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Presents a biography of John Quincy Adams ... Read more

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In his years after the Presidency, this son of the secondPresident served in the US House of Representatives with adistinction not often equaled. Late in his life he is asked todefend against an appeal to the Supreme Court to override thedecisions of lower courts on what came to be known as the Amistadmatter. Reluctant to take the case for a number of reasons, amongthem age and lack of practice, Adams exhibits his intense beliefin the necessity of the rule of law which he must articulatewith the passion of his convictions. Adams’ decision iswrenched from him by the members of the Amistad crew with the helpof Horace Greeley. ... Read more

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Presents a biography of John Adams ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mike Venezia is a genius
I am a teacher of middle school students with learning disabilities. What a treasure Mike Venezia's many books are. They are well-written, funny and accessible -- while being factually correct. The students really learn a lot from these books. The students got to see the benefits of the Federalist party, which generally they thought was only for the interests of big money. ... Read more

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In addition to being an uncompromising defender of liberty, esteemed diplomat, and successor to George Washington, John Adams was a passionate and prolific writer. Adams biographer John Patrick Diggins gathers an impressive variety of his works in this compact, original volume, including parts of his diary and autobiography, and selections from his rich correspondence with this wife, Abigail, Thomas Jefferson, and others. The Portable John Adams also features his most important political works: -A Dissertation on Canon and Feudal Law,- -Thoughts on Government,- -A Defense of Constitutions,- -Novanglus,- and -Discources in Davila.- There is no finer introduction to the protean genius of this seminal American philosopher. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Price, quick delivery
Excellent price compared to Amazon's list price.Thank you Amazon for providing this internal competition!

UN-impressive Volume
Given that critique of John Adams' work requires specific reference to a particular work (which are available separately, thus lending themselves better to individual critique) and given that this collection leans heavily on being one of, if not THE most complete volume of Adams' work available, I'll limit myself to commentary on the quality of the collection itself. First, please note that for whatever reason (be they financial or size limitations, etc), the paper quality is wafer thin. In regular light (i.e., not under candlelight), you can read what is written on the reverse page with ease. While one may say that one gets what one pays for, given that this seems to be the only readily available volume that seems to collect all of Adams' work, Penguin Classics could have easily sprung for a heavier stock and charged extra. Furthermore, one should pay particular care to what the volume contains as it does not contain the complete letter correspondences between Adams and Abigail or between Adams and Jefferson. This entire collection is 576 pages, 40 of which are John Patrick Diggins' (editor) introduction, which given that he's listed as Adams' biographer makes sense. But, given that "My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams" letter collection is itself 528 pages and given that "The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams" letter collection is 690 pages, it is clear how much is left out. In fact, Diggins only devotes 70 some odd pages to the correspondence between John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson and just 70 pages to correspondence of John and Abigail. And in case anyone is wondering who are these "and others" that the book description mentions as being included in the collection, the "others" are Roger Sherman and John Taylor with just a little over 60 pages worth of letters. Personally, I'd rather have 60 pages worth of Adams' letters to Benjamin Rush. The description notes that the volume "gathers an impressive variety of his works" - well, if by variety you mean his most famous works heavily edited, then yes. But, I personally hardly think the variety is anything impressive. And the parts of his diary and autobiography mentioned account for only about 121 pages of the collection. Thus, in conclusion, if one seeks to have a volume that gathers, as the description notes, Adams' "most important political works: "A Dissertation on Canon and Feudal Law," "Thoughts on Government," "A Defense of Constitutions," "Novanglus," and "Discources in Davila."" - then yes, it does. But how much finer could this volume have been if only it got the treatment worth other founding fathers, especially given the wonderful volumes Library of America has produced for all the founding fathers (even Madison), except Adams. Here's hoping that will change. Otherwise, of course, John Adams' writings are most recommended given their longevity (e.g., Mass. Constitution) and applicability in today's fiery political environment.

Hard to read, not what I expected.
This was so hard to read I didn't finish it.Was expecting more of a biography than a collection of letters.

The greatness of a founding father
Adams was in my American childhood a neglected founding father. Washington was the father of the nation, and Jefferson the great author of the 'Declaration of Independence'maker of the Louisiana Purchase, Madison the great author of the Federalist, Monroe the enunciator of the doctrine which determined US attitudes to the whole of the Americas. But in recent years there has been a great interest in the work of Adams including the outstanding award-winning biography of David MacCullough.
I have read only bits of Adams, and sense a great intelligence, organization of mind, firm conviction of democratic principle. There is a sense with him as with almost all the founding fathers of their having been somehow on a higher level than our present political leaders.
I do not know how much time non- scholarly readers will wish to an Adams volume but there is outstanding political writing here, and aselection of his remarkable correspondence.
Just to give a taste of his language and democratic principles I quote a snippet of his Inaugural Address in 1797.

"For it is the people only that are represented. It is their power and majesty that is reflected, and only for their good, in every legitimate government, under whatever form it may appear. The existence of such a government as ours for any length of time is a full proof of a general dissemination of knowledge and virtue throughout the whole body of the people. And what object or consideration more pleasing than this can be presented to the human mind? If national pride is ever justifiable or excusable it is when it springs, not from power or riches, grandeur or glory, but from conviction of national innocence, information, and benevolence."

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This historic volume is seven of ten and was published in 1852; the life of the author and notes and illustrations are included.

This book was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams. ... Read more

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It was a contest of titans: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two heroes of the Revolutionary era, once intimate friends, now icy antagonists locked in a fierce battle for the future of the United States. The election of 1800 was a thunderous clash of a campaign that climaxed in a deadlock in the Electoral College and led to a crisis in which the young republic teetered on the edge of collapse.
Adams vs. Jefferson is a gripping account of a true turning point in American history, a dramatic struggle between two parties with profoundly different visions of how the nation should be governed. Adams led the Federalists, conservatives who favored a strong central government, and Jefferson led the Republicans, egalitarians who felt the Federalists had betrayed the Revolution of 1776 and were backsliding toward monarchy. The campaign itself was a barroom brawl every bit as ruthless as any modern contest, with mud-slinging--Federalists called Jefferson "a howling atheist"--scare tactics, and backstabbing. The low point came when Alexander Hamilton printed a devastating attack on Adams, the head of his own party, in "fifty-four pages of unremitting vilification." The election ended in a stalemate in the Electoral College that dragged on for days and nights and through dozens of ballots. Tensions ran so high that the Republicans threatened civil war if the Federalists denied Jefferson the presidency. Finally a secret deal that changed a single vote gave Jefferson the White House. A devastated Adams left Washington before dawn on Inauguration Day, too embittered even to shake his rival's hand.
Jefferson's election, John Ferling concludes, consummated the American Revolution, assuring the democratization of the United States and its true separation from Britain. With magisterial command, Ferling brings to life both the outsize personalities and the hotly contested political questions at stake. He shows not just why this moment was a milestone in U.S. history, but how strongly the issues--and the passions--of 1800 resonate with our own time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Adams vs. Jefferson:The Tumultuous Election of 1800
I have read all of Professor
Ferling's books and have enjoyed all of them. This book is an excellent book that illustrates one of, if not the most important elections in America's history. It is a virtual outline of the many more that succeeded it.

As one who reads a great deal of historical books, I believe that Professor Ferling comes extremely close to Cicero's admonition to historians to (1) never dare utter an untruth (2) suppress nothing that is true and (3) record history with no suspician of partiality or malice in the writing. The professor brings to life the election of 1800 in terms of today's world.I think a reader would enjoy the book. I highly recommend reading his other books which go into greater detail on the Revolutionary period and the wonderful men that played vitally important roles in our nation's history.

I read most of Professor Ferling's books through the local library system and was impressed enough with his writings to purchase all of them for my own reference.

Price watch
Excellent book!! My only concern is a "list price" on Amazon of $19.99, which is a paper sticker overlying the book's listed price of $14.95 - so that the discount is in fact $1.

I would expect somewhat less devious pricing from Amazon!

Excellent history
This is excellent history in that the book does not overwhelm the reader with detail but gives one enough to understand the relationship between Jefferson and Adams.

Exciting excursion into American history
Packed with history, this reads like an adventure story. A must read for fans of the founders and especially valuable for its enduring lessons about the roots of our party system.

The United States gets back on the republican track in 1800 (4.5*s)
While the particulars and the intrigues surrounding the election of 1800 made it the most raucous election held to that point in US history, it was, more importantly, according to Thomas Jefferson, the culmination of the American Revolution begun twenty-five years prior. It was, in his mind, no less than the repudiation of the elitist Federalist era that had lasted the long decade dating from the Constitutional Convention in 1787. More so than the election, the author focuses on the events and decisions of that decade that gave rise to a political party, the Republicans, who opposed the entrenched party of government, the Federalists, all of which did lead to the first Presidential election with identifiable political parties. Some of the most capable political figures in American history were players in the 1790s. While John Adams held the offices of both Vice President and President in the 90s, it was Alexander Hamilton who was the driving force behind the Federalists and their policies of nationalism and commercialism. Both Jefferson and James Madison were greatly disturbed by the power and size of the federal government, the militarism of the Federalists, and their rejection of republicanism, or average citizen empowerment.

Most of the leading figures in colonial society in the decade after the Revolutionary War came to understand that the Articles of Confederation left the United States in a helpless state, almost on the edge of collapse. When those elites met in Philadelphia in 1787, they had no intention of constructing a true democratic republic; in fact, they feared the democratic initiatives of recent years in various states. The design of the US Constitution, with its roadblocks at every turn, virtually guaranteed that popular initiatives could not be realized. However, it was not fully appreciated at the time just how much power some, namely Hamilton, wanted to exert through the central government.

Early on in the Washington administration, both Madison and Jefferson knew that Treasury secretary Hamilton's initiatives to fully fund US war debts (a boon to speculators in War bonds), to assume the wartime debts of the states, and to establish a central US bank were designed to enhance the interests of commercial elites. However, it was the US involvement in European affairs that engendered the strongest opposition throughout the decade. The official neutrality position of the US towards British-French hostilities in 1793 merely confirmed to many that US elites had far too much respect for aristocratic British society. Democratic-Republican societies (the forerunner to the Republican Party) emerged at this time to denounce the failure of the US to support the French in their efforts to establish a republican order.

When the French began preying upon US shipping in 1796, largely as a result of the US pro-British stance, the Federalist reaction was militaristic. The French refusal to accept US envoys in 1798 caused the Quasi-War with France to reach a fever pitch. Both Hamilton and Adams had to exert a moderating influence to keep ultra-Federalists from forcing a war with France. However, they did ram the Alien and Sedition Acts through Congress which were designed to curtail critical commentary of the policies of the US and its officials. Numerous newspaper writers and editors were jailed under the Sedition Act. It is the black spot on Adams' presidency that will not go away.

As the author points out, the republican political societies and the partisan opposition press did profoundly impact the perceptions among average Americans who now saw Federalists as social elites and who were increasingly alarmed at their militarism, policies favoring elite commercial interests, including tight-money monetary policies, pro-British and anti-French stances, and their ignoring of First Amendment rights to a free press. The first significant evidence of a shift among voters was the takeover of the New York assembly by the Republicans in 1800, virtually guaranteeing Jefferson all of New York's electoral votes, since that body selected the electors.

The author describes well the peculiar electoral system of that era whereby the two Congressional caucuses actually nominated two candidates for President, reflecting the fact that electors actually cast two votes for President, one vote of which could not be for a candidate from his state. The top two vote getters became President and Vice President regardless of party. If no candidate received a majority of votes in the Electoral College or the top two tied, then the House of Representatives decided the election with each state getting one vote. In 1800, the vote of nine states out of sixteen was required to win the election. Another variable in the election process was the manner in which electors were selected. In some states the legislature chose, in others popular voting by district or statewide selected electors, with states frequently changing the system between elections.

Into this novel electoral system stepped the candidates for President in 1800: John Adams and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina were nominated by the Federalists and Jefferson and Aaron Burr of New York by the Republicans. As the author points out, there was far more politicking in the election of 1800 than ever before. In the first place, the Republican press had greatly expanded. If anything, the Republicans were more organized with pamphlets, parades, dinners, picnics, etc. The Federalists, sensing their cause as being lost, mounted scurrilous on Jefferson concerning his alleged atheism and radicalism. And there are the intrigues of Hamilton before the election and of Burr once the election moved to the House of Representatives because of the tie between Burr and Jefferson. Wiser heads did finally prevail in the Congressional contest, averting a potentially dire political crisis. As it was, the election represented the first peaceful transfer of power from one faction to another in US history.

The author captures well the fact that the 1790s and the election of 1800 were very pivotal times in US history. The promise of the American Revolution was slowing ebbing away. Perhaps there are those believe that the direction of US history was firmly cast by the Revolution. This book makes clear that is not the case. The thinking and efforts of Jefferson, Madison, republican societies and newspapers were instrumental in changing the course that the Federalists had set for the US and the greater society. Jefferson was overjoyed that the US had finally been able to cast off the Toryism of the Federalists and hopefully begin anew on the path promised by the Revolution.
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Product Description
This selection entitled The Executive Collection: John Adams, includes speeches dictated by the second president of the United States. Selection includes an active table of contents.

Excerpt from "On the Death of George Washington":

The letter herewith transmitted will inform you that it has pleased Divine Providence to remove from this life our excellent fellow-citizen, George Washington, by the purity of his character and a long series of services to his country rendered illustrious through the world. It remains for an affectionate and grateful people, in whose hearts he can never die, to pay suitable honors to his memory.

Selections in this volume include:

Inaugural Address, Special Session Message to Congress (XYZ Affair), First Annual Message, Proclamation of Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer,Second Annual Message,Third Annual Message, Death of George Washington, Proclamation of Pardons to Those Engaged in Fries Rebellion, Fourth Annual Message
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Product Description
From Chapter One: "On July 11, 1767, in the North Parish of Braintree, since set off as the town of Quincy, in Massachusetts, was born John Quincy Adams. Two streams of as good blood as flowed in the colony mingled in the veins of the infant. If heredity counts for anything he began life with an excellent chance of becoming famous—non sine dîs animosus infans. He was called after his great-grandfather on the mother's side, John Quincy, a man of local note who had borne in his day a distinguished part in provincial affairs. Such a naming was a simple and natural occurrence enough, but Mr. Adams afterward moralized upon it in his characteristic way:—

'The incident which gave rise to this circumstance is not without its moral to my heart. He was dying when I was baptized; and his daughter, my grandmother, present at my birth, requested that I might receive his name. The fact, recorded by my father at the time, has connected with that portion of my name a charm of mingled sensibility and devotion. It was filial tenderness that gave the name. It was the name of one passing from earth to immortality. These have been among the strongest links of my attachment to the name of Quincy, and have been to me through life a perpetual admonition to do nothing unworthy of it.'"
Original Copyright 1882 and 1898 ... Read more

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In compliance with an usage coeval with the existence of our Federal Constitution, and sanctioned by the example of my predecessors in the career upon which I am about to enter, I appear, my fellow-citizens, in your presence and in that of Heaven to bind myself by the solemnities of religious obligation to the faithful performance of the duties allotted to me in the station to which I have been called.

In unfolding to my countrymen the principles by which I shall be governed in the fulfillment of those duties my first resort will be to that Constitution which I shall swear to the best of my ability to preserve, protect, and defend. That revered instrument enumerates the powers and prescribes the duties of the Executive Magistrate, and in its first words declares the purposes to which these and the whole action of the Government instituted by it should be invariably and sacredly devoted--to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to the people of this Union in their successive generations. Since the adoption of this social compact one of these generations has passed away. It is the work of our forefathers. Administered by some of the most eminent men who contributed to its formation, through a most eventful period in the annals of the world, and through all the vicissitudes of peace and war incidental to the condition of associated man, it has not disappointed the hopes and aspirations of those illustrious benefactors of their age and nation. It has promoted the lasting welfare of that country so dear to us all; it has to an extent far beyond the ordinary lot of humanity secured the freedom and happiness of this people. We now receive it as a precious inheritance from those to whom we are indebted for its establishment, doubly bound by the examples which they have left us and by the blessings which we have enjoyed as the fruits of their labors to transmit the same unimpaired to the succeeding generation.

In the compass of thirty-six years since this great national covenant was instituted a body of laws enacted under its authority and in conformity with its provisions has unfolded its powers and carried into practical operation its effective energies. Subordinate departments have distributed the executive functions in their various relations to foreign affairs, to the revenue and expenditures, and to the military force of the Union by land and sea. A coordinate department of the judiciary has expounded the Constitution and the laws, settling in harmonious coincidence with the legislative will numerous weighty questions of construction which the imperfection of human language had rendered unavoidable. The year of jubilee since the first formation of our Union has just elapsed; that of the declaration of our independence is at hand. The consummation of both was effected by this Constitution.


Download Papers Of Presidents John Quincy Adams Now! ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is eight of ten and was published in 1853; the life of the author, notes and illustrations are included.

This book was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams. ... Read more

Product Description
This is volume three of ten and was published in 1851.Also contains the life of the author with notes and illustrations.

This volume was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams. ... Read more

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This historic volume is nine of ten and was published in 1854; the life of the author, notes and illustrations are included.

This book was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams.
... Read more

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This historic volume is the second of ten and was published in 1850; notes and illustrations included.

It was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams. ... Read more

Product Description
This historic volume is one of ten and was published in 1850;
the book also contains notes and illustrations.

It was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams.

... Read more

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This historic volume is six of ten and was published in 1851; the life of the author, notes and illustrations are included.

This book was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams.





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This historic volume is the last of the series and was published in 1856; the life of the author, notes and illustrations are included.

It was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams. ... Read more

Product Description
This historic volume is five of ten and was published in 1851;
with the life of the author plus notes and illustrations.

It was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams. ... Read more

Product Description
This historic volume is four of ten and was published in 1851;
the life of the author with notes and illustrations are included.

It was written by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams. ... Read more

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The Letters of John and Abigail Adams provide an insightful record of American life before, during, and after the Revolution; they also reveal the intellectually and emotionally fulfilling relationship between John and Abigail that lasted fifty-four years and withstood historical upheavals, long periods apart, and personal tragedies. Covering key moments in American history-the Continental Congress, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and John Adams' diplomatic missions to Europe-the letters reveal the concerns of a couple living during a period of explosive change-from smallpox and British warships to raising children, paying taxes, the state of women, and the emerging concepts of American democracy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Wonderful read
I really loved being able to see into the lives of these great founders. It's great to see even during those times, a man respect the woman he loves and her opinion. I highly recomend this especially for those just begining intrest in the founding of our nation.

Great historical record
Great book.You need to put yourself in the mindset of 1775.Great historical record of the Adams' early life separated.

Go for it!
If you're at all interested in American history, I HIGHLY recommend this book. I though it was going to be dry and tough to read with a lot of thees and thous etc., but it's surprisingly warm, easy to follow and gripping story told in the very words of one of our greatest Americans and his wife.

The loving letters of our second president and his wife abigail: brilliance in Braintree!
John Adams was the first Vice-President and second chief
executive of the United States of America. He was also a brilliant lawyer, legislator, writer and diplomat for the fledging American nation in France and the Netherlands during
the Revolutionary War.
In this excellent collection of personal letters John and
Abigail share their thoughts on a wide variety of topics chiefly the struggle for our nation's independence. The letters in this
copious collection cover the years from 1774 to 1783 (the years
of the American Revolution).
These are two extremely intelligent persons! John's letters
let the reader look through the keyhole in Philadelphia as the
Declaration of Independence is approved; throughout the war
Adams was away from his Braintree farm for long stretches of
time. His life was in danger and he was worried about Abigail and
their young children. A few of the letters in this collection
were written by his parents to the young John Quincy Adams who
served as the sixth President of the United States.
Abigail lived long before the womens liberation movement but
she was the intellectual equal of her husband. Abigail kept the
farm going staying abreast of political affairs and raising a
great American family.
The patriotism and self-sacrifice of the Adams family is an
inspiration to all Americans. This is a wonderful collection
for anyone wishing to know these two American patriots on a more
intimate basis. Excellent resource for history classes and anyone wishing to know more about our history. ... Read more