a bargain to move the Capitol to the Potomac

00:51:22.059 --> 00:51:24.820
River, Adams cast a tie -breaking vote against

00:51:24.820 --> 00:51:26.659
the last -minute motion to keep the Capitol in

00:51:26.659 --> 00:51:29.119
New York. These were crucial early decisions.

00:51:29.619 --> 00:51:32.139
But despite his active participation, Adams often

00:51:32.139 --> 00:51:34.420
felt deeply frustrated by the limitations of

00:51:34.420 --> 00:51:37.440
his office. He played a minor role in politics

00:51:37.440 --> 00:51:40.139
as vice president, attending few cabinet meetings,

00:51:40.739 --> 00:51:43.380
and President Washington sought his counsel infrequently.

00:51:43.789 --> 00:51:46.909
While Adams brought energy and dedication by

00:51:46.909 --> 00:51:51.010
mid 1789, he already found the office, not quite

00:51:51.010 --> 00:51:54.070
adapted to my character, too inactive and mechanical.

00:51:54.630 --> 00:51:57.469
And then came that famous quote. Exactly. He

00:51:57.469 --> 00:52:00.190
famously wrote, my country has in its wisdom

00:52:00.190 --> 00:52:02.849
contrived for me the most insignificant office

00:52:02.849 --> 00:52:05.409
that ever the invention of man contrived or his

00:52:05.409 --> 00:52:08.519
imagination conceived. That's a profound statement

00:52:08.519 --> 00:52:11.280
of feeling underutilized. This period shows Adams'

00:52:11.539 --> 00:52:13.659
practical political alignment with the Federalists,

00:52:13.860 --> 00:52:16.059
but also his internal struggle with the limitations

00:52:16.059 --> 00:52:18.780
of his office. His initial behavior in the Senate

00:52:18.780 --> 00:52:21.059
made him a target for critics, but toward the

00:52:21.059 --> 00:52:23.019
end of his first term, he grew accustomed to

00:52:23.019 --> 00:52:26.059
a more marginal role. He never questioned Washington's

00:52:26.059 --> 00:52:28.739
courage or patriotism, but he did view Washington

00:52:28.739 --> 00:52:31.380
and Franklin as often overshadowing his own contributions.

00:52:31.559 --> 00:52:34.079
That quote about the electrical rod? Oh yes.

00:52:34.639 --> 00:52:37.050
He once declared, The history of our revolution

00:52:37.050 --> 00:52:40.250
will be one continued lie. The essence of the

00:52:40.250 --> 00:52:42.150
whole will be that Dr. Franklin's electrical

00:52:42.150 --> 00:52:44.690
rods smote the earth and out sprung General Washington,

00:52:45.130 --> 00:52:47.269
that Franklin electrified him with his rod, and

00:52:47.269 --> 00:52:49.929
henceforth these two conducted all the policy,

00:52:50.030 --> 00:52:53.489
negotiations, legislatures, and war. Wow. Pretty

00:52:53.489 --> 00:52:55.710
spicy, revealing his deep -seated feelings of

00:52:55.710 --> 00:52:58.130
being overshadowed, even while serving faithfully.

00:52:58.849 --> 00:53:01.030
Despite these frustrations, Adams won re -election

00:53:01.030 --> 00:53:03.809
with little difficulty in 1792. His electoral

00:53:03.809 --> 00:53:06.750
success? despite his personal frustrations indicates

00:53:06.750 --> 00:53:09.170
his political standing. On the international

00:53:09.170 --> 00:53:11.809
stage, the French Revolution began. Republicans

00:53:11.809 --> 00:53:14.550
were jubilant. Adams at first expressed cautious

00:53:14.550 --> 00:53:17.210
optimism, but soon began denouncing the revolutionaries

00:53:17.210 --> 00:53:20.130
as barbarous and tyrannical. His profound observations

00:53:20.130 --> 00:53:22.269
on the French Revolution foreshadow the intense

00:53:22.269 --> 00:53:24.190
partisan divisions it would cause in America.

00:53:24.429 --> 00:53:26.849
A real dividing line. Washington eventually consulted

00:53:26.849 --> 00:53:29.010
Adams more often, but not until near the end

00:53:29.010 --> 00:53:31.679
of his administration. When John Jay returned

00:53:31.679 --> 00:53:35.019
in 1795 with a peace treaty on terms unfavorable

00:53:35.019 --> 00:53:37.619
to the United States, mainly concerning British

00:53:37.619 --> 00:53:40.639
rating American trading vessels, Adams urged

00:53:40.639 --> 00:53:43.599
Washington to sign it to prevent war. Washington

00:53:43.599 --> 00:53:46.519
did so, igniting protests and riots across the

00:53:46.519 --> 00:53:49.269
nation. His support for the Jay Treaty, despite

00:53:49.269 --> 00:53:52.449
its widespread unpopularity, highlights his consistent

00:53:52.449 --> 00:53:55.090
priority of avoiding war and maintaining national

00:53:55.090 --> 00:53:58.030
stability, even at significant personal political

00:53:58.030 --> 00:54:00.449
cost, a theme that would define his presidency.

00:54:01.429 --> 00:54:03.530
Adams accurately predicted in a letter to Abigail

00:54:03.530 --> 00:54:05.989
that ratification would deeply divide the nation,

00:54:06.190 --> 00:54:09.389
demonstrating his foresight. Okay, so we arrive

00:54:09.389 --> 00:54:12.369
at the presidency. The 1796 election was a monumental

00:54:12.369 --> 00:54:15.150
one, the first truly contested American presidential

00:54:15.150 --> 00:54:17.130
election. George Washington had been elected

00:54:17.130 --> 00:54:19.789
unanimously twice, but deep philosophical differences

00:54:19.789 --> 00:54:22.130
between Hamilton and Jefferson had caused a serious

00:54:22.130 --> 00:54:24.250
rift, leading to the founding of the Federalist

00:54:24.250 --> 00:54:27.730
and Republican parties. A whole new era of politics

00:54:27.730 --> 00:54:30.349
kicking off when Washington announced he would

00:54:30.349 --> 00:54:33.440
not stand for a third term. An intense partisan

00:54:33.440 --> 00:54:35.880
struggle for control of Congress and the presidency

00:54:35.880 --> 00:54:38.400
began. It was a whole new ballgame for American

00:54:38.400 --> 00:54:41.460
politics. No candidates were formally put forward.

00:54:41.880 --> 00:54:44.300
The Constitution, as it stood, provided for the

00:54:44.300 --> 00:54:47.079
selection of electors. Jefferson was the clear

00:54:47.079 --> 00:54:49.800
Republican favorite, with Aaron Burr nominated

00:54:49.800 --> 00:54:52.719
as his running mate. Adams was the Federalist

00:54:52.719 --> 00:54:55.380
frontrunner, with Thomas Pinkney nominated alongside

00:54:55.380 --> 00:54:58.719
him. The campaign itself was brutal. characterized

00:54:58.719 --> 00:55:01.300
by malicious insults from partisan presses on

00:55:01.300 --> 00:55:04.039
both sides, pamphlets, and political rallies.

00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:07.199
Adams, ever the principal man, stated he wanted

00:55:07.199 --> 00:55:10.380
to stay out of the silly and wicked game of electioneering.

00:55:10.659 --> 00:55:12.599
But his own party was proving to be his biggest

00:55:12.599 --> 00:55:14.860
challenge. As the campaign progressed, fears

00:55:14.860 --> 00:55:17.139
grew among Alexander Hamilton and his supporters

00:55:17.139 --> 00:55:20.260
that Adams was too vain, opinionated, unpredictable,

00:55:20.719 --> 00:55:23.179
and stubborn to follow their directions. Hamilton

00:55:23.179 --> 00:55:26.139
wanted someone more pliable. Adams indeed did

00:55:26.139 --> 00:55:28.679
not consider himself a strong Federalist, having

00:55:28.679 --> 00:55:31.300
remarked that Hamilton's economic program, centered

00:55:31.300 --> 00:55:34.599
around banks, would swindle the poor and unleash

00:55:34.599 --> 00:55:37.579
the gangrene of avarice. Strong feelings there.

00:55:37.900 --> 00:55:40.079
So Hamilton maneuvered to tip the election to

00:55:40.079 --> 00:55:42.840
Pinkney, coercing South Carolina Federalist electors

00:55:42.840 --> 00:55:44.860
to scatter their second votes among candidates

00:55:44.860 --> 00:55:48.300
other than Adams. The audacity. Hamilton actively

00:55:48.300 --> 00:55:51.119
trying to undermine Adams. It truly highlights

00:55:51.119 --> 00:55:53.760
the venomous nature of early partisan politics.

00:55:54.570 --> 00:55:56.869
Hamilton's scheme, however, was undone when several

00:55:56.869 --> 00:55:59.050
New England state electors heard of it and agreed

00:55:59.050 --> 00:56:01.309
not to vote for Pickney, which inadvertently

00:56:01.309 --> 00:56:04.630
ensured Adams' victory. So Hamilton's plan backfired?

00:56:04.889 --> 00:56:07.349
Pretty much. Adams won the presidency by a narrow

00:56:07.349 --> 00:56:10.250
margin, receiving 71 electoral votes to 68 for

00:56:10.250 --> 00:56:12.969
Jefferson, who, as the second -highest vote -getter,

00:56:13.130 --> 00:56:15.639
became the vice president. This remains the only

00:56:15.639 --> 00:56:17.659
election in U .S. history where a president and

00:56:17.659 --> 00:56:19.699
vice president were elected from opposing tickets,

00:56:20.099 --> 00:56:23.179
a unique outcome that profoundly shaped Adams's

00:56:23.179 --> 00:56:25.519
term. Talk about an awkward situation from day

00:56:25.519 --> 00:56:28.199
one. Adams was sworn into office as the nation's

00:56:28.199 --> 00:56:32.320
second president on March 4th, 1797. He conscientiously

00:56:32.320 --> 00:56:34.480
followed Washington's lead in using the presidency

00:56:34.480 --> 00:56:37.780
to exemplify Republican values and civic virtue,

00:56:37.840 --> 00:56:40.380
and his service was thankfully free of scandal.

00:56:45.730 --> 00:56:48.670
So Adams walks into the presidency and his own

00:56:48.670 --> 00:56:51.090
cabinet is essentially loyal to his archrival,

00:56:51.210 --> 00:56:53.130
Hamilton. That's a political minefield right

00:56:53.130 --> 00:56:55.550
there. He spent much of his term at his Massachusetts

00:56:55.550 --> 00:56:57.849
home, Peace Field, preferring the quietness of

00:56:57.849 --> 00:57:00.329
domestic life to business at the Capitol. He

00:57:00.329 --> 00:57:02.429
also largely ignored the political patronage

00:57:02.429 --> 00:57:04.449
and office seeking, which other office holders

00:57:04.449 --> 00:57:06.800
utilized. Yeah, historians debate the wisdom

00:57:06.800 --> 00:57:09.500
of that. Indeed, his decision to retain Washington's

00:57:09.500 --> 00:57:11.860
cabinet, given its deep loyalty to Hamilton,

00:57:12.360 --> 00:57:14.980
proved to be a significant vulnerability. Jefferson

00:57:14.980 --> 00:57:17.119
famously remarked that the Hamiltonians who surround

00:57:17.119 --> 00:57:19.079
him are only a little less hostile to him than

00:57:19.079 --> 00:57:22.280
to me. Wow. your own cabinet against you. While

00:57:22.280 --> 00:57:24.860
Adams's rationale was that retaining the cabinet

00:57:24.860 --> 00:57:27.300
would ensure a smoother succession, believing

00:57:27.300 --> 00:57:30.619
in institutional stability, it created an internal

00:57:30.619 --> 00:57:33.320
opposition within his own administration, making

00:57:33.320 --> 00:57:35.679
independent governance exceptionally difficult.

00:57:36.679 --> 00:57:39.280
Adams was aware of Hamilton's influence. but

00:57:39.280 --> 00:57:42.500
perhaps misjudged its depth. That's a very noble,

00:57:42.699 --> 00:57:45.199
if perhaps naive, belief given the political

00:57:45.199 --> 00:57:48.059
climate. Even with that, Adams maintained the

00:57:48.059 --> 00:57:50.639
economic programs of Hamilton, who regularly

00:57:50.639 --> 00:57:53.260
consulted with key cabinet members, especially

00:57:53.260 --> 00:57:55.820
the powerful Treasury Secretary, Oliver Walcott

00:57:55.820 --> 00:57:59.300
Jr. But in other respects, Adams was quite independent

00:57:59.300 --> 00:58:01.679
of his cabinet, often making decisions despite

00:58:01.679 --> 00:58:03.719
opposition from it. He clearly wasn't going to

00:58:03.719 --> 00:58:06.179
be a puppet. Hamilton had grown accustomed to

00:58:06.179 --> 00:58:08.719
being regularly consulted by Washington. Shortly

00:58:08.719 --> 00:58:11.239
after Adams was inaugurated, Hamilton sent him

00:58:11.239 --> 00:58:14.199
a detailed letter with policy suggestions. Adams,

00:58:14.539 --> 00:58:16.920
clearly asserting his independence, dismissively

00:58:16.920 --> 00:58:21.900
ignored it. This speaks to Adams' belief in institutional

00:58:21.900 --> 00:58:24.400
stability, but also perhaps to a misjudgment

00:58:24.400 --> 00:58:26.440
of the depth of Hamilton's influence over these

00:58:26.440 --> 00:58:29.519
individuals. This lack of a loyal inner circle

00:58:29.519 --> 00:58:31.780
would continually complicate his efforts and

00:58:31.780 --> 00:58:33.360
contribute to the challenges he faced throughout

00:58:33.360 --> 00:58:36.170
his presidency. The scene was set for a presidency

00:58:36.170 --> 00:58:38.550
defined by internal struggle and foreign policy

00:58:38.550 --> 00:58:48.260
crises. Historian Joseph Ellis writes that the

00:58:48.260 --> 00:58:50.340
Adams presidency was destined to be dominated

00:58:50.340 --> 00:58:52.920
by a single question, whether to make war with

00:58:52.920 --> 00:58:55.940
France or find peace. This was an incredibly

00:58:55.940 --> 00:58:58.059
tense time. Britain and France were locked in

00:58:58.059 --> 00:59:00.480
a war stemming from the French Revolution. Hamilton

00:59:00.480 --> 00:59:02.440
and the Federalists strongly favored the British

00:59:02.440 --> 00:59:04.880
monarchy. Jefferson and the Republicans strongly

00:59:04.880 --> 00:59:06.639
supported the French overthrowing their king.

00:59:07.000 --> 00:59:09.599
A deeply divided nation on foreign policy. It

00:59:09.599 --> 00:59:12.760
was a tightrope walk for Adams. The French, having

00:59:12.760 --> 00:59:15.860
supported Jefferson for president in 1796, became

00:59:15.860 --> 00:59:19.420
belligerent at his loss. Adams continued Washington's

00:59:19.420 --> 00:59:22.099
policy of staying out of the war, a policy of

00:59:22.099 --> 00:59:24.599
American neutrality. However, because of the

00:59:24.599 --> 00:59:27.340
Jay Treaty, the French saw America as Britain's

00:59:27.340 --> 00:59:30.360
junior partner and began seizing American merchant

00:59:30.360 --> 00:59:32.420
ships that were trading with the British. So

00:59:32.420 --> 00:59:34.940
America was caught in the middle. Exactly. Most

00:59:34.940 --> 00:59:37.519
Americans were still pro -French due to France's

00:59:37.519 --> 00:59:39.760
assistance during the revolution and their desire

00:59:39.760 --> 00:59:41.900
to support a republic against the British monarchy

00:59:41.900 --> 00:59:44.760
and would not tolerate war with France. So he's

00:59:44.760 --> 00:59:47.199
caught between a rock and a hard place. On May

00:59:47.199 --> 00:59:50.659
16th, 1797, Adams gave a speech to Congress in

00:59:50.659 --> 00:59:52.900
which he called for increasing defense capabilities

00:59:52.900 --> 00:59:55.460
in case of war with France. He announced that

00:59:55.460 --> 00:59:57.559
he would send a peace commission to France but

00:59:57.559 --> 00:59:59.840
simultaneously called for a military buildup.

00:59:59.980 --> 01:00:02.679
A two -pronged approach. The speech was well

01:00:02.679 --> 01:00:05.059
received by the Federalists, but the Republicans

01:00:05.059 --> 01:00:07.840
were outraged, seeing it as a failure to support

01:00:07.840 --> 01:00:11.539
the French Republic and a call for war. His commitment

01:00:11.539 --> 01:00:14.579
to neutrality, even against strong partisan pressures,

01:00:14.940 --> 01:00:17.679
was often misunderstood by both sides. And the

01:00:17.679 --> 01:00:19.760
peace commission he appointed consisted of John

01:00:19.760 --> 01:00:22.739
Marshall, Charles Coatsworth Pinkney, and Elbridge

01:00:22.739 --> 01:00:24.920
Gerry. But there was drama behind the scenes

01:00:24.920 --> 01:00:28.139
too, right? Oh yes. Adding to the internal drama,

01:00:28.559 --> 01:00:31.710
Jefferson Adams's own vice president was secretly

01:00:31.710 --> 01:00:34.570
undermining him. He met four times with Joseph

01:00:34.570 --> 01:00:37.349
Latoum, the French consul in Philadelphia, suggesting

01:00:37.349 --> 01:00:39.230
that it was in France's best interest to treat

01:00:39.230 --> 01:00:41.829
the American ministers civilly, but then drag

01:00:41.829 --> 01:00:44.510
out the negotiations at length. According to

01:00:44.510 --> 01:00:47.690
Latoum, Jefferson even called Adams vain, suspicious,

01:00:47.949 --> 01:00:51.090
and stubborn. Unbelievable. The VP working against

01:00:51.090 --> 01:00:53.230
the president. This brings us to the infamous

01:00:53.230 --> 01:00:56.050
XYZ affair. When the envoys arrived in October,

01:00:56.170 --> 01:00:58.449
they were kept waiting for several days and then

01:00:58.449 --> 01:01:00.570
granted only a 15 -minute meeting with French

01:01:00.570 --> 01:01:03.030
Foreign Minister Talleyrand. A deliberate snub.

01:01:03.329 --> 01:01:05.750
The diplomats were then met by three of Talleyrand's

01:01:05.750 --> 01:01:10.150
agents, later codenamed XY and Z, who refused

01:01:10.150 --> 01:01:12.530
to conduct negotiations unless the United States

01:01:12.530 --> 01:01:15.070
paid enormous bribes to France and to Talleyrand

01:01:15.070 --> 01:01:18.090
personally. Supposedly, this was to make up for

01:01:18.090 --> 01:01:20.489
offenses given to France by Adams in his speech.

01:01:20.679 --> 01:01:24.159
The Americans, understandably, refused. Marshall

01:01:24.159 --> 01:01:26.179
and Finckney returned home while Jerry remained.

01:01:27.119 --> 01:01:29.000
American diplomats being told they had to pay

01:01:29.000 --> 01:01:31.860
a bribe just to talk, that's outrageous. It was

01:01:31.860 --> 01:01:34.639
a blatant insult to American sovereignty. News

01:01:34.639 --> 01:01:37.159
of the disastrous peace mission arrived in March

01:01:37.159 --> 01:01:40.599
1798. Adams, not wanting to incite violence,

01:01:40.860 --> 01:01:42.500
announced the mission had failed without providing

01:01:42.500 --> 01:01:45.179
details. He also asked Congress for a renewal

01:01:45.179 --> 01:01:47.780
of the nation's defenses. The Republicans, suspecting

01:01:47.780 --> 01:01:49.820
he might be hiding material favorable to France,

01:01:50.119 --> 01:01:52.019
voted overwhelmingly to demand that Adams release

01:01:52.019 --> 01:01:54.280
the papers. And when he did. Once they were released,

01:01:54.480 --> 01:01:56.679
the Republicans, according to Abigail, were struck

01:01:56.679 --> 01:01:59.440
dumb. Benjamin Franklin Bosch, editor of the

01:01:59.440 --> 01:02:02.519
Philadelphia Aurora, tried to blame Adams's aggression,

01:02:03.019 --> 01:02:05.679
but among the general public, the affair substantially

01:02:05.679 --> 01:02:07.940
weakened popular American support of France.

01:02:08.679 --> 01:02:10.579
Adams reached the height of his popularity as

01:02:10.579 --> 01:02:12.800
many in the country called for a full -scale

01:02:12.800 --> 01:02:15.150
war against the French. It completely shifts

01:02:15.150 --> 01:02:17.329
public opinion, putting Adams at the peak of

01:02:17.329 --> 01:02:20.369
his popularity. This was a defining crisis for

01:02:20.369 --> 01:02:23.429
the Adams presidency. It dramatically exposed

01:02:23.429 --> 01:02:26.170
French perfidy and unified American public opinion

01:02:26.170 --> 01:02:29.110
behind Adams, momentarily silencing his Republican

01:02:29.110 --> 01:02:31.510
critics. It underscored the aggressive nature

01:02:31.510 --> 01:02:33.969
of European powers and the young nation's vulnerability.

01:02:34.380 --> 01:02:36.940
Hashtag hashtag six point four Alien and Sedition

01:02:36.940 --> 01:02:40.840
Acts 1798. Despite the XYZ affair galvanizing

01:02:40.840 --> 01:02:42.860
public opinion against France and boosting Adams

01:02:42.860 --> 01:02:45.639
popularity, Republican opposition persisted at

01:02:45.639 --> 01:02:47.940
home. Federalists began accusing the French and

01:02:47.940 --> 01:02:50.059
their immigrant sympathizers of provoking civil

01:02:50.059 --> 01:02:53.360
unrest. In an attempt to quell this outcry, the

01:02:53.360 --> 01:02:55.619
federalists introduced and Congress passed a

01:02:55.619 --> 01:02:57.820
series of laws collectively referred to as the

01:02:57.820 --> 01:03:00.139
Alien and Sedition Acts. And this is where things

01:03:00.139 --> 01:03:03.550
get really controversial. These acts are almost

01:03:03.550 --> 01:03:06.389
universally condemned by historians and are often

01:03:06.389 --> 01:03:09.269
seen as a significant stain on Adams's legacy.

01:03:09.809 --> 01:03:12.650
Four acts passed in quick succession. The Naturalization

01:03:12.650 --> 01:03:15.309
Act, the Alien Friends Act, the Alien Enemies

01:03:15.309 --> 01:03:18.030
Act, and the Sedition Act. Jefferson called it

01:03:18.030 --> 01:03:21.369
an unguarded passion. The first three acts targeted

01:03:21.369 --> 01:03:24.309
immigrants, giving the president greater deportation

01:03:24.309 --> 01:03:26.989
authority and increasing citizenship requirements.

01:03:27.599 --> 01:03:30.420
The Sedition Act, however, was the most contentious,

01:03:30.739 --> 01:03:33.519
making it a crime to publish false, scandalous,

01:03:33.599 --> 01:03:35.739
and malicious writing against the government

01:03:35.739 --> 01:03:38.099
or its officials. This was a direct challenge

01:03:38.099 --> 01:03:40.219
to the principles of free speech. A direct challenge

01:03:40.219 --> 01:03:42.340
to the First Amendment indeed, and Adams signed

01:03:42.340 --> 01:03:45.519
them into law in June 1798 at the urging of his

01:03:45.519 --> 01:03:47.659
wife and cabinet, though he had not personally

01:03:47.659 --> 01:03:50.380
promoted any of these acts. While born out of

01:03:50.380 --> 01:03:52.599
genuine fears of French influence and internal

01:03:52.599 --> 01:03:55.639
subversion during a quasi -war, their scope and

01:03:55.639 --> 01:03:58.590
enforcement were problematic. The administration

01:03:58.590 --> 01:04:01.070
initiated numerous indictments under the Sedition

01:04:01.070 --> 01:04:03.590
Act, targeting prominent Republican newspapers.

01:04:04.309 --> 01:04:06.329
Vocal opponents of the federalists were imprisoned

01:04:06.329 --> 01:04:09.269
or fined for criticizing the government, including

01:04:09.269 --> 01:04:11.730
Congressman Matthew Lyon of Vermont. So they

01:04:11.730 --> 01:04:13.989
were actively used to suppress dissent. Yes,

01:04:14.349 --> 01:04:16.670
though the alien acts were not stringently enforced

01:04:16.670 --> 01:04:19.349
because Adams resisted Secretary of State Timothy

01:04:19.349 --> 01:04:21.849
Pickering's attempts to deport aliens, although

01:04:21.849 --> 01:04:24.289
many left on their own due to the hostile environment.

01:04:24.409 --> 01:04:28.130
Republicans were predictably outraged. Jefferson,

01:04:28.570 --> 01:04:30.469
disgusted by the acts, wrote nothing publicly

01:04:30.469 --> 01:04:32.730
but partnered with James Madison to secretly

01:04:32.730 --> 01:04:35.010
draft the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions.

01:04:35.889 --> 01:04:38.210
Jefferson, writing for Kentucky, argued that

01:04:38.210 --> 01:04:40.909
states had the natural right to nullify any acts

01:04:40.909 --> 01:04:43.530
they deemed unconstitutional. This highlights

01:04:43.530 --> 01:04:45.769
the profound tension between national security

01:04:45.769 --> 01:04:48.250
and individual liberties, a debate that continues

01:04:48.250 --> 01:04:51.030
to resonate today, and it certainly fueled the

01:04:51.030 --> 01:04:54.000
political fire against Adams. Federalists reacted

01:04:54.000 --> 01:04:56.780
bitterly to the resolutions, and the acts ultimately

01:04:56.780 --> 01:04:59.639
energized and unified the Republican Party while

01:04:59.639 --> 01:05:02.719
doing little to unite the Federalists. It provided

01:05:02.719 --> 01:05:04.719
potent ammunition for the upcoming election.

01:05:05.019 --> 01:05:08.280
Hashtag, tag, tag, 6 .5, the quasi war and military

01:05:08.280 --> 01:05:13.619
buildup. 1798, 1800. In May 1798, a French privateer

01:05:13.619 --> 01:05:15.980
captured a merchant vessel off of New York Harbor,

01:05:16.400 --> 01:05:18.460
marking an increase in attacks on sea and the

01:05:18.460 --> 01:05:20.380
beginning of the undeclared naval war known as

01:05:20.380 --> 01:05:23.559
the quasi war. Adams was now directly confronted

01:05:23.559 --> 01:05:26.019
with the threat of conflict. His strategy was

01:05:26.019 --> 01:05:28.179
astute, knowing that America would be unable

01:05:28.179 --> 01:05:30.699
to win a major conflict due to internal divisions

01:05:30.699 --> 01:05:33.320
and France's dominance in Europe. He pursued

01:05:33.320 --> 01:05:35.920
a strategy of harassing French ships in an effort

01:05:35.920 --> 01:05:37.960
sufficient to stem the French assaults on American

01:05:37.960 --> 01:05:40.460
interests, a limited strategic warfare approach.

01:05:40.639 --> 01:05:43.519
Trying to avoid a full scale disaster. This reveals

01:05:43.519 --> 01:05:46.639
Adams' profound commitment to peace, even when

01:05:46.639 --> 01:05:49.059
it meant alienating powerful figures within his

01:05:49.059 --> 01:05:52.400
own party. In May, shortly after the attack in

01:05:52.400 --> 01:05:55.219
New York, Congress created a separate Navy department.

01:05:56.159 --> 01:05:58.679
Adams then built up the Navy, adding six fast,

01:05:58.719 --> 01:06:02.059
powerful frigates, most notably the USS Constitution.

01:06:02.820 --> 01:06:05.000
This leadership on naval defense sometimes led

01:06:05.000 --> 01:06:07.599
him to be called the father of the American Navy,

01:06:08.000 --> 01:06:10.920
a title he truly earned. He literally earned

01:06:10.920 --> 01:06:13.820
the title father of the American Navy here, but

01:06:13.820 --> 01:06:16.280
it came with immense personal and political cost.

01:06:16.480 --> 01:06:19.039
The prospect of a French invasion also led to

01:06:19.039 --> 01:06:21.400
calls to build up the army. Hamilton and other

01:06:21.400 --> 01:06:24.159
high federalists were particularly adamant that

01:06:24.159 --> 01:06:26.840
a large army be called up despite a common fear,

01:06:26.960 --> 01:06:29.840
particularly among Republicans, that large standing

01:06:29.840 --> 01:06:32.500
armies were subversive to liberty. A classic

01:06:32.500 --> 01:06:35.690
tension. In May, a provisional army of 10 ,000

01:06:35.690 --> 01:06:38.590
soldiers was authorized by Congress. And in July,

01:06:38.909 --> 01:06:41.409
Congress created 12 infantry regiments and provided

01:06:41.409 --> 01:06:44.070
for six cavalry companies, exceeding Adams's

01:06:44.070 --> 01:06:46.070
requests, but falling short of Hamilton's more

01:06:46.070 --> 01:06:47.829
ambitious plans. And then the fight over who

01:06:47.829 --> 01:06:50.530
would lead it. The internal struggle over military

01:06:50.530 --> 01:06:53.550
appointments highlights the profound ideological

01:06:53.550 --> 01:06:56.010
chasm developing within the Federalist Party.

01:06:57.010 --> 01:06:59.329
Federalists pressured Adams to appoint Hamilton.

01:07:00.280 --> 01:07:02.619
Distrustful of Hamilton and fearing a plot to

01:07:02.619 --> 01:07:05.860
subvert his administration, Adams chose Washington

01:07:05.860 --> 01:07:08.480
instead, without consulting him. As a condition

01:07:08.480 --> 01:07:10.579
of his acceptance, Washington demanded he be

01:07:10.579 --> 01:07:12.860
permitted to appoint his own subordinates, wishing

01:07:12.860 --> 01:07:15.340
to have Henry Knox as second in command, followed

01:07:15.340 --> 01:07:18.219
by Hamilton and then Charles Pinckney. But Hamilton,

01:07:18.420 --> 01:07:20.960
ever ambitious, wrote to Washington stating that

01:07:20.960 --> 01:07:23.099
he would not serve unless he was made inspector

01:07:23.099 --> 01:07:26.639
general and second in command. Washington conceded,

01:07:26.820 --> 01:07:28.960
arguing Hamilton's experience on his staff gave

01:07:28.960 --> 01:07:31.440
him a better grasp of the overall military scene.

01:07:31.840 --> 01:07:34.260
Adam sent Secretary of War James McHenry to Mount

01:07:34.260 --> 01:07:36.889
Vernon to convince Washington. McHenry conveyed

01:07:36.889 --> 01:07:39.050
Washington's opinion that he would not serve

01:07:39.050 --> 01:07:41.010
unless permitted to choose his own officers.

01:07:41.849 --> 01:07:43.929
Adams, who had intended to appoint Republicans

01:07:43.929 --> 01:07:46.389
like Aaron Burr to make the Army appear bipartisan,

01:07:47.010 --> 01:07:49.530
found Washington's list consisted entirely of

01:07:49.530 --> 01:07:52.190
Federalists. He was cornered. Adams reluctantly

01:07:52.190 --> 01:07:54.809
relented and agreed to submit to the Senate the

01:07:54.809 --> 01:07:57.329
names of Hamilton, Pinckney, and Knox in that

01:07:57.329 --> 01:07:59.969
order, although final decisions of rank would

01:07:59.969 --> 01:08:03.469
be reserved to Adams. Knox refused to serve under

01:08:03.469 --> 01:08:06.199
these conditions. Adams intended to give Hamilton

01:08:06.199 --> 01:08:08.739
the lowest possible rank, while Washington and

01:08:08.739 --> 01:08:10.760
many other Federalists insisted that the order

01:08:10.760 --> 01:08:13.800
submitted must determine seniority. On September

01:08:13.800 --> 01:08:17.380
24, Adams received a letter from McHenry relaying

01:08:17.380 --> 01:08:19.359
a statement from Washington threatening to resign

01:08:19.359 --> 01:08:21.279
if Hamilton were not made second in command.

01:08:21.420 --> 01:08:23.979
Fearing federalist backlash, Adams capitulated,

01:08:24.100 --> 01:08:26.720
despite bitter resentment, exacerbated by the

01:08:26.720 --> 01:08:28.800
illness of Abigail, whom Adams feared was near

01:08:28.800 --> 01:08:31.199
death. It quickly became apparent that due to

01:08:31.199 --> 01:08:33.659
Washington's advanced age, Hamilton was the Army's

01:08:33.659 --> 01:08:36.380
de facto commander. This was a massive political

01:08:36.380 --> 01:08:38.640
blow. It was a significant loss of executive

01:08:38.640 --> 01:08:41.899
control. However, the quasi -war continued. But

01:08:41.899 --> 01:08:43.859
there was a decline in war fever beginning in

01:08:43.859 --> 01:08:46.380
the fall, once news arrived of the French defeat

01:08:46.380 --> 01:08:49.140
at the Battle of the Nile. In October, Adams

01:08:49.140 --> 01:08:51.239
heard from Jerry in Paris that the French wanted

01:08:51.239 --> 01:08:54.180
to make peace. That December, in his address

01:08:54.180 --> 01:08:56.720
to Congress, Adams relayed these statements while

01:08:56.720 --> 01:08:58.859
expressing the need to maintain adequate defenses.

01:08:59.539 --> 01:09:02.140
The speech angered both Federalists, including

01:09:02.140 --> 01:09:04.399
Hamilton and Republicans. Can't please anyone

01:09:04.399 --> 01:09:06.979
sometimes. Hamilton, meanwhile, secretly promoted

01:09:06.979 --> 01:09:09.640
a plan for American and British troops to jointly

01:09:09.640 --> 01:09:12.520
seize Spanish Florida and Louisiana. Hamilton's

01:09:12.520 --> 01:09:15.100
critics, including Abigail, saw in his military

01:09:15.100 --> 01:09:17.819
buildups the signs of an aspiring military dictator.

01:09:23.459 --> 01:09:26.279
To pay for the military buildup of the quasi

01:09:26.279 --> 01:09:28.699
-war, Adams and his Federalist allies enacted

01:09:28.699 --> 01:09:32.100
the direct tax of 1798. Direct taxation by the

01:09:32.100 --> 01:09:34.579
federal government was widely unpopular, as revenue

01:09:34.579 --> 01:09:36.520
under Washington had mostly come from excise

01:09:36.520 --> 01:09:39.039
taxes and tariffs. Increased military expenditures

01:09:39.039 --> 01:09:41.479
threatened major budget deficits, so Federalists

01:09:41.479 --> 01:09:44.100
developed a taxation plan, instituting progressive

01:09:44.100 --> 01:09:46.500
land value tax. This was not going to go over

01:09:46.500 --> 01:09:49.319
well, and it didn't. Taxpayers in eastern Pennsylvania

01:09:49.319 --> 01:09:52.239
resisted federal tax collectors, and in March

01:09:52.239 --> 01:09:56.380
1799, the bloodless Freys' rebellion broke out.

01:09:56.819 --> 01:09:59.420
Led by Revolutionary War veteran John Freys,

01:10:00.020 --> 01:10:02.000
rural German -speaking farmers protested what

01:10:02.000 --> 01:10:04.340
they saw as a threat to their liberties. They

01:10:04.340 --> 01:10:07.180
intimidated tax collectors. The disturbance was

01:10:07.180 --> 01:10:09.039
quickly ended with Hamilton leading the army

01:10:09.039 --> 01:10:11.439
to restore peace. Here's another striking Adams

01:10:11.439 --> 01:10:14.079
moment, pardoning the leaders of Frye's rebellion

01:10:14.079 --> 01:10:16.819
against his entire cabinet's advice. Frye's and

01:10:16.819 --> 01:10:18.579
two other leaders were arrested, found guilty

01:10:18.579 --> 01:10:21.260
of treason and sentenced to hang. They appealed

01:10:21.260 --> 01:10:24.140
to Adders requesting a pardon. The cabinet unanimously

01:10:24.140 --> 01:10:27.060
advised Adams to refuse, but he instead granted

01:10:27.060 --> 01:10:29.140
the pardon, arguing the men had instigated a

01:10:29.140 --> 01:10:31.380
mere riot as opposed to a full blown rebellion.

01:10:31.699 --> 01:10:33.840
This shows a powerful independent streak and

01:10:33.840 --> 01:10:36.180
a profound commitment to justice, even when it

01:10:36.180 --> 01:10:38.720
meant defying his closest advisors and fueling

01:10:38.720 --> 01:10:42.039
Hamilton's fury. The Fry's rebellion pardon is

01:10:42.039 --> 01:10:44.600
a critical example of Adams prioritizing what

01:10:44.600 --> 01:10:47.579
he perceived as justice and national unity over

01:10:47.579 --> 01:10:51.239
partisan loyalty. Hamilton, in his infamous pamphlet

01:10:51.239 --> 01:10:53.460
attacking Adams, wrote that it was impossible

01:10:53.460 --> 01:10:56.140
to commit a greater error than pardoning Fry's.

01:10:56.409 --> 01:10:59.449
So it solidified his image as independent, but

01:10:59.449 --> 01:11:02.470
deepened the party rift. Exactly. These frustrations

01:11:02.470 --> 01:11:04.329
with the Hamilton wing of the party exploded

01:11:04.329 --> 01:11:07.449
on May 5, 1800 during a meeting with McHenry,

01:11:07.689 --> 01:11:10.710
a Hamilton loyalist. Adams accused him of subservience

01:11:10.710 --> 01:11:12.409
to Hamilton and declared that he would rather

01:11:12.409 --> 01:11:14.869
serve as Jefferson's vice president than be beholden

01:11:14.869 --> 01:11:17.390
to Hamilton for the presidency. McHenry offered

01:11:17.390 --> 01:11:20.090
to resign at once and Adams accepted. On May

01:11:20.090 --> 01:11:22.500
10th, he asked Pickering to resign. Pickering

01:11:22.500 --> 01:11:25.060
refused and was summarily dismissed. Adams named

01:11:25.060 --> 01:11:27.460
John Marshall as Secretary of State and Samuel

01:11:27.460 --> 01:11:29.739
Dexter as Secretary of War. And then he just

01:11:29.739 --> 01:11:31.960
fires his cabinet. Talk about asserting executive

01:11:31.960 --> 01:11:34.600
power in a dramatic way. It was a desperate but

01:11:34.600 --> 01:11:36.939
necessary attempt to assert control and align

01:11:36.939 --> 01:11:39.180
his administration with his vision for peace.

01:11:40.060 --> 01:11:43.119
In 1799, Napoleon took over in France and declared

01:11:43.119 --> 01:11:46.079
the French Revolution over. News of this event

01:11:46.079 --> 01:11:48.680
increased Adams' desire to disband the Provisional

01:11:48.680 --> 01:11:51.720
Army, which, with Washington now dead, was commanded

01:11:51.720 --> 01:11:54.760
only by Hamilton. His moves to end the Army after

01:11:54.760 --> 01:11:56.539
the departures of McHenry and Pickering were

01:11:56.539 --> 01:11:58.939
met with little opposition. Federalists joined

01:11:58.939 --> 01:12:00.720
with the Republicans in voting to disband the

01:12:00.720 --> 01:12:09.520
Army in mid -1800. Napoleon, now in power, determining

01:12:09.520 --> 01:12:11.680
that further conflict was pointless, signaled

01:12:11.680 --> 01:12:13.279
his readiness for friendly relations with the

01:12:13.279 --> 01:12:15.579
United States. This led to the Convention of

01:12:15.579 --> 01:12:17.960
1800, where the two sides agreed to return any

01:12:17.960 --> 01:12:20.000
captured ships and allow for the peaceful transfer

01:12:20.000 --> 01:12:22.880
of non -military goods. On February 3, 1801,

01:12:23.119 --> 01:12:25.079
the treaty, with some reservations, passed the

01:12:25.079 --> 01:12:27.680
Senate and was signed by Adams. This conclusion

01:12:27.680 --> 01:12:30.300
to his presidency underscores his foresight and

01:12:30.300 --> 01:12:33.199
commitment to avoiding war, a decision that proved

01:12:33.199 --> 01:12:36.430
strategically sound for the young republic. While

01:12:36.430 --> 01:12:39.550
it cost him politically, historians largely commend

01:12:39.550 --> 01:12:42.270
this choice. News of the peace treaty did not

01:12:42.270 --> 01:12:44.750
arrive in the United States until after the election,

01:12:45.109 --> 01:12:48.600
too late to sway the results. As president, Adams

01:12:48.600 --> 01:12:51.899
proudly avoided war, but deeply split his party

01:12:51.899 --> 01:12:54.439
in the process. Historian Ron Chernow writes

01:12:54.439 --> 01:12:57.300
that the threat of Jacobinism was the one thing

01:12:57.300 --> 01:12:59.680
that united the Federalist Party, and that Adams'

01:12:59.899 --> 01:13:02.279
elimination of it unwittingly contributed to

01:13:02.279 --> 01:13:05.159
the party's demise. He may have lost the election,

01:13:05.279 --> 01:13:08.180
but Adams secured peace with France, a huge accomplishment

01:13:08.180 --> 01:13:10.699
that often gets overlooked. A critical achievement.

01:13:11.180 --> 01:13:13.420
In terms of establishing institutions, Adams

01:13:13.420 --> 01:13:15.220
also signed the law establishing the Library

01:13:15.220 --> 01:13:18.029
of Congress in 1800. His move to Washington,

01:13:18.029 --> 01:13:21.010
D .C. symbolizes the physical and symbolic establishment

01:13:21.010 --> 01:13:23.149
of the federal government, a project he had dedicated

01:13:23.149 --> 01:13:25.229
his life to. Right, the move to the new Capitol.

01:13:25.689 --> 01:13:27.750
Adams made his first official visit in early

01:13:27.750 --> 01:13:31.449
June 1800. Amid the raw and unfinished cityscape,

01:13:31.789 --> 01:13:33.770
the president found the public buildings in a

01:13:33.770 --> 01:13:36.510
much greater forwardness of completion than expected.

01:13:37.130 --> 01:13:39.470
He moved into the nearly completed president's

01:13:39.470 --> 01:13:42.090
mansion, later known as the White House, on November

01:13:42.090 --> 01:13:44.390
1st, with Abigail arriving a few weeks later.

01:13:44.640 --> 01:13:47.680
And he wrote that famous prayer. Yes, on arrival,

01:13:47.979 --> 01:13:50.180
Adams famously wrote to her, before I end my

01:13:50.180 --> 01:13:52.420
letter, I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings

01:13:52.420 --> 01:13:55.180
on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit

01:13:55.180 --> 01:13:58.159
it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule

01:13:58.159 --> 01:14:00.770
under this roof. It's a poignant moment of transition

01:14:00.770 --> 01:14:03.409
for him and the nation. The Senate met for the

01:14:03.409 --> 01:14:05.409
first time in the new Capitol building on November

01:14:05.409 --> 01:14:09.390
17, 1800, and on November 22, Adams delivered

01:14:09.390 --> 01:14:11.789
his fourth State of the Union address to a joint

01:14:11.789 --> 01:14:14.189
session of Congress. This would actually be the

01:14:14.189 --> 01:14:16.689
last annual message any president would personally

01:14:16.689 --> 01:14:20.800
deliver to Congress for the next 113 years. With

01:14:20.800 --> 01:14:23.539
the Federalist Party deeply split over his negotiations

01:14:23.539 --> 01:14:26.039
with France and the opposition Republican Party

01:14:26.039 --> 01:14:28.680
enraged over the Alien and Sedition Acts and

01:14:28.680 --> 01:14:31.279
the expansion of the military, Adams faced a

01:14:31.279 --> 01:14:34.859
daunting re -election campaign in 1800. The Federalists

01:14:34.859 --> 01:14:37.119
nominated Adams and Pickney. The Republicans,

01:14:37.199 --> 01:14:39.920
as before, nominated Jefferson and Burr. The

01:14:39.920 --> 01:14:42.119
campaign was brutal, characterized by malicious

01:14:42.119 --> 01:14:44.159
insults from partisan presses on both sides.

01:14:44.489 --> 01:14:46.470
Federalists claimed that Republicans were the

01:14:46.470 --> 01:14:49.090
enemies of all who love order, peace, virtue,

01:14:49.329 --> 01:14:51.609
and religion, denouncing them as libertines and

01:14:51.609 --> 01:14:53.869
dangerous radicals. Jefferson's rumored affairs

01:14:53.869 --> 01:14:56.069
with slaves were even used against him. On the

01:14:56.069 --> 01:14:58.250
flip side, Republicans accused Federalists of

01:14:58.250 --> 01:15:00.670
subverting Republican principles, favoring Britain,

01:15:01.010 --> 01:15:03.729
and promoting aristocratic values. Jefferson

01:15:03.729 --> 01:15:06.329
was portrayed as an apostle of liberty, while

01:15:06.329 --> 01:15:09.289
Adams was labeled a monarchist, accused of insanity

01:15:09.289 --> 01:15:12.689
and even marital infidelity. James T. Callender,

01:15:12.829 --> 01:15:15.350
a Republican propagandist secretly financed by

01:15:15.350 --> 01:15:18.649
Jefferson, degraded Adams' character. Callender

01:15:18.649 --> 01:15:21.090
was arrested and jailed under the Sedition Act,

01:15:21.170 --> 01:15:23.310
which, of course, further inflamed Republican

01:15:23.310 --> 01:15:26.210
passions. This election was a defining moment

01:15:26.210 --> 01:15:29.029
for American democracy, the first peaceful transfer

01:15:29.029 --> 01:15:31.409
of power between opposing parties, despite the

01:15:31.409 --> 01:15:33.770
viciousness. Opposition from the federalist party

01:15:33.770 --> 01:15:36.750
itself was at times equally intense. Some, including

01:15:36.750 --> 01:15:39.109
Pickering, even accused Adams of colluding with

01:15:39.109 --> 01:15:41.609
Jefferson. And then there's Hamilton's final

01:15:41.609 --> 01:15:43.989
attack. Hamilton was hard at work, attempting

01:15:43.989 --> 01:15:46.569
to sabotage the president's reelection. He sent

01:15:46.569 --> 01:15:48.930
a pamphlet strongly attacking Adams' policies

01:15:48.930 --> 01:15:51.310
and character, denouncing the nomination of Murray,

01:15:51.649 --> 01:15:53.909
the pardoning of Fries, and the firing of Pickering.

01:15:54.430 --> 01:15:57.109
He vilified the president's disgusting egotism

01:15:57.109 --> 01:15:59.890
and ungovernable temper, concluding Adams was

01:15:59.890 --> 01:16:02.270
emotionally unstable and generally unfit to be

01:16:02.270 --> 01:16:04.710
president. It was a spading personal attack.

01:16:05.719 --> 01:16:08.100
Strangely, it ended by saying that the electors

01:16:08.100 --> 01:16:10.800
should support Adams and Pinckney equally, a

01:16:10.800 --> 01:16:12.859
transparent attempt to elevate Pinckney over

01:16:12.859 --> 01:16:16.239
Adams. Thanks to Aaron Burr, who had covertly

01:16:16.239 --> 01:16:18.979
obtained a copy, the pamphlet became public knowledge

01:16:18.979 --> 01:16:21.020
and was distributed throughout the country by

01:16:21.020 --> 01:16:24.340
Republicans. Hamilton's actions inadvertently

01:16:24.340 --> 01:16:26.380
ensure the Federalist Party's eventual demise

01:16:26.380 --> 01:16:28.739
and effectively ended his own political career.

01:16:29.079 --> 01:16:31.529
Talk about self -destruction. When the electoral

01:16:31.529 --> 01:16:33.970
votes were counted, Adams finished third and

01:16:33.970 --> 01:16:36.569
Pickney came in fourth. Jefferson and Byrd tied

01:16:36.569 --> 01:16:39.729
for first. Because of the tie, the election devolved

01:16:39.729 --> 01:16:41.829
upon the House of Representatives, where Jefferson

01:16:41.829 --> 01:16:44.310
was finally elected president after 36 ballots.

01:16:44.909 --> 01:16:46.909
Historian John Furling attributes Adams' defeat

01:16:46.909 --> 01:16:50.109
to several key factors. Stronger Republican organization,

01:16:50.550 --> 01:16:53.130
Federalist disunity, the Alien and Sedition Acts,

01:16:53.489 --> 01:16:55.670
and Jefferson's popularity. Adams himself seemed

01:16:55.670 --> 01:16:58.539
to understand it. Yes, Adams himself offered

01:16:58.539 --> 01:17:01.600
a candid assessment of his party, writing, No

01:17:01.600 --> 01:17:04.079
party that ever existed knew itself so little

01:17:04.079 --> 01:17:07.119
or so vainly overrated its own influence and

01:17:07.119 --> 01:17:10.680
popularity as ours. To compound his defeat, Adams'

01:17:10.840 --> 01:17:12.920
son Charles died shortly after the election.

01:17:13.760 --> 01:17:16.100
Anxious to rejoin Abigail, Adams departed the

01:17:16.100 --> 01:17:18.119
White House in the pre -dawn hours of March 4,

01:17:18.279 --> 01:17:21.279
1801, and famously did not attend Jefferson's

01:17:21.279 --> 01:17:24.159
inauguration, a powerful statement of his displeasure.

01:17:24.390 --> 01:17:27.970
The complications of the 1796 and 1800 elections

01:17:27.970 --> 01:17:30.250
ultimately prompted a modification to the Electoral

01:17:30.250 --> 01:17:37.869
College through the 12th Amendment. Even in defeat,

01:17:38.170 --> 01:17:40.510
Adams made a lasting impact by shaping the judiciary

01:17:40.510 --> 01:17:42.930
for generations. During his term, he appointed

01:17:42.930 --> 01:17:45.789
two U .S. Supreme Court associate justices, Bush

01:17:45.789 --> 01:17:48.409
Ron Washington and Alfred Moore. But his most

01:17:48.409 --> 01:17:50.270
significant judicial action came at the very

01:17:50.270 --> 01:17:52.789
end. After Justice Ellsworth's retirement in

01:17:52.789 --> 01:17:54.890
1800, it fell to Adams to appoint the court's

01:17:54.890 --> 01:17:57.010
fourth chief justice. Regardless of who won the

01:17:57.010 --> 01:17:58.569
election, Adams believed the choice should be

01:17:58.569 --> 01:18:00.609
someone in the full vigor of middle age who could

01:18:00.609 --> 01:18:02.909
counter a potential long line of Republican presidents.

01:18:03.270 --> 01:18:06.409
A strategic move. Adams chose his Secretary of

01:18:06.409 --> 01:18:08.670
State, John Marshall. Marshall was one of Adams'

01:18:08.909 --> 01:18:11.770
few trusted cabinet members. Adams signed his

01:18:11.770 --> 01:18:13.970
commission on January 31, and the Senate approved

01:18:13.970 --> 01:18:16.729
it immediately. Marshall's long tenure, from

01:18:16.729 --> 01:18:20.329
1801 to 1835, left a lasting influence on the

01:18:20.329 --> 01:18:23.310
court, maintaining a carefully reasoned nationalistic

01:18:23.310 --> 01:18:25.930
interpretation of the Constitution and firmly

01:18:25.930 --> 01:18:28.489
establishing the judicial branch as the equal

01:18:28.489 --> 01:18:31.470
of the executive and legislative branches. Marshall's

01:18:31.470 --> 01:18:33.890
appointment was a masterstroke. That's an incredible

01:18:33.890 --> 01:18:36.270
act of foresight. Another controversial move

01:18:36.270 --> 01:18:38.470
in his final days was the Midnight Judges Act.

01:18:38.869 --> 01:18:40.770
After the Federalists lost control of Congress

01:18:40.770 --> 01:18:43.329
and the White House, the lame duck session approved

01:18:43.329 --> 01:18:45.930
a judiciary act, creating a set of federal appeals

01:18:45.930 --> 01:18:49.130
courts. Adams filled the vacancies by appointing

01:18:49.130 --> 01:18:51.109
a series of judges, whom his opponents called

01:18:51.109 --> 01:18:53.470
the Midnote Judges, just days before his term

01:18:53.470 --> 01:18:56.310
expired. Adams' Midnight Judges appointments,

01:18:56.590 --> 01:18:59.210
though short -lived, underscore his enduring

01:18:59.210 --> 01:19:01.470
concern for the balance of power and the strength

01:19:01.470 --> 01:19:04.039
of the federal government. Most of these judges,

01:19:04.079 --> 01:19:06.439
however, lost their posts when the next Congress,

01:19:06.840 --> 01:19:09.220
with a solid Republican majority, approved the

01:19:09.220 --> 01:19:12.619
Judiciary Act of 1802, abolishing the newly created

01:19:12.619 --> 01:19:15.640
courts. So after all that political drama, he

01:19:15.640 --> 01:19:18.399
heads home. Yes. Adams resumed farming at Peace

01:19:18.399 --> 01:19:20.899
Field in Quincy, Massachusetts, and also began

01:19:20.899 --> 01:19:23.159
work on an autobiography, though was eventually

01:19:23.159 --> 01:19:25.640
abandoned. His frugal lifestyle and presidential

01:19:25.640 --> 01:19:27.779
salary had given him a considerable fortune.

01:19:28.220 --> 01:19:30.960
But in 1803, the bank holding his cash reserves

01:19:30.960 --> 01:19:34.189
collapsed. His son John Quincy resolved the crisis

01:19:34.189 --> 01:19:36.930
by buying his properties. It speaks volumes about

01:19:36.930 --> 01:19:39.670
the precarious financial situation even for former

01:19:39.670 --> 01:19:42.569
presidents then. During his first four years

01:19:42.569 --> 01:19:44.869
of retirement, Adams made little effort to contact

01:19:44.869 --> 01:19:47.590
others, but eventually resumed contact with old

01:19:47.590 --> 01:19:50.029
acquaintances like Benjamin Waterhouse and Benjamin

01:19:50.029 --> 01:19:52.930
Rush. He generally stayed quiet on public matters,

01:19:53.350 --> 01:19:55.770
not publicly denouncing Jefferson's actions as

01:19:55.770 --> 01:19:58.170
president, believing that instead of opposing

01:19:58.170 --> 01:20:01.090
systematically any administration, we ought to

01:20:01.090 --> 01:20:03.789
support every administration as far as we can

01:20:03.789 --> 01:20:07.000
in justice. A very principled stance, especially

01:20:07.000 --> 01:20:09.500
given their rivalry. When a disgruntled James

01:20:09.500 --> 01:20:11.760
Callender turned on Jefferson by revealing the

01:20:11.760 --> 01:20:14.300
Sally Hemings affair, Adams famously said nothing

01:20:14.300 --> 01:20:16.739
publicly. But he couldn't stay completely quiet,

01:20:16.920 --> 01:20:18.939
could he? His philosophical and political fire

01:20:18.939 --> 01:20:21.460
still burned. His son, John Quincy, was elected

01:20:21.460 --> 01:20:24.359
to the Senate in 1803, and both he and his father

01:20:24.359 --> 01:20:26.859
crossed party lines to support Jefferson's Louisiana

01:20:26.859 --> 01:20:29.859
Purchase. This demonstrates a capacity for national

01:20:29.859 --> 01:20:33.359
interest over strict party loyalty. The elder

01:20:33.359 --> 01:20:35.659
Adams did privately criticize the president over

01:20:35.659 --> 01:20:38.079
his embargo act, although John Quincy voted for

01:20:38.079 --> 01:20:41.239
it. John Quincy resigned from the Senate in 1808

01:20:41.239 --> 01:20:43.100
after the Federalist -controlled Massachusetts

01:20:43.100 --> 01:20:45.619
Senate refused to nominate him for a second term.

01:20:46.319 --> 01:20:48.739
After the Federalist denounced John Quincy, Adams

01:20:48.739 --> 01:20:51.460
wrote to him that he himself had long since abdicated

01:20:51.460 --> 01:20:53.560
and disclaimed the name and character and attributes

01:20:53.560 --> 01:21:03.000
of that sect. The story of Adams and Jefferson's

01:21:03.000 --> 01:21:04.979
initial estrangement and eventual reconciliation

01:21:04.979 --> 01:21:08.260
is one of history's great moments. In early 1801,

01:21:08.539 --> 01:21:10.560
Adams sent Thomas Jefferson a brief note wishing

01:21:10.560 --> 01:21:13.380
him a happy and prosperous presidency. Jefferson

01:21:13.380 --> 01:21:15.420
failed to respond and they did not speak again

01:21:15.420 --> 01:21:21.010
for nearly 12 years. unbeknownst to her husband,

01:21:21.470 --> 01:21:23.590
wrote to Jefferson to express her condolences

01:21:23.590 --> 01:21:26.229
upon the death of his daughter. This initiated

01:21:26.229 --> 01:21:28.729
a brief correspondence between the two, which

01:21:28.729 --> 01:21:30.989
quickly descended into political rancor, and

01:21:30.989 --> 01:21:33.949
Jefferson terminated it. By 1812, there had been

01:21:33.949 --> 01:21:36.550
no communication between Monticello and Peacefield

01:21:36.550 --> 01:21:39.649
since Adams left office. It was a deep freeze,

01:21:39.989 --> 01:21:42.750
personally and politically. However, in early

01:21:42.750 --> 01:21:46.100
1812, Adams reconciled with Jefferson. The previous

01:21:46.100 --> 01:21:48.159
year had been tragic for Adams. He lost his brother

01:21:48.159 --> 01:21:50.359
-in -law and his daughter, Nabby, was diagnosed

01:21:50.359 --> 01:21:52.819
with breast cancer from which she died in 1813.

01:21:53.159 --> 01:21:56.300
These events seem to mellow Adams. Tragedy often

01:21:56.300 --> 01:21:58.960
does. Their mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, who

01:21:58.960 --> 01:22:01.460
had been corresponding with both, actively encouraged

01:22:01.460 --> 01:22:03.560
them to reach out to each other, a testament

01:22:03.560 --> 01:22:05.739
to the power of shared history and enduring friendship.

01:22:05.869 --> 01:22:08.350
So on New Year's Day, Adams sent a brief friendly

01:22:08.350 --> 01:22:10.569
note to Jefferson, accompanying a two -volume

01:22:10.569 --> 01:22:12.970
collection of lectures on rhetoric by John Quincy

01:22:12.970 --> 01:22:15.829
Adams. Jefferson replied immediately with a cordial

01:22:15.829 --> 01:22:17.729
letter, and the two revived their friendship,

01:22:17.810 --> 01:22:20.489
which they sustained by mail. Their correspondence

01:22:20.489 --> 01:22:22.970
lasted the rest of their lives and has been hailed

01:22:22.970 --> 01:22:25.289
as among the great legacies of American literature.

01:22:25.529 --> 01:22:28.989
Truly invaluable. Their letters, 158 in total

01:22:28.989 --> 01:22:32.390
over 14 years, offer a profound window into their

01:22:32.390 --> 01:22:35.170
mature reflections on republicanism, human nature,

01:22:35.149 --> 01:22:38.470
and their own roles in history. Early on Adams

01:22:38.470 --> 01:22:40.710
repeatedly tried to turn the correspondence to

01:22:40.710 --> 01:22:43.369
a discussion of their political actions. Jefferson

01:22:43.369 --> 01:22:46.109
however refused saying that nothing new can be

01:22:46.109 --> 01:22:48.510
added by you or me to what has been said by others.

01:22:49.130 --> 01:22:51.149
Adams made one more attempt writing that you

01:22:51.149 --> 01:22:53.090
and I ought not to die before we have explained

01:22:53.090 --> 01:22:56.350
ourselves to each other. Still, Jefferson declined,

01:22:56.689 --> 01:22:58.449
and Adams accepted this, with the correspondence

01:22:58.449 --> 01:23:00.689
turning to other matters, particularly philosophy.

01:23:16.529 --> 01:23:19.149
Adams, ever the pragmatist, wondered if it would

01:23:19.149 --> 01:23:21.430
ever be so clear who these people were, noting,

01:23:21.869 --> 01:23:24.329
"...birth and wealth are conferred on some men

01:23:24.329 --> 01:23:27.369
as imperiously by nature as genius, strength

01:23:27.369 --> 01:23:30.310
or beauty." A good government had to account

01:23:30.310 --> 01:23:32.760
for that reality. Fascinating how even in their

01:23:32.760 --> 01:23:35.140
reconciliation, their core philosophical differences

01:23:35.140 --> 01:23:38.020
emerged. Indeed, and it offers a nuanced perspective

01:23:38.020 --> 01:23:40.420
on leadership. There were also important details

01:23:40.420 --> 01:23:43.199
that each man kept to himself. Jefferson said

01:23:43.199 --> 01:23:45.279
nothing about his financial situation or slave

01:23:45.279 --> 01:23:47.680
ownership, while Adams did not mention the troublesome

01:23:47.680 --> 01:23:50.890
behavior of his son Thomas. After Jefferson's

01:23:50.890 --> 01:23:53.210
retirement in 1809, Adams became more vocal,

01:23:53.729 --> 01:23:55.210
publishing a three -year marathon of letters

01:23:55.210 --> 01:23:57.869
in the Boston Patriot newspaper, refuting line

01:23:57.869 --> 01:24:00.329
-by -line Hamilton's 1800 pamphlet. Finally getting

01:24:00.329 --> 01:24:02.470
his rebuttal out there. He supported the War

01:24:02.470 --> 01:24:05.670
of 1812, having worried over the rise of sexualism

01:24:05.670 --> 01:24:08.310
and celebrated the growth of a national character

01:24:08.310 --> 01:24:10.699
that accompanied it. He even supported James

01:24:10.699 --> 01:24:13.739
Madison for re -election in 1812. Tragedy struck

01:24:13.739 --> 01:24:16.300
again with the death of Abigail in October 1818.

01:24:16.319 --> 01:24:19.239
A huge loss. 1824 was filled with excitement,

01:24:19.539 --> 01:24:21.659
featuring a four -way presidential contest that

01:24:21.659 --> 01:24:24.100
included John Quincy. The Marquis de Lafayette

01:24:24.100 --> 01:24:26.220
toured the country and met with Adams, who greatly

01:24:26.220 --> 01:24:29.140
enjoyed the visit. Adams was delighted by the

01:24:29.140 --> 01:24:31.039
election of John Quincy to the presidency in

01:24:31.039 --> 01:24:34.300
February 1825, after a deadlock was decided in

01:24:34.300 --> 01:24:36.699
the House. His comment on the occasion was classic

01:24:36.699 --> 01:24:40.239
Adams. No man who ever held the office of president

01:24:40.239 --> 01:24:42.239
would congratulate a friend on obtaining it.

01:24:44.340 --> 01:24:46.899
Always the realest. And then for both of them

01:24:46.899 --> 01:24:49.199
to die on the exact same day, 50 years to the

01:24:49.199 --> 01:24:50.800
day after the Declaration of Independence, you

01:24:50.800 --> 01:24:53.220
couldn't write a more poetic ending. It's incredible.

01:24:53.840 --> 01:24:57.000
On July 4th, 1826, Adams died of a heart attack

01:24:57.000 --> 01:25:00.159
at Peace Field at approximately 6 20 p .m. age

01:25:00.159 --> 01:25:02.859
90. His last words included an acknowledgement

01:25:02.859 --> 01:25:05.760
of his longtime friend and rival. Thomas Jefferson

01:25:05.760 --> 01:25:09.010
survives. Adams was unaware that Jefferson had

01:25:09.010 --> 01:25:11.890
died several hours before him. At 90, Adams was

01:25:11.890 --> 01:25:14.170
the longest -lived U .S. president until Ronald

01:25:14.170 --> 01:25:17.069
Reagan surpassed him in 2001. An extraordinary

01:25:17.069 --> 01:25:19.710
chapter closing in the most symbolic way possible.

01:25:19.909 --> 01:25:22.250
Their shared death on such a symbolic day offers

01:25:22.250 --> 01:25:24.649
a powerful closing statement on the legacy of

01:25:24.649 --> 01:25:27.310
the revolutionary generation. John and Abigail

01:25:27.310 --> 01:25:29.789
Adams' crypt at United First Parish Church in

01:25:29.789 --> 01:25:32.210
Quincy also contains the bodies of John Quincy

01:25:32.210 --> 01:25:34.850
and Louisa Adams. Adams was not just a doer,

01:25:34.850 --> 01:25:37.680
he was a deep thinker. During the first Continental

01:25:37.680 --> 01:25:39.600
Congress, he was often solicited for his views

01:25:39.600 --> 01:25:41.979
on government. He privately criticized Thomas

01:25:41.979 --> 01:25:44.979
Paine's 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, which attacked

01:25:44.979 --> 01:25:47.220
all forms of monarchy and supported a unicameral

01:25:47.220 --> 01:25:50.020
legislature and a weak executive. Adams believed

01:25:50.020 --> 01:25:52.199
Paine had a better hand at pulling down than

01:25:52.199 --> 01:25:54.739
building, and that his views were so democratic

01:25:54.739 --> 01:25:57.500
without any restraint that it must produce confusion.

01:25:57.819 --> 01:26:00.819
He saw Paine's ideas as too radical, too unbalanced.

01:26:01.479 --> 01:26:03.340
This section is crucial for understanding the

01:26:03.340 --> 01:26:06.069
enduring impact of Adams's intellect. At the

01:26:06.069 --> 01:26:08.569
urging of delegates like Richard Henry Lee, Adams

01:26:08.569 --> 01:26:11.470
committed his views to paper, published anonymously

01:26:11.470 --> 01:26:15.109
in April 1776 as Thoughts on Government. Many

01:26:15.109 --> 01:26:17.649
historians agree none of Adams's other compositions

01:26:17.649 --> 01:26:20.029
rivaled its enduring influence. What were the

01:26:20.029 --> 01:26:23.430
core ideas? Adams advised that the form of government

01:26:23.430 --> 01:26:25.770
should be chosen to attain the desired ends,

01:26:26.350 --> 01:26:28.350
the happiness and virtue of the greatest number

01:26:28.350 --> 01:26:31.310
of people. He wrote, there is no good government,

01:26:31.470 --> 01:26:34.350
but what is Republican? The very definition of

01:26:34.350 --> 01:26:37.050
a republic is an empire of laws and not of men.

01:26:37.649 --> 01:26:39.970
His blueprint for a republic was clear and enduring.

01:26:40.409 --> 01:26:42.489
The treatise defended by Cameralism arguing,

01:26:42.970 --> 01:26:45.189
a single assembly is liable to all the vices,

01:26:45.329 --> 01:26:48.409
follies, and frailties of an individual. He suggested

01:26:48.409 --> 01:26:50.489
a separation of powers between the executive,

01:26:50.670 --> 01:26:53.090
judicial, and legislative branches and further

01:26:53.090 --> 01:26:55.149
recommended that a continental government should

01:26:55.149 --> 01:26:57.569
secretly be confined to certain enumerated powers.

01:26:58.119 --> 01:27:00.079
Thoughts on government was referenced in every

01:27:00.079 --> 01:27:02.640
state constitution writing hall. His advocacy

01:27:02.640 --> 01:27:04.819
for a mixed government and separation of powers

01:27:04.819 --> 01:27:08.140
was a sophisticated attempt to reconcile Republican

01:27:08.140 --> 01:27:11.159
ideals with human nature. After returning from

01:27:11.159 --> 01:27:14.659
France in 1779, Adams was elected to the Massachusetts

01:27:14.659 --> 01:27:17.399
Constitutional Convention. The writing fell primarily

01:27:17.399 --> 01:27:20.020
to him and the resulting Constitution of Massachusetts

01:27:20.020 --> 01:27:23.300
approved in 1780 was groundbreaking. It was the

01:27:23.300 --> 01:27:25.439
first written by a special committee and ratified

01:27:25.439 --> 01:27:27.949
by the people. It was also the first to feature

01:27:27.949 --> 01:27:30.949
a bicameral legislature, a distinct executive

01:27:30.949 --> 01:27:33.750
with a qualified veto, and an independent judicial

01:27:33.750 --> 01:27:36.789
branch with lifetime appointments. His contributions,

01:27:37.369 --> 01:27:39.449
particularly through the Massachusetts Constitution,

01:27:39.829 --> 01:27:42.729
directly influenced the U .S. Constitution. This

01:27:42.729 --> 01:27:45.029
Constitution also affirmed the duty to worship

01:27:45.029 --> 01:27:47.310
the Supreme Being and the right to do so freely.

01:27:47.850 --> 01:27:50.670
It also established free public education. Adams

01:27:50.670 --> 01:27:53.029
was a strong believer in education as a pillar

01:27:53.029 --> 01:27:55.010
of the Enlightenment. This holistic approach

01:27:55.010 --> 01:27:58.850
is deeply insightful. Adams articulated his preoccupation

01:27:58.850 --> 01:28:01.710
with politics, which separated him from his family

01:28:01.710 --> 01:28:05.909
in 1780. I must study politics and war that my

01:28:05.909 --> 01:28:08.310
sons may have the liberty to study mathematics

01:28:08.310 --> 01:28:10.590
and philosophy in order to give their children

01:28:10.590 --> 01:28:14.050
a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture.

01:28:14.879 --> 01:28:17.340
He envisioned a future where arts and sciences

01:28:17.340 --> 01:28:19.779
could flourish due to political stability. What

01:28:19.779 --> 01:28:22.319
a beautiful vision. While in London, he learned

01:28:22.319 --> 01:28:24.420
of the convention plan to amend the Articles

01:28:24.420 --> 01:28:27.840
of Confederation. In January 1787, he published

01:28:27.840 --> 01:28:30.619
his three volume, A Defense of the Constitutions.

01:28:31.020 --> 01:28:33.800
The pamphlet repudiated European critics of American

01:28:33.800 --> 01:28:36.319
state governments. He suggested that the rich,

01:28:36.579 --> 01:28:38.520
the well -born and the eagle should be set apart

01:28:38.520 --> 01:28:40.520
in a Senate to prevent them from dominating the

01:28:40.520 --> 01:28:43.239
lower house. Adams contended that social classes

01:28:43.239 --> 01:28:45.859
exist in every political society and that a good

01:28:45.859 --> 01:28:48.319
government must accept that reality. A mixed

01:28:48.319 --> 01:28:51.180
regime balancing monarchy, aristocracy and democracy

01:28:51.180 --> 01:28:53.539
was required to preserve order and liberty. His

01:28:53.539 --> 01:28:56.279
consistent vision shines through. On separation

01:28:56.279 --> 01:28:59.399
of powers, Adams wrote that power must be opposed

01:28:59.399 --> 01:29:03.000
to power and interest to interest. This sentiment

01:29:03.000 --> 01:29:05.380
was later echoed by James Madison in Federalist

01:29:05.380 --> 01:29:08.659
Number 51. Adams believed humans naturally wanted

01:29:08.659 --> 01:29:11.340
to further their own ambitions and a single democratic

01:29:11.340 --> 01:29:13.420
house needed checks from an upper house and an

01:29:13.420 --> 01:29:16.180
executive. He wrote that a strong executive would

01:29:16.180 --> 01:29:18.420
defend the people's liberties against aristocrats.

01:29:18.779 --> 01:29:20.920
His detailed arguments demonstrate his profound

01:29:20.920 --> 01:29:24.319
distrust of concentrated power. Adams first saw

01:29:24.319 --> 01:29:27.699
the new United States Constitution in late 1787

01:29:27.699 --> 01:29:30.340
and wrote to Jefferson that he read it with great

01:29:30.340 --> 01:29:33.140
satisfaction. However, he did express regret

01:29:33.140 --> 01:29:34.720
that the president couldn't make appointments

01:29:34.720 --> 01:29:36.779
without Senate approval and over the absence

01:29:36.779 --> 01:29:39.119
of a Bill of Rights, highlighting his enduring

01:29:39.119 --> 01:29:41.619
concern for both effective executive authority

01:29:41.619 --> 01:29:48.069
and individual protections. It's important to

01:29:48.069 --> 01:29:49.789
highlight that Adams stood firm against slavery

01:29:49.789 --> 01:29:52.189
personally, even when it was common and financially

01:29:52.189 --> 01:29:54.789
beneficial. He never owned a slave and declined

01:29:54.789 --> 01:29:57.430
on principle to use slave labor, saying, I have,

01:29:57.529 --> 01:29:59.270
through my whole life, held the practice of slavery

01:29:59.270 --> 01:30:01.250
in such occurrence that I have never owned a

01:30:01.250 --> 01:30:03.710
Negro or any other slave, even when it cost him

01:30:03.710 --> 01:30:05.869
thousands of dollars for the labor of free men.

01:30:06.270 --> 01:30:09.069
Adams's personal record on slavery is commendable,

01:30:09.449 --> 01:30:11.939
setting him apart from many other founders. Before

01:30:11.939 --> 01:30:14.359
the war, he even occasionally represented slaves

01:30:14.359 --> 01:30:16.939
in suits for their freedom, a truly principled

01:30:16.939 --> 01:30:20.079
stance. However, Adams generally tried to keep

01:30:20.079 --> 01:30:22.579
the issue out of national politics because of

01:30:22.579 --> 01:30:24.840
the anticipated southern response during a time

01:30:24.840 --> 01:30:27.439
when unity was needed. Political pragmatism again?

01:30:27.659 --> 01:30:31.199
Right. He spoke out in 1777 against a bill to

01:30:31.199 --> 01:30:33.899
emancipate slaves in Massachusetts, saying that

01:30:33.899 --> 01:30:36.500
the issue was presently too divisive so the legislation

01:30:36.500 --> 01:30:39.039
should sleep for a time. He was also against

01:30:39.039 --> 01:30:41.520
the use of Black soldiers in the revolution due

01:30:41.520 --> 01:30:43.859
to opposition from Southerners. His political

01:30:43.859 --> 01:30:46.319
pragmatism, while understandable in context,

01:30:46.680 --> 01:30:48.819
reviews the deep -seated challenges of confronting

01:30:48.819 --> 01:30:51.899
slavery. But in Massachusetts, his influence

01:30:51.899 --> 01:30:54.739
was clear. Slavery was abolished there around

01:30:54.739 --> 01:30:58.020
1780, forbidden by implication in the Declaration

01:30:58.020 --> 01:31:00.380
of Rights that John Adams wrote into the Massachusetts

01:31:00.380 --> 01:31:03.079
Constitution. And it's worth noting that Abigail

01:31:03.079 --> 01:31:06.140
Adams vocally opposed slavery as well. His actions

01:31:06.140 --> 01:31:08.220
and statements, including the implicit abolition

01:31:08.220 --> 01:31:10.800
through the Massachusetts Constitution, demonstrate

01:31:10.800 --> 01:31:14.079
a clear moral opposition, making his personal

01:31:14.079 --> 01:31:16.260
and constitutional contributions significant

01:31:16.260 --> 01:31:23.079
within his own state. Adams was a man of complex

01:31:23.079 --> 01:31:25.939
and often seemingly contradictory views, particularly

01:31:25.939 --> 01:31:28.840
regarding monarchical institutions. At times

01:31:28.840 --> 01:31:30.779
he conveyed substantial support, suggesting,

01:31:30.920 --> 01:31:33.899
for example, that hereditary monarchy or aristocracy

01:31:33.899 --> 01:31:36.560
are the only institutions that can possibly preserve

01:31:36.560 --> 01:31:39.520
the laws and liberties of the people. Yet at

01:31:39.520 --> 01:31:42.319
other times, he vehemently distanced himself,

01:31:42.840 --> 01:31:45.520
calling himself a mortal and irreconcilable enemy

01:31:45.520 --> 01:31:48.100
to monarchy. Adams's monarchical statements were

01:31:48.100 --> 01:31:50.359
often misinterpreted as a desire for a king,

01:31:50.760 --> 01:31:52.859
when in fact they stem from a profound concern

01:31:52.859 --> 01:31:55.399
about the potential for democratic excesses and

01:31:55.399 --> 01:31:57.500
the need for strong executive and aristocratic

01:31:57.500 --> 01:32:00.279
checks against an oligarchy of the wealthy. His

01:32:00.279 --> 01:32:03.159
1790 discourses on de Villa warned once again

01:32:03.159 --> 01:32:05.840
of the dangers of unbridled democracy, further

01:32:05.840 --> 01:32:08.619
fueling accusations of monarchism. People suggested

01:32:08.619 --> 01:32:10.899
he planned to crown himself king and grooming

01:32:10.899 --> 01:32:13.920
John Quincy as heir. Exactly. Adams felt that

01:32:13.920 --> 01:32:16.000
the great danger was that an oligarchy of the

01:32:16.000 --> 01:32:18.500
wealthy would take hold. To counter that danger,

01:32:19.000 --> 01:32:20.819
the power of the wealthy needed to be channeled

01:32:20.819 --> 01:32:23.840
by institutions and checked by a strong executive.

01:32:24.079 --> 01:32:26.600
So his perceived monarchism was more about a

01:32:26.600 --> 01:32:29.579
fear of unchecked power. and his religious beliefs

01:32:29.579 --> 01:32:31.939
were equally complex. According to biographer

01:32:31.939 --> 01:32:34.920
David McCullough, quote, Adams was both a devout

01:32:34.920 --> 01:32:37.439
Christian and an independent thinker, and he

01:32:37.439 --> 01:32:39.739
saw no conflict in that. His religious views,

01:32:40.220 --> 01:32:42.920
a fascinating blend of inherited Puritanism and

01:32:42.920 --> 01:32:45.880
Enlightenment rationalism, demonstrate a profound

01:32:45.880 --> 01:32:48.560
personal faith that informed his public virtue.

01:32:49.000 --> 01:32:51.720
Adams was raised Congregationalist. In Quincy,

01:32:52.039 --> 01:32:54.359
the Unitarian faction was dominant and included

01:32:54.359 --> 01:32:56.840
Adams and his father. It denied the Trinity and

01:32:56.840 --> 01:33:00.279
the divinity of Jesus Christ. In 1825, the Unitarians

01:33:00.279 --> 01:33:02.319
split off as a separate denomination that included

01:33:02.319 --> 01:33:04.979
John Adams. His family descended from Puritans

01:33:04.979 --> 01:33:06.960
and Adams praised them as bearers of freedom.

01:33:07.149 --> 01:33:10.510
A strong moral compass. Historians suggest Adams's

01:33:10.510 --> 01:33:13.310
beliefs synthesized Puritan, deist, and humanist

01:33:13.310 --> 01:33:15.850
concepts. While he shared perspectives with deists,

01:33:15.970 --> 01:33:17.850
he clearly wasn't one, believing in miracles,

01:33:18.109 --> 01:33:21.409
providence, and the Bible as revelation. In 1796,

01:33:21.670 --> 01:33:24.029
Adams famously denies Thomas Paine's deistic

01:33:24.029 --> 01:33:26.470
criticisms of Christianity, saying, the Christian

01:33:26.470 --> 01:33:29.149
religion is the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity,

01:33:29.270 --> 01:33:31.430
and humanity. Let the blackguard Paine say what

01:33:31.430 --> 01:33:34.149
he will. This nuanced understanding helps us

01:33:34.149 --> 01:33:36.829
appreciate his unique contribution. Gordon S.

01:33:36.890 --> 01:33:39.069
Wood writes, although both Jefferson and Adams

01:33:39.069 --> 01:33:41.729
denied the miracles and the divinity of Christ,

01:33:42.189 --> 01:33:44.369
Adams always retained a respect for the religiosity

01:33:44.369 --> 01:33:47.079
of people that Jefferson never had. In retirement,

01:33:47.340 --> 01:33:49.340
Adams moved closer to mainstream Enlightenment

01:33:49.340 --> 01:33:52.319
religious ideals. He blamed institutional Christianity

01:33:52.319 --> 01:33:54.380
for causing suffering, but insisted that religion

01:33:54.380 --> 01:33:57.159
was necessary for society. Hashtag, hashtag,

01:33:57.300 --> 01:34:00.039
8 .4, historical reputation and legacy. Benjamin

01:34:00.039 --> 01:34:02.479
Franklin, with his usual wit, summarized what

01:34:02.479 --> 01:34:04.920
many thought of Adams, saying, he means well

01:34:04.920 --> 01:34:07.779
for his country, is always an honest man, often

01:34:07.779 --> 01:34:10.239
a wise one, but sometimes, and in some things,

01:34:10.640 --> 01:34:14.159
absolutely out of his senses. Adams himself strongly

01:34:14.159 --> 01:34:16.439
felt that he would be forgotten and underappreciated

01:34:16.439 --> 01:34:19.520
by history, feelings that often manifested themselves

01:34:19.520 --> 01:34:22.039
through envy and verbal attacks on other founders.

01:34:22.460 --> 01:34:25.119
It's both tragic and ironic that a man who so

01:34:25.119 --> 01:34:27.739
feared being forgotten largely faded from Peltig

01:34:27.739 --> 01:34:30.840
memory for so long. Adams's legacy is complex,

01:34:30.840 --> 01:34:33.420
marked by both profound foresight and significant

01:34:33.420 --> 01:34:36.500
missteps. Historian Edmund Morgan argues, Adams

01:34:36.500 --> 01:34:39.039
was ridiculously vain, absurdly jealous, but

01:34:39.039 --> 01:34:41.000
no man ever served his country more selflessly.

01:34:41.229 --> 01:34:43.449
Historian George C. Herring argued that Adams

01:34:43.449 --> 01:34:45.329
was the most independent minded of the founders.

01:34:45.890 --> 01:34:47.630
Though aligned with the Federalists, he was somewhat

01:34:47.630 --> 01:34:50.050
a party unto himself, disagreeing with them as

01:34:50.050 --> 01:34:52.170
much as he did the Republicans. His personal

01:34:52.170 --> 01:34:54.789
character, though challenging, often proved to

01:34:54.789 --> 01:34:57.689
be a driving force for the nation's good. Adams

01:34:57.689 --> 01:35:00.710
was often described as prickly. But his tenacity

01:35:00.710 --> 01:35:03.489
was fed by decisions made in the face of universal

01:35:03.489 --> 01:35:06.470
opposition. He was often combative, as he admitted.

01:35:07.210 --> 01:35:09.229
As president, I refused to suffer in silence.

01:35:09.430 --> 01:35:11.869
I sighed, sobbed, and groaned, and sometimes

01:35:11.869 --> 01:35:14.529
screeched and screamed, and I sometimes swore.

01:35:15.949 --> 01:35:18.270
Quite the admission. Stubbornness was seen as

01:35:18.270 --> 01:35:20.689
one of his defining traits, a fact for which

01:35:20.689 --> 01:35:23.409
Adams made no apology. Thanks to God that he

01:35:23.409 --> 01:35:24.970
gave me stubbornness when I know I am right.

01:35:25.439 --> 01:35:27.520
This self -awareness underpinned his actions.

01:35:27.899 --> 01:35:29.899
His resolve to advance peace with France reduced

01:35:29.899 --> 01:35:31.939
his popularity and contributed to his defeat.

01:35:32.479 --> 01:35:34.680
Most historians, however, applaud him for avoiding

01:35:34.680 --> 01:35:36.939
an all -out war. His signing of the Alien and

01:35:36.939 --> 01:35:39.180
Sedition Acts is almost always condemned. His

01:35:39.180 --> 01:35:41.500
leadership on naval defense earned him the title

01:35:41.500 --> 01:35:45.340
Father of the American Navy. But in the 21st

01:35:45.340 --> 01:35:48.039
century, Adams remains less well known than many

01:35:48.039 --> 01:35:51.260
founders, just as he predicted. McCullough argued

01:35:51.260 --> 01:35:53.640
that the problem with Adams is that most Americans

01:35:53.640 --> 01:35:56.819
know nothing about him. Todd Leopold of CNN wrote

01:35:56.819 --> 01:35:59.100
he's remembered as that guy who served a single

01:35:59.100 --> 01:36:03.060
term. Ferling says he's seen as honest and dedicated,

01:36:03.359 --> 01:36:05.819
but still overshadowed. While his concern about

01:36:05.819 --> 01:36:08.619
being overludged proved true for a time, a deeper

01:36:08.619 --> 01:36:11.180
examination reveals an intellectual and political

01:36:11.180 --> 01:36:14.260
titan. In 2001, McCullough published the biography

01:36:14.260 --> 01:36:17.579
John Adams, which sold very well. Along with

01:36:17.579 --> 01:36:20.079
the Ferling biography, it contributed to a rapid

01:36:20.079 --> 01:36:23.390
resurgence in Adams' reputation. In 2008, the

01:36:23.390 --> 01:36:25.689
miniseries based on McCullough's book further

01:36:25.689 --> 01:36:27.989
cemented his place in popular culture. Adams

01:36:27.989 --> 01:36:30.590
is commemorated as the namesake of various counties'

01:36:30.930 --> 01:36:32.590
buildings, like the John Adams Building at the

01:36:32.590 --> 01:36:34.970
Library of Congress. He is honored on the memorial

01:36:34.970 --> 01:36:37.729
to the 56 signers, but doesn't have an individual

01:36:37.729 --> 01:36:41.090
monument in D .C. McCullough states this is absolutely

01:36:41.090 --> 01:36:43.590
inexcusable. He was in many ways the conscience

01:36:43.590 --> 01:36:46.390
of the revolution, prioritizing principled governance

01:36:46.390 --> 01:36:49.600
over personal popularity. The recent resurgence

01:36:49.600 --> 01:36:52.199
of interest finally allows us to see the full

01:36:52.199 --> 01:36:55.119
complex individual appreciating his profound

01:36:55.119 --> 01:36:57.840
impact, flaws and all as a central architect

01:36:57.840 --> 01:37:01.479
of American democracy. Hashtag tag outro. So

01:37:01.479 --> 01:37:04.239
what does this all mean for us today? Our deep

01:37:04.239 --> 01:37:08.239
dive into John Adams has revealed a man of unwavering

01:37:08.239 --> 01:37:11.800
principle, a tenacious lawyer, a shrewd diplomat,

01:37:11.920 --> 01:37:13.920
and an independent president who prioritized

01:37:13.920 --> 01:37:16.119
peace and stability for the fledgling nation,

01:37:16.399 --> 01:37:18.699
often at great personal and political cost. His

01:37:18.699 --> 01:37:21.399
life was marked by fierce intellect, a passionate

01:37:21.399 --> 01:37:23.939
belief in the rule of law, and profound personal

01:37:23.939 --> 01:37:26.779
sacrifices, all in service of the American experiment.

01:37:26.880 --> 01:37:29.100
His story reminds us that the founding of America

01:37:29.100 --> 01:37:31.159
wasn't just a smooth narrative of universally

01:37:31.159 --> 01:37:34.060
adored heroes. It was messy, full of rivalries,

01:37:34.260 --> 01:37:36.460
deeply difficult choices and monumental struggles

01:37:36.460 --> 01:37:39.100
undertaken by imperfect but ultimately dedicated

01:37:39.100 --> 01:37:41.640
people. Understanding Adams helps us appreciate

01:37:41.640 --> 01:37:44.300
the full spectrum of challenges and ideals that

01:37:44.300 --> 01:37:47.060
forge this nation and how individual character

01:37:47.060 --> 01:37:50.359
can profoundly shape historical outcomes. You've

01:37:50.359 --> 01:37:52.319
heard a lot of detail about this remarkable man

01:37:52.319 --> 01:37:54.619
today, hopefully gaining a fresh perspective

01:37:54.619 --> 01:37:57.010
on a figure often relegated to the background.

01:37:58.210 --> 01:38:00.430
Adams, fearing he'd be forgotten, once wrote,

01:38:00.869 --> 01:38:03.430
the history of our revolution will be one continued

01:38:03.430 --> 01:38:06.670
lie. The essence of the whole will be that Dr.

01:38:06.930 --> 01:38:09.590
Franklin's electrical rod smote the earth and

01:38:09.590 --> 01:38:12.689
out sprung General Washington. Considering his

01:38:12.689 --> 01:38:15.109
life, his immense contributions, and his ultimate

01:38:15.109 --> 01:38:17.810
fate of being overshadowed, it raises an important

01:38:17.810 --> 01:38:21.010
question for us today. Whose stories are we still

01:38:21.010 --> 01:38:23.250
overlooking in our simplified narratives of history,

01:38:23.630 --> 01:38:26.329
and what crucial complex insights might we gain

01:38:26.329 --> 01:38:28.329
by bringing them back into the light? That's

01:38:28.329 --> 01:38:30.670
a great question. We encourage you to delve deeper

01:38:30.670 --> 01:38:32.770
into the life of John Adams, perhaps exploring

01:38:32.770 --> 01:38:34.909
his own extensive writings, or the fascinating

01:38:34.909 --> 01:38:37.329
correspondence between him and Abigail, or even

01:38:37.329 --> 01:38:39.310
revisiting the stories of other lesser -known

01:38:39.310 --> 01:38:42.029
founders. There's always more to learn and uncover

01:38:42.029 --> 01:38:44.250
when you scratch beneath the surface of history.