David McCullough: The legacy of John Adams is an example of a man who was willing to go through almost every conceivable kind of inconvenience hard ship and pain to achieve a Nobel objective, to create a nation her people would govern themselves, against the forces that wished otherwise. It had never happened before in history such a revolution had never been successful and he was working with others who had had no more experience in creating this dream come true then he had and they succeeded. I am not everybody of that revolutionary era was a hero, hundreds of people, went over to the other side, went over to the British side, where hundreds of them gave up, hundreds just sat back and watched and said well we will be on which ever side wins. Thousands of them, the estimates are that maybe as much as the 1/3rd of the country were simply waiting to see what happened, but this group this ragtag group very much of them many of them, if you saw them today you would think they look like homeless people, starving, hopeless looking army at one point, would not where and would not lose faith and any scenic, any skeptic, any self centered materialistic, keenest of the kind that would turn up his or her nose at such idealism was proven wrong, they did succeed, they succeeded against tremendous odds and we wouldn’t have what we have in the way of freedoms and idealism a body of the secular faith that you will, its the words so that, that’s his legacy and the legacy of the English. I think John Adams never failed to answer the call of his country to serve, John Adams is the only founding father who never owned a slave as a matter of principle. These were principled people and Abigail no less than John Adams.
Recorded on: 3/3/08
Discuss
Arles Adams on April 1, 2008, 3:57 PM
My ancestors were not "heroes." Instead they fought for the British. It is said that they lost, however, I'm not so sure of that. My ancestors of visible African descent were able to live as free people and my Native ancestors were not exterminated by genocidal policies. History has many sides and many stories. Only myths are simple and straight forward.
I can't say too much about John Adams himself. We're likely related and you shouldn't gossip about family.
Arles Adams on April 1, 2008, 7:57 PM
My ancestors were not “heroes.” Instead they fought for the British. It is said that they lost, however, I’m not so sure of that. My ancestors of visible African descent were able to live as free people and my Native ancestors were not exterminated by genocidal policies. History has many sides and many stories. Only myths are simple and straight forward.
I can’t say too much about John Adams himself. We’re likely related and you shouldn’t gossip about family.
Mark Barrett on May 7, 2008, 12:06 PM
I wish Mr. McCullough's book was mandatory reading in our schools and universities. I love this country and the freedoms it affords but it is only a type and a shadow of it's former self. Give me more men like John Adams and this country will be great again.
Mark Barrett on May 7, 2008, 4:06 PM
I wish Mr. McCullough’s book was mandatory reading in our schools and universities. I love this country and the freedoms it affords but it is only a type and a shadow of it’s former self. Give me more men like John Adams and this country will be great again.
Rachele Antenucci on November 11, 2008, 4:10 PM
John Adams did not listen to his wife about “remembering about the women” when he got together with our “Founding Fathers” to write the Declaration of Indepedence. In fact he laughed at her as she raised ALL his children by herself, cleaned his house, gardened and waited for him to come home for many months out of each year they were married. She even had a stillborn child (girl) while he was away. It was not until the turn of the last century that women in the USA could inherit land from their deceased husband or father let alone be paid directly by their empolyers. Women were not allowed to have money. No thanks to John Adams for not listening to his wife!
She was not your standard subserviant doormat politician’s wife. She spoke her mind even though it did not do her or any other women any good in her lifetime.
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or Register