In Pursuit - America 250: Harvard University Professor Danielle Allen on John Adams

[00:00:00] As we celebrate America's 250th birthday [00:00:03] this year, the organization known as [00:00:05] More Perfect has commissioned a series [00:00:07] of essays about American presidents and [00:00:09] first ladies written and read by public [00:00:12] officials, journalists, and historians. [00:00:14] The project is called In Pursuit. Its [00:00:17] goal is to bring American history to [00:00:18] life through compelling stories. Here's [00:00:21] one of those essays. [00:00:24] John Adams by Danielle Allen read by [00:00:28] Danielle Allen. [00:00:31] Great leaders succeed by choosing who [00:00:34] else leads. [00:00:36] John Adams, the Colossus of [00:00:38] Independence, was an acclaimed [00:00:40] politician, lawyer, writer, and [00:00:43] constitutional thinker. He started life [00:00:45] as a bookish young man on a family farm [00:00:48] in Brainree, Massachusetts, where his [00:00:50] father was a deacon in the [00:00:51] Congregational Church. Fiercely loyal to [00:00:54] the cause of America, Adams would go on [00:00:57] to serve as Massachusetts delegate to [00:00:58] the Continental Congress during the [00:01:00] American Revolution, negotiator of the [00:01:02] Treaty to End the War of Independence, [00:01:05] the first US ambassador to the United [00:01:07] Kingdom, the first vice president, and [00:01:10] the second president of the United [00:01:12] States. [00:01:14] Yet for all his impressive accolades, [00:01:16] Adams arguably made his greatest impact [00:01:19] through his choices of whom to place in [00:01:22] positions of leadership and influence. [00:01:24] In his years as a young lawyer in [00:01:26] Boston, Adams developed the practice of [00:01:29] writing down character studies of people [00:01:31] he encountered. Independent-minded and [00:01:34] contankerous, he was nonetheless an [00:01:36] exemplary judge of character and [00:01:38] unafraid to delegate to those he deemed [00:01:41] worthy. Beginning with the very creation [00:01:43] of the new nation, Adam's most [00:01:46] significant achievements came from [00:01:48] empowering others. [00:01:50] Since the fall of 1775, Adams along with [00:01:53] the Virginia Richard Henry Lee had been [00:01:56] pushing Congress to issue a Declaration [00:01:58] of Independence from Britain. In June [00:02:01] 1776, Congress decided to set up a [00:02:04] committee to draft the Declaration's [00:02:05] preamble. [00:02:07] Many people would have jumped at the [00:02:09] chance to articulate the principles that [00:02:11] would define the American experiment. [00:02:14] Instead, Adams ensured that Thomas [00:02:16] Jefferson would be appointed head of the [00:02:18] five person drafting committee. Why? [00:02:23] It's true, Adams was one of the busiest [00:02:25] members of Congress, ultimately serving [00:02:28] on 90 different committees. His real [00:02:31] reasons though went beyond workload. [00:02:34] As Adams claimed to have put it in a [00:02:36] conversation with Jefferson, "Rason the [00:02:38] first, you are a Virginia, and a [00:02:41] Virginia ought to appear at the head of [00:02:42] this business." Reason the second, I am [00:02:46] obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You [00:02:49] are very much otherwise. [00:02:52] Reason the third, you can write 10 times [00:02:55] better than I can. Putting aside ego, [00:02:59] Adams selected the man he believed would [00:03:01] best articulate the moral case for the [00:03:03] nation. A case that Lincoln would pick [00:03:05] up and reinvigorate four score and seven [00:03:08] years later. [00:03:10] Adam's cleareyed assessment of others [00:03:12] likewise enabled the American Revolution [00:03:14] to conclude on satisfactory terms. In [00:03:18] 1782, Congress dispatched to Paris three [00:03:21] American peace commissioners. Adams, the [00:03:24] wealthy New Yorker John J, and the [00:03:26] scientist politician Benjamin Franklin, [00:03:29] and Congress charged them with keeping [00:03:30] their French allies fully informed of [00:03:33] all conversations with the British. The [00:03:36] French skillfully used this inside [00:03:38] information to steer negotiations toward [00:03:40] their own interests, even where those [00:03:42] diverged from Americas. Franklin had [00:03:45] been in Paris since December 1776. His [00:03:48] wit and sociability made him a darling [00:03:51] of French society, and he was on [00:03:53] intimate terms with the French [00:03:55] negotiators. [00:03:57] As Jay and Adam saw it, Franklin's [00:04:00] social entanglements were making action [00:04:02] on behalf of America difficult. [00:04:05] Despite his protestations, Franklin had [00:04:08] real conflicts of interest. [00:04:11] On October 29th, 1782, [00:04:14] Jay and Franklin argued about how to [00:04:16] continue the negotiations with France [00:04:18] and Britain. Jay proposed a different [00:04:21] method and manner than Franklin's [00:04:22] relaxed approach. The commissioners, as [00:04:25] Adams put it, needed to be honest and [00:04:28] grateful to our allies, but to think for [00:04:30] ourselves. [00:04:33] Adams endorsed Jay's proposal that they [00:04:35] should start negotiating with the [00:04:36] British without informing the French. [00:04:40] Outvoted, Franklin concurred. The three [00:04:43] men delivered the preliminary articles [00:04:44] of peace a month later on November 30th, [00:04:47] 1782 after a full year of failed [00:04:50] negotiations. [00:04:51] It was Adam's clarity about the [00:04:53] character of those around him that [00:04:55] enabled this breakthrough and put [00:04:57] negotiations on a new path that finally [00:04:59] led to peace. [00:05:01] As president, too, Adam's choice of [00:05:04] personnel was a key to his success. [00:05:06] Beginning in 1797, Adam's tenure was [00:05:09] defined by the challenge of navigating [00:05:11] conflict with France. [00:05:13] An important ally during the [00:05:14] Revolutionary War, France had by this [00:05:17] time overthrown its monarchy, descended [00:05:19] into brutal violence, and plunged into [00:05:22] war with Great Britain, Austria, [00:05:24] Prussia, and Russia. [00:05:27] George Washington, Adam's predecessor, [00:05:29] and the nation's first president, had [00:05:31] established that the United States would [00:05:33] remain neutral in the conflict. [00:05:36] Believing a standing military to be a [00:05:37] threat to liberty, Congress had even [00:05:40] disbanded the Revolutionary Navy and [00:05:41] Army. After Washington concluded his two [00:05:44] terms and returned to his Mount Vernon [00:05:46] home, though the country's emerging [00:05:49] political factions kicked against the [00:05:51] neutrality decision, [00:05:53] the Federalists, led for all practical [00:05:55] purposes by Alexander Hamilton, wanted [00:05:58] to ally with Britain and restore the [00:06:00] French royal family, with many [00:06:02] supporting a larger and more assertive [00:06:04] American military. The Republicans, led [00:06:07] by Thomas Jefferson, advocated defending [00:06:10] the new French Republic, but remained [00:06:12] deeply concerned that a strengthened [00:06:14] military jeopardized the underpinnings [00:06:16] of the American Republic and risked [00:06:18] domestic coercion. [00:06:21] The actions of the French worsened [00:06:22] matters. Frustrated by American [00:06:25] neutrality and the American refusal to [00:06:27] repay to the French Republic debts [00:06:29] incurred earlier to the king, the French [00:06:32] began attacking and capturing American [00:06:34] merchant ships. From October 1796 to [00:06:38] June 1797, they seized some 300 vessels, [00:06:43] about 6% of the entire US merchant [00:06:45] fleet. [00:06:47] Adams knew French aggression had to be [00:06:49] stopped, was also keenly aware of the [00:06:52] danger of being dragged into a larger [00:06:54] European conflict while the nation was [00:06:56] still fragile and underdeveloped. [00:06:59] Threading the needle between factions, [00:07:01] Adams sought congressional authorization [00:07:03] for a military callup and a naval force, [00:07:06] intending to put both to work to enforce [00:07:08] neutrality. He sought strength without [00:07:11] entering the war. [00:07:13] The canny New Englander faced the [00:07:15] daunting challenge of how to help his [00:07:17] fledgling nation learn to wield military [00:07:19] tools without militarizing as a society. [00:07:23] The Republicans great fear. Adams [00:07:26] assuredly made mistakes, deciding to [00:07:28] sign rather than veto the Alien Insition [00:07:30] Act, for instance, which permitted the [00:07:33] government to prosecute Americans for [00:07:34] speaking and publishing criticism of [00:07:36] their leaders. Yet he mostly succeeded [00:07:39] once again by installing the right [00:07:41] people. He put George Washington back at [00:07:44] the head of the army and Benjamin [00:07:46] Stoddard, a resourceful and [00:07:48] forward-thinking merchant and former [00:07:49] Continental Army officer, at the head of [00:07:52] the Navy. Both men were characterized by [00:07:55] impeccable personal self-discipline and [00:07:57] respect for institutions. [00:08:00] These choices ensured that the military [00:08:02] buildup would be targeted and [00:08:04] constrained and that the country would [00:08:05] accept a reduced military role after the [00:08:08] end of the conflict. In many ways, [00:08:11] Adam's most important judgment call was [00:08:14] his earliest. On October 25th, 1764, [00:08:18] Adams had married the slender, serious, [00:08:21] browneyed Abigail Smith, a woman of [00:08:24] great intelligence, cander, and [00:08:26] political attunement who matched him in [00:08:28] love of learning. Over 54 years of [00:08:32] marriage, they developed shared moral [00:08:34] commitments, for instance, their [00:08:36] rejection of slavery through [00:08:37] conversations and exchanges of letters. [00:08:40] This long-running conversation with [00:08:41] Abigail equipped Adams with a [00:08:44] navigational compass as he led his [00:08:46] fellow colonists toward independence [00:08:49] through constitution writing into a [00:08:51] restored relationship with Britain and [00:08:53] onto a new political footing. The [00:08:56] strength of their relationship enabled [00:08:58] Adams and the nation to flourish. [00:09:02] After arriving at the president's house [00:09:04] on November 1st, 1800, the first chief [00:09:07] executive to inhabit the soon-to-be [00:09:09] iconic White House, Adams penned to his [00:09:12] cherished Abigail the exhortation that [00:09:14] would one day be carved into the [00:09:16] fireplace of the state dining room. [00:09:19] May none but honest and wise men ever [00:09:22] rule under this roof. That prayer called [00:09:26] future generations to revere good [00:09:28] character. [00:09:30] Adam's own ability to identify and [00:09:32] empower honest and wise men and women [00:09:36] played an essential role in shaping the [00:09:38] trajectory of our young nation. [00:09:43] This essay is part of a series [00:09:45] commissioned by the organization known [00:09:47] as More Perfect. As America celebrates [00:09:49] its 250th birthday this year, public [00:09:53] officials, journalists, and historians [00:09:55] are writing about presidents and first [00:09:57] ladies with the goal of bringing [00:09:59] American history to life through [00:10:01] compelling stories. We'll hear more of [00:10:03] these essays through the year on C-SPAN. [00:10:05] And to learn more about the project, go [00:10:07] to inpursuit.org.