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John P. Diggins

John Adams (The American Presidents Series, No. 2) Hardcover – June 11, 2003

by John Patrick Diggins (Author), Arthur M. Schlesinger (Editor)

72 ratings

Part of: The American Presidents (42 books)

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A revealing look at the true beginning of American politics

Until recently rescued by David McCullough, John Adams has always been overshadowed by Washington and Jefferson. Volatile, impulsive, irritable, and self-pitying, Adams seemed temperamentally unsuited for the presidency. Yet in many ways he was the perfect successor to Washington in terms of ability, experience, and popularity.

Possessed of a far-ranging intelligence, Adams took office amid the birth of the government and multiple crises. As well as maintaining neutrality and regaining peace, his administration created the Department of the Navy, put the army on a surer footing, and left a solvent treasury. One of his shrewdest acts was surely the appointment of moderate Federalist John Marshall as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Though he was a Federalist, Adams sought to work outside the still-forming party system. In the end, this would be his greatest failing and most useful lesson to later leaders.

"Diggins's slim volume offers a reconsideration of Adams, a thoughtful study of American politics of the period and Adams's legacy for today. " - Publishers Weekly

Print length

200 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Times Books
Publication date

June 11, 2003
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.62 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

9780805069372
ISBN-13

978-0805069372
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Diggins pays tribute to David McCullough's reestablishment of John Adams's reputation, but he has his own take in this entry in the American Presidents series, edited by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. He seeks to rebut the conventional wisdom that the country's second president was a "loser," a view based on the fact after losing the election of 1800, Adams's party, the Federalists, disappeared from the scene. The 1800 election was, in fact, a triumph for Adams and the ideas the Federalists espoused, says CUNY historian Diggins (On Hallowed Ground), as an opposition party came to power "without America shedding a single drop of blood." Furthermore, Diggins asserts, "American political history begins with the rift between Adams and Jefferson," and though Adams has been disparaged by historians, he played a central role in the development of American democracy. More than just a miniature of our second president, Diggins's slim volume offers a reconsideration of Adams, a thoughtful study of American politics of the period and Adams's legacy for today.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Repudiated by the electorate in 1800 and denigrated by historians ever since, the second president rose from the dead in David McCullough's blockbuster John Adams (2001). In this study, part of the publisher's accessible series on each of the country's chief executives, historian Diggins' academic specialty, intellectual history, influences his appraisal of Adams. The president wrote copiously about political philosophy, and in one chapter, Diggins closely evaluates the material. This is a wise confinement, for, except for his correspondence, Adams is a chore to read. The pace quickens in the balance of Diggins' narrative as he integrates Adams' fundamental ideas about politics into the hurly-burly story of the 1790s. Adams' presidency was, of course, vexed by the quasiwar with revolutionary France and associated turbulence in domestic politics. As much as recounting events, Diggins engages historians of this much-written-about decade, detecting pro-Jefferson bias in some, as he argues for Adams' significance as a political moralist. This examination will be of special interest to history readers with an analytical bent. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0805069372
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Times Books; 1st edition (June 11, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780805069372
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805069372
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.62 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #743,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,018 in American Revolution Biographies (Books)
- #2,237 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #2,276 in US Presidents

Customer Reviews:
72 ratings

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John P. Diggins
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Michael Burgan
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Michael Burgan studied history at the University of Connecticut before embarking on his career of writing about history, current events, geography, science, and more for children. He worked at Weekly Reader for six years before becoming a freelance author. He is a member of Biographers International Organization and edits its monthly newsletter, The Biographer's Craft. A produced playwright, he is also a member of the Dramatists Guild.
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Arthur Meier Schlesinger
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Great second book on John Adams!

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2020

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This is a great survey of the presidency (and life) of John Adams. This book is a fascinating presentation of the key themes of John Adams presidency. But I did not expect to also encounter a philosophical treatise on the major themes John Adams wrote about. This added a welcome depth which I really enjoyed. This was the first book I’ve read in this series. Based on the experience, I look forward to reading more. Don’t start with this book if you’re looking for a general biography of John Adams. If you’re looking for an interesting book on the general themes of his presidency, this book is highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

A Penetrating Analysis

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2015

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John Adams was one of America’s greatest statesmen--and one of its worst politicians. Adams was many things—bold, stubborn, a deeply profound thinker, fearless, vain, honest to a fault, indiscreet, and naive. It was his naivety that caused him tremendous heartache, and ultimately re-election as president. “John Adams” by John Patrick Diggins, is number two in The American Presidents series. Though relatively short (176 pages), it’s an insightful character study, first-rate history, and a think piece. Mr. Diggins may be a liberal, but I place him beside conservatives Garry Wills and Forrest McDonald as among our most penetrating writers of Early American history.

It’s debatable whether or not there would have been an American Revolution without the presence of John Adams at the Second Continental Congress. He berated fellow delegates day and night until they stepped up and declared what they believed in their hearts. It was Adams who picked Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence because, he said, the Virginian was a better writer. It was Adams too, working in conjunction with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, who negotiated peace with England thereby assuring American independence. And it was Adams who negotiated three crucial loans with a consortium of Dutch financiers that kept the young republic financially afloat until the federal government took charge and made provision for the crushing war debt. Among the glittering array of Founding Fathers, we sometimes forget just how popular and well-respected Adams was in his time. In the 1789 election for president, Adams was runner-up to George Washington. Eight years later, in 1796, when Washington stepped down, Adams was elected over Jefferson to the highest office in the land. Ironically, it was as president that Adams’ considerable reputation began to erode.

Why Adams’ reputation did erode is mostly the subject of Diggins’ book. The author places much of the blame on Thomas Jefferson, who secretly orchestrated a savage newspaper campaign against him, labeling Adams a closet monarchist who favored the aristocracy. Jefferson leveled much the same charges against Alexander Hamilton, but the New Yorker orchestrated an equally savage newspaper campaign in retaliation. Adams had no stomach for such a fight, and naively believed that the facts would prevail over an obvious smear campaign. How wrong he was. The author makes the point that politics has no time for facts. “Many of those who voted against him accepted ‘word against evidence’ and thought they were ridding America of a monarchist, when they were actually deposing both a moralist and a modernist.” The author also places a fair amount of blame on Adams himself. Unlike Washington, Adams was not a consensus builder. He preferred working in isolation and rarely asked his cabinet for advice. On occasion he would take off for his home in Braintree, Massachusetts and be gone weeks and months at a time, leaving his cabinet in charge of the government. Adams also bore grudges instead of trying to shed them. He held one of his biggest grudges against Hamilton who, the author points out, had a great deal in common with Adams both politically and philosophically (they both advocated a strong federal government, favored a central bank, were against slavery, and were admirers of Scottish philosopher David Hume). One can’t help but think that had Adams buried his pride and made Hamilton a confidant—as Washington had done— his presidency would have proceeded more smoothly and he would have been reelected. As it was, nothing seemed to go well: the XYZ Affair, the “Quasi War” with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts—all hurt Adams politically. Even so, in the 1800 election, Jefferson barely squeaked out victory.

Years later, after Jefferson had left office, the two buried the hatchet and began exchanging letters. However, Jefferson never could explain why he had labeled Adams a monarchist. In the turbulent 1790s, the Virginian cited Adams’ writings as the source, particularly his “Discourse on Davila.” John’s wife, Abigail, defied Jefferson to provide evidence, to cite exactly where it was Adams had written such nonsense. The Virginian had no answer. Had he been truly candid, Jefferson would have told Adams the election had not been about whether or not he was a monarchist; it had been about power. Adams had the power, and Jefferson wanted it. Five stars.

2 people found this helpful

John Adams - political and philosophical foundation

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016

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As usual and expected for this series, this is not nearly a full biography of Adams. But it does have something that the full length biographies by McCullough and Ferling do not have. Diggins goes much more into the philosophical and political writings of John Adams and spends quite a bit of space explaining how they relate to Adams’ political actions and his presidency. That is a plus for the book. The downside is that the narration of Adams’ presidency and the overview of his life before and after does not flow well in places. I thought in some sections the exposition of Adams’ political and philosophical views was unnecessarily detailed. However, it depends what you are looking for. I read both McCullough’s biography as well as Ferling’s and highly recommend both. If the reader is looking for the theoretical underpinning of Adams’ actions, including why some Jeffersonians thought he wanted a U.S. monarchy, then this is the book. But the narration in the book is frequently broken by explanations of Adams’ theoretical writings.

2 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2022

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The author gets sidetracked and veers off course when making a case for John Adams being a moderate and one of the most underrated Presidents in history, like an old man trying to tell a story but getting distracted and lost in sidenotes and anecdotes. I don't feel like I understand John Adams any better after reading this book. Perhaps there are better biographies out there.

One of these things is not like the other

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022

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I bought these for my young sons birthday that’s coming up. He loves history and I liked the look of the set. But when I opened the John Adams book I thought I had been sent the wrong one. It’s the correct book it just looks completely different than the picture and the other 2 books of the series. Not sure why they changed it but now the “set” doesn’t look uniform. So buyers beware.

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Robert B. Lloyd

One of the best books in the series

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2019

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I found this book to be a good, challenging read that deeply explores the presidency of John Adams. I enjoyed especially how the book digs deeper into his political philosophy, and contrasts his ideas with those of Jefferson. The book furthermore details how Adams was ahead of his time, and in some ways he more accurately predicted how things would work out in the country. This is a book that could be read several times as it is deep and meaty, with many things to consider and explore

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michael Billington

Fine addition to an excellent series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2013

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This book is part of the American Presidents Series and is a fine addition. More critical than the biography written by David McCullough provides a good starting point for those interested on Adams' one Term Presidency.

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