| | The study of John Adams is something I regrettably have not undertaken. But his role is definitely one of the more interesting in the founding of America.
His support of the terrible Sedition Act of 1798 will forever be a huge black mark on what was, otherwise, a principled political life. Adams, to his credit, had never supported slavery. And his leadership did help prevent escalation of hostilities with France, which the Hamiltonians wanted desperately.
Jefferson often wrote that the Federalism of '99 "differed but in name" from the Toryism of '76. For that reason, the election of 1800 was as much a revolution as the first war was. Adams lost, and Jefferson won.
In many respects, current events have made me long for the days when the vice-president was the person who finished second in the Presidential election. With the Federalists controlling the White House, the Congress, and the courts, Vice-President Jefferson was the sole voice of reason in Washington at the time.
To his credit, Adams never trusted Hamilton. He once referred to him as the "bastard brat of a Scotch peddler." On this, Jefferson and Adams agreed.
The life and ideas of Adams are something I definitely need to study more.
|
|
