[LS]

I like Adams a lot. One of the things this series---and I watched the first two episodes---fails at is revealing the deeply religious man Adams was. He did nothing without first considering God's commandments on the matter. He was obnoxious and overbearing, tending to lecture people rather than persuade---but in that Congress, someone had to do it.

Franklin was too full of himself as the wise old man to direct matters, Jefferson strong but not as influential then as he would be. Washington? It absolutely wasn't his nature to instruct others politically. Only Adams (like William Wilberforce on the slavery issue in England) could keep the political positions in front of everyone at all times.

He had a lot of faults as president: He continued to pay tribute to the Barbaries---but at the same time began building a large-scale navy to defeat them, which Jefferson got credit for. He favored England, but really didn't side with either England or France officially. The Alien and Sedition Acts were reasonable, in my view, but of course would be struck down in a democracy. Government under Adams didn't grow nearly as much as it did under TJ, even per capita.

But he also was uncompromising, even when it would be sensible and, in the long run, helpful to be conciliatory to one's enemies. Mercy and charity were not Biblical principles he had at the top of his list.

[BibChr]

Thanks.

This is very tangential, but as a historian, don’t you think he was done nicely in the musical 1776? As I’ve learned some history, it has surprised me how many lines in that musical are lifted directly from historical documents.

What I don’t like is the constant blasphemy. My understanding is that folks like Adams would not have taken God’s and Christ’s name in vain so freely.