One of the great stories in our country’s history is the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They were two of the American Revolution’s intellectuals and political theorists. Their writings and thoughts helped shape the principles on which the country was founded and guided the structure of our government. Their philosophical disagreements were also largely responsible for the birth of the two-party system.
Adams was a New Englander who built his career as a lawyer in Boston. Jefferson was a Virginian who owned a large plantation. They met as representatives to the Second Continental Congress and built a strong friendship based on mutual admiration and their agreement on the need for independence from Great Britain. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence while Adams, serving on the draft committee, edited it.
However, once the colonies had successfully defeated Great Britain and achieved independence, Jefferson and Adams differed on how the government of the new country should operate. Adams believed in a strong central government and was wary of populist sentiment. Jefferson was an advocate for a weaker federal government and stronger state governments and had more faith in broader democratic rule.
These competing sentiments laid the groundwork for the two party system still in place today. However, they also strained the friendship of Jefferson and Adams. Adams defeated Jefferson for president in 1796 but Jefferson defeated Adams in an ugly re-election campaign in 1800. Adams and his Federalist Party were concerned that Jefferson’s affinity for populist politics would bring the excesses of the French Revolution to America. Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans denounced Adams for broadening the powers of the Federal government, including passing the Alien and Sedition Acts that limited personal liberty.
Jefferson’s succession of Adams was the first peaceful transition of power from one party to the other. After the election, though, the two men ceased communication. Adams retired to private life in Massachusetts while Jefferson went on to serve two terms as president.
Twelve years later, at the insistence of fellow Declaration of Independence signer Benjamin Rush, the two reestablished correspondence. It began a remarkable series of letters that spanned the next 14 years. Jefferson and Adams reminisced about the formation of the country, explained their thoughts and actions, discussed current events, consoled each other in loss, and complained about aging. Most importantly though, they realized that their shared love of the country they founded and the ideals on which it is based were more important than their disagreements about its administration and governance.
Jefferson and Adams died on the same day, July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after they signed the Declaration of Independence.
Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Thanks Thomas! It’s amazing that our Leaders in the 13 Colonies got their act together enough to “risk their lives and fortunes” to create our Nation. And now we Americans should always give thanks that they lived during the 18th Century age of enlightenment, when bitter political enemies like Adams and Jefferson could reconcile their visions of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Ah yes, the ‘poor’ conservative. Amazing how you can use sophistry and fallatious argument to prove your own points. That had to be one of the most drivel filled diatribes that I have ever had the displeasure to read.
You can’t work out a truce with tyrants. You can give in or stand up to them. There’s nothing else.
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2015/06/no-truce-with-left.html
Thank you and your incendiary link for reminding us that on holidays like the fourth of July the right and the left should celebrate what we have in common, a love for our shared country. We should stand shoulder to shoulder, and collectively point and laugh at bigots and morons like the author of the blog you linked to. Happy Independence Day to everyone, whether I agree with you or not.
Yes. Excellent advice. And exactly why those on the left are standing up to the so-called-Christian, so-called-patriotic, so-called-freedom-loving despots on the right.
And if you are going to post such URLs, you open the door to some criticism of them. As such, Greenfield’s blogs are closed-minded, regressive, xenophobic, conspiracy-claiming, name-calling, blindly American Exceptionalistic rants that only serve to divide Americans.
No doubt, the story offers lessons on differin role-of-government philosophies; on compromise; on friendship; and, as Barry Goldwater once said, “To disagree, one doesn’t have to be disagreeable.”
(That has to be the first time I’ve quoted Goldwater. I must be getting old…..)