Agreed across the board. One of the things I remember most from the Adams bio was the sharp contrast between Adams and Jefferson -- both great men, both nominally farmers, but Jefferson never got his hands dirty while Adams spent his time out of government service moving rocks and building fences. Adams was the classic example of the frugal Yankee, while Jefferson lived and died in debt.
And Washington ... it's too easy to place too much importance on one man in turbulent times, but in Washington's case it's wholly deserved.
From keeping the army together during the war to keeping the army from revolting afterward to keeping the various factions from splitting apart in the first years of the Republic, Washington carried the whole burden on his shoulders. Without Washington there would be no USA as we know it.
"From keeping the army together during the war to keeping the army from revolting afterward to keeping the various factions from splitting apart in the first years of the Republic, Washington carried the whole burden on his shoulders. Without Washington there would be no USA as we know it."
Well said! And on top of that, Washington was the only Founding Father who owned slaves and freed them in his will.
I would have loved to have been Washington's adjutant general or aide-de-camp (Of course, chicks weren't allowed to do that kind of stuff then. LOL)