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John Ferling has nearly forty years of experience as a historian of early America. The author of acclaimed histories such as A Leap into the Dark and Almost a Miracle, he has appeared on many TV and film documentaries on this pivotal period of our history. In John Adams: A Life, Ferling offers a compelling portrait of one of the giants of the Revolutionary era.
------- Drawing on extensive research, Ferling depicts a reluctant revolutionary, a leader who was deeply troubled by the warfare that he helped to make, and a fiercely independent statesman. The book brings to life an exciting time, an age in which Adams played an important political and intellectual role. Indeed, few were more instrumental in making American independence a reality. He performed yeoman's service in the Continental Congress during the revolution and was a key figure in negotiating the treaty that brought peace following the long War of Independence. He held the highest office in the land and as president he courageously chose to pursue a course that he thought best for the nation, though it was fraught with personal political dangers. Adams emerges here a man full of contradictions. He could be petty and jealous, but also meditative, insightful, and provocative. In private and with friends he could be engagingly witty. He was terribly self-centered, but in his relationship with his wife and children his shortcomings were tempered by a deep, abiding love.
------ John Ferling's masterful John Adams: A Life is a singular biography of the man who succeeded George Washington in the presidency and shepherded the fragile new nation through the most dangerous of times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Better Than Ole David McCullough's Work On Adams
We all might be more familiar with McCullough's book on this forgotten Founder. After all, that book was turned into an HBO movie. That does not mean it is the better book, though. I would argue the Ferling's book is much, much better. It offers more insight into Adams' life and works, but without all the frilly trips into his environment. Ferling does a good job of placing Adams in the intellectual stream of his times, but without trying to novelize his relations with others of his generation. This is a sound practice because it prevents Adams from appearing as simply one individual who let his personality be shaped by the reaction to those around him. He had a brain, a very strong one as well, which is why we should not forget the fact that he responded to things beyond those around him. Ferling does this, and gives a great book in the process. ... Read more

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Dream Books LLC presents the original words and writings of President John Adams. Our second president and first war time president. John Adams is the most influential man in the American Revolution, and now can be the most influential man on your
bookshelf! ... Read more

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Letters written by Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States. Fascinating reading for history buffs and those who have become recently interested in the Adams family Presidential history because of the recental aclaimed television series. ... Read more

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... in the case of the United States, appellants, vs. Cinque, and others, Africans, captured in the schooner Amistad, by Lieut. Gedney, delivered on the 24th of February and 1st of March, 1841.With a review of the case of the Antelope, reported in the 10th, 11th, and 12th volumes of Wheaton's Reports. ... Read more

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Adams wrote this book in 1836, after he served as president of the US. Here's the Preface for the book:

"Now that John Quincy Adams the sage, the phi
losopher, and the statesman has been gathered to
his fathers, an air of sanctity, never witnessed while
he was in life, surronnds everything he wrote or ut
tered ; and the odor of nationality " rises -gratefully,
from the emanations of his brilliant genius, and the
productions of his superior intellect."

He, indeed, touched nothing that he did not adorn
with the rich charms of the language he moulded at
his will, or the mental treasures of his inexhaustible
store. And no one, perhaps, among American states
men or men of letters, was better able than he to
pronounce the eulogies of Madison and Monroe.

In presenting to the public, these chef-d ceuvres of
a master hand, in a permanent form, the editor has
not the vanity to suppose he can add a single additional
charm. And yet, to the lover of history, and to the
politician, the notices of the administrations of those
two most eminent disciples of Thomas Jefferson, which
accompany them, may not be without interest.

One consideration which, above all others, has in
duced the preparation of these notices, is, that we
have nothing of a similar character, except what has
proceeded from political opponents.

THE EDITOR. "
... Read more

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by John Adams
State of the Union Address


Here it is, the State of the Union Address by John Adams, every president makes one. This one is second.



Kids need a quick and easy school report, trying reading this in class.



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The Sixth President of the United States

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The Second President of the United States.

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State of the Union Addresses of John Quincy Adams

Here it is, the State of the Union Address. Every president makes them.

Kids need a quick and easy school report, trying reading these in class.

Need a quote to spruce up any report or presentation then this is for you.



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When it was first perceived, in early times, that no middle course for America remained between unlimited submission to a foreign legislature and a total independence of its claims, men of reflection were less apprehensive of danger from the formidable power of fleets and armies they must determine to resist than from those contests and dissensions which would certainly arise concerning the forms of government to be instituted over the whole and over the parts of this extensive country. Relying, however, on the purity of their intentions, the justice of their cause, and the integrity and intelligence of the people, under an overruling Providence which had so signally protected this country from the first, the representatives of this nation, then consisting of little more than half its present number, not only broke to pieces the chains which were forging and the rod of iron that was lifted up, but frankly cut asunder the ties which had bound them, and launched into an ocean of uncertainty.

The zeal and ardor of the people during the Revolutionary war, supplying the place of government, commanded a degree of order sufficient at least for the temporary preservation of society. The Confederation which was early felt to be necessary was prepared from the models of the Batavian and Helvetic confederacies, the only examples which remain with any detail and precision in history, and certainly the only ones which the people at large had ever considered. But reflecting on the striking difference in so many particulars between this country and those where a courier may go from the seat of government to the frontier in a single day, it was then certainly foreseen by some who assisted in Congress at the formation of it that it could not be durable.

Negligence of its regulations, inattention to its recommendations, if not disobedience to its authority, not only in individuals but in States, soon appeared with their melancholy consequences--universal languor, jealousies and rivalries of States, decline of navigation and commerce, discouragement of necessary manufactures, universal fall in the value of lands and their produce, contempt of public and private faith, loss of consideration and credit with foreign nations, and at length in discontents, animosities, combinations, partial conventions, and insurrection, threatening some great national calamity.

In this dangerous crisis the people of America were not abandoned by their usual good sense, presence of mind, resolution, or integrity. Measures were pursued to concert a plan to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty. The public disquisitions, discussions, and deliberations issued in the present happy Constitution of Government.

Download Papers Of Presidents John Adams Now! ... Read more

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Letters written by Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States. Fascinating reading for history buffs and those who have become recently interested in the Adams family Presidential history because of the recental aclaimed television series. ... Read more

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Best quotations from John Adams, second President of the United States, including this gem:"Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide." ... Read more

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This volume is from 1899 and was written by the much respected, Judge Mellen Chamberlain.Also included are essays and addresses, both historical and literary.

Subjects he covers:

John Adams, the Statesman of the American Revolution-Authentication of the Declaration of Independence- Constitutional Relations of the American Colonies to the English Government-Remarks on the New Historical School-Genesis of the Massachusetts Town-Political Maxims-Remarks before the Sons of the American Revolution, Concord, April 19, 1894- Palfrey's People of New England-McMaster's History of the People of the United States-Josiah Quincy, the Great Mayor-Daniel Webster as an Orator-Remarks at the Dedication of a Statue of Daniel Webster, Concord, N.H., June 17, 1886 - A Glance at Daniel Webster- Landscape in Life and in Poetry-The Scope of a College Library-Address at the Dedication of Wilson Hall, Dartmouth College Library-The Old and the New Order in New England Life and Letters - Address at the Dedication of the Brooks Library Building, Brattleborough-Imaginative Literature in Public Libraries-Address at the Dedication of the Woods Memorial Library Building, Barre. ... Read more

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The #1 "New York Times" Bestseller Now Available in a Deluxe Unabridged CD PackageIn this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who thought, wrote, and spoke out for the "Great Cause" come what might; who traveled far and wide in all seasons and often at extreme risk; who rose to become the second President of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was rightly celebrated for his integrity, and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.Much about John Adams's life will come as a surprise to many. His rocky relationship with friend and eventual archrival Thomas Jefferson, his courageous voyage on the frigate "Boston" tin the winter of 1778 and his later trek over the Pyrenees are exploits few would have dared and that few listeners will ever forget.Like his masterful, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography "Truman," David McCullough's "John Adams" has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. This is history on a grand scale -- an audiobook about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, It is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I loved it!
Listening to this book made rush hour about a hundred times more enjoyable!The subject was interesting.The story telling, if you will, was moving, especially when dealing with the circumstances that resulted in succesful agreement by the colonies to declare independence from Britain.It brought tears to my eyes to hear about Ceasar Rodney's over-night ride!

This book gave me a greater appreciation for my country and its founders. ... Read more

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Setting the World Ablaze is the story of the three men who, perhaps more than any others, helped bring the United States into being: George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Braiding three strands into one rich narrative, John Ferling brings these American icons down from their pedestals to show them as men of flesh and blood, and gives us a new understanding of the passion and uncertainty of the struggle to form a new nation.

A leading historian of the Revolutionary era, Ferling draws on an unsurpassed command of the primary sources and a talent for swiftly moving narrative to give us intimate views of each of these men. More than any scholar before him, Ferling shows us both the overarching historical picture of the era and a gripping sense of how these men encounterd the challenges that faced them. At close quarters, we see Washington, containing a profound anger at British injustice within an austere demeanor; Adams, far from home, struggling with severe illness and French duplicity in his crucial negotiations in Paris; and Jefferson, distracted and indecisive, confronting uncertainties about his future in politics. John Adams, in particular, emerges from the narrative as the most underappreciated hero of the Revolution, while Jefferson is revealed as the most overrated of the Founders, although the most eloquent.

Setting the World Ablaze shows in dramatic detail how these conservative men--successful members of the colonial elite--were transformed into radical revolutionaries, and in doing so, it illuminates not just the special genius of these three leaders, but the remarkable transformation of His Majesty's colonies into the United States.Amazon.com Review
Setting the World Ablaze is the story of the three men who, perhaps more than any others, helped bring the United States into being: GeorgeWashington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Weaving their three lifestories into one narrative, John E.Ferling delivers a genuine and intimate illustration of them and, indoing so, gives us a new understanding of the passion and uncertainty ofthe struggle to form a new nation.

The three sections of Ferling's study chronologically examine major epochsin the lives of the three men: youth and early adulthood, the yearssurrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and finally,defeat of the British in the Revolutionary War. Through the medium ofcomparative biography, Setting the World Ablaze attempts to linkpersonal and impersonal elements in the contours of the American Revolutionand the war that accompanied it. A professor of History at the StateUniversity of West Georgia and a leading scholar of the Revolutionary era,Ferling draws on a firm command of primary sources and his own expertise ofthe period to examine fundamental issues critical to our understanding ofWashington, Adams, and Jefferson, as well as of the historical period. Heabandons the standard iconography and focuses instead on what motivated andinspired these three men as human beings. For example, what forces shapedeach of the three during his youth, what was each like as a mature youngman before public affairs and fame changed everything, and what determinedtheir behavior as activists? John Adams emerges from the narrative as themost underappreciated hero of the Revolution, while Jefferson is revealedas the most eloquent but also most overrated of the Founders. Personalanecdotes from all periods of their lives add to Ferling's already richportrait and give the reader a unique sense of how Washington, Adams,and Jefferson negotiated the many challenges they encounteredthroughout their lives. --Bertina Loeffler Sedlack ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Setting The World Ablaze, Setting The Path For Freedom
Ferling does a great job of retelling the impact that these three individuals had upon the founding of the new nation. Ferling does not engage in a great deal of hero worship, but rather offers up a very measured analysis of their impact upon the formation of the United States. Jefferson is analyzed very honestly, not harshly as others have argued, and this is refreshing. For far too long Jefferson is treated as a God, but his flaws have not been acknowledged. The author highlights how these individuals worked to ensure the success of the effort using their talents. The result is that these three individuals would come to shape traditions, perspectives, and approaches to governance, all at significant cost to themselves, well except Jefferson who was chasing women and tending his plants. Washington and Adams were committed and risked a great deal, but Jefferson ran from the redcoats when he got a chance. You see why they acted as the did, and their choices are criticized. Overall, a very fair book that is useful because it misses many of the past's mistakes.

What they didn't teach you in school
This is a great book. You learn things about three of our forefathers that you never knew before (at least I didnt;) .The book compares the the lives of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington concurrently and gives you a real feel for what our forefathers really went through.After they declared independence, then what?They had all sorts of issues to confront that they really weren't fully prepared for.They had a tiger by the tail.It's very interesting reading.My only (Negative?) comment would be that I wish the print were a little larger and there are very few photos.It's already a pretty thick book so I guess it would be hard to make the print any bigger. It's not impossible to read, just don't let it scare you off because it is well worth reading.

another Ferling great
My husband is a history teacher and is very picky about his reading material, which makes it tough to buy gifts for him because I am not a history-buff, but I know he's a fan of John Ferling, so I was excited to find this book that I know wasn't part of his collection!I was not disappointed - he loved it - says it's one of Ferling's best works.

Jefferson Trashed
This book suffers greatly from the author's unbalanced treatment of Thomas Jefferson.Ferling takes a narrow, cramped approach to Jefferson by casting his actions/inactions in the worst possible light and virtually ignoring his accomplishments.

There is some truth to Ferling's criticisms of Jefferson, of course.Jefferson certainly had many flaws.He was a slave-owner, he believed that women were unfit for office, and the list goes on.

But Jefferson's shortcomings form only a part of the insight into his character.This book fails to capture other critical aspects of Jefferson that made him a genius, an idealist and revolutionary, and in some sense, the inventor of America.

Better modern-day historians and Jefferson biographers such as Joseph Ellis and others don't flinch from delving into Jefferson's inconsistencies and failings.But these other writers provide context (not excuses) for that while also understanding and explaining Jefferson's significance.

As I was reading this book I soon realized that whenever I came to a section about Jefferson that he would be predictably trashed. I began to anticipate this and laugh at it. Strangely, few of Jefferson's important contributions are even mentioned in this book, let alone given their due.The author appears to have had an agenda in writing this book to elevate Adams and knock Jefferson.That's not a good starting point for honest inquiry and analysis.

history you can enjoy.
this is a historical work on the american revolution that revolves principally around the figures of washington, jefferson, and john adams. it a book the casual reader can delight in, filled with lively prose and a narrative thrust missing so much in other historical works. a highly recommended read for anyone interested in the american revolution. ... Read more

Product Description
The first Vice President and second President isdiscovered in the Executive Mansion (the White House) while it isunder construction. Not only is the seemingly always irascible manplagued by the incompleteness of the building, but in a reelection bidfaces the prospect of placing third in a four man race. Jefferson, hisVice President, has become a bitter enemy and Adams looks to strikeback, primarily through the person of John Marshall. Adams is rude tothe point of meanness and sentimental enough to draw tears from hiswife, Abigail, who joins him in the shambles of his new residence andhis faltering career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting, informative and very readable
The plays in the History's Project's "Character in Time: The US Presidents" series are interesting and informative and, above all, very readable.People unfamiliar with reading plays should not be put off by the format -- after a few minutes time, it seems perfectly natural to read dialogue instead of normal prose.Students, especially, will appreciate the playwright's artful distillation of the subject's ideas and philosophy, as well as the lively presentation of his character -- there's really a lot of information packed into these small volumes.

Shadows of Greatness
We are treated to an original account of our second president in a humorous rendition that plays brilliantly in our minds.This one act play is a poignant look at the personal issues of a Massachusetts's attorney turned president and the country he was elected to lead during its political infancy.The investment of your time will be well spent. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

why?
why is there a photo of the Moai of Easter Island on the cover of a book about John Quincy Adams? ... Read more

Product Description
Formatted for the Kindle. Linked Contents and footnotes.

Excerpt:
CHAPTER I.

BIRTH. — EDUCATION. — RESIDENCE IN EUROPE. — AT COLLEGE. — AT THE BAR. — POLITICAL ESSAYS. — MINISTER AT THE HAGUE. — AT BERLIN. — RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES.

John Quincy Adams, son of John and Abigail Adams, was born on the 11th of July, 1767, in the North Parish of Braintree, Massachusetts — since incorporated as the town of Quincy. The lives and characters of his parents, intimately associated with the history of the American Revolution, have been already ably and faithfully illustrated.[1]

The origin of his name was thus stated by himself: "My great-grandfather, John Quincy,[2] was dying when I was baptized, and his daughter, my grandmother, requested I might receive his name. This fact, recorded by my father at the time, is not without a moral to my heart, and has connected with that portion of my name a charm of mingled sensibility and devotion. It was filial tenderness that gave the name — it was the name of one passing from earth to immortality. These have been, through life, perpetual admonitions to do nothing unworthy of it."... ... Read more

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He was born in 1767, a subject of the British Empire, and died in 1848, a citizen of the United States and a member of Congress in company with Abraham Lincoln. In his dramatic career he had known George Washington and Benjamiin Franklin, La Fayette of France, Alexander I of Russia, and Castlereagh of Great Britain. He had both collaborated and quarrelled with Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster. In his lifetime Americans had fought for and established their independence, adopted a Constitution, fought two wars with Great Britain and one with Mexico. They had expanded south to the Rio Grande and west to the Pacific. At the time of his death, Adams was seen as a living connection between the present and past of the young republic and his passing severed one of the nation's last ties with its founding generation. As son of the second president of the United States, father of the minister to the Court of St. James, and grandfather to author Henry Adams, John Quincy Adams was part of an American dynasty. In his own career as secretary of state, President, senator, and congressman, Adams was as an actor in some of the most dramatic events of the nineteenth century. In this concise biography, Lynn Hudson Parsons masterfully chronicles the life of one of America's most absorbing figures. From the day in 1778 when, as a boy, he accompanied his father on a diplomatic mission to France, to his last years as an eloquent , cantankerous opponent of this country's foreign and domestic policies, Adams was rarely detached from public affairs. And yet, this biography reveals Adams as a man never truly at home anywhere--in Washington he was stubborn and reclusive, in Europe he was a phlegmatic ideologue, a bulldog among spaniels. His story parallels America's own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

John Quincy Adams biography
Ordered this book used.It is in excellent condition (as advertised).Very prompt service.
Also, loved the biography - very well written.I would suggest following up this read with Whelan's 'Mr.Adams Last Crusade' which gives a lot more detail to John Quincy's 17 years in the House of Representatives after his presidency.

Good bio on America's greatest secretary of state
Parsons does a fine job in explaining the life and goals of John Quincy Adams. He writes well and moves the book along.

In some areas I would have liked more explanation or greater detail, including the failure of JQA's presidency, but Parsons thankfully avoids getting bogged down as many biographers do. Nor does he skirt the ex-president's interesting career as a congressman after he left the White House. (There are several other books that explore that part of JQA's life more thoroughly).

As one would expect, Parsons likes his subject and at time goes easy on him, while Adams' enemies and their motives come in for somewhat tougher treatment (in a generally polite book).

One could question, for example, JQA's support for acquiring the Oregon territory while denouncing the acquisition of Texas. Like many politicians of the time, JQA could be guilty of measuring his support for any issue based on whether it might help or hurt slavery, regardless of any other consideration.

I give only the very greatest book five stars, so my rating should not be viewed as a negative. This is the best book available for anyone interested in the life and times of John Quincy Adams.

John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, the second President, was one of America's greatest diplomats. He made a name for himself as the country was being formed, especially with his defense of "the rules of law" against the will of the majority. He was one of the last of the old Federalists. He was a foreign minister to Holland, Portugal, and Prussia, and was Secretary of State under Monroe (where he was the main force in establishing the Monroe Doctrine). He became the sixth President in a controversial election that was decided in the House of Representatives.

Parson's short (272 pages) but thorough and well-written biography of Adams is a job well done. She details the accomplishments of his life, but focuses primarily on the man himself. Adams was a stern man (his portrait reminds me of some evil Dickens character, Marley perhaps), and not well-liked by the public. He believed that one should not "run" for a political office, but should just accept it if offered (imagine that today!). He hated Andrew Jackson and slavery, and fought hard against both. This is an excellent book on an interesting man.

You cheered his life after reading this book.
After reading this well written biography, I experienced the sorrows, joys, and accomplishments in the life of one of our country's greatest statesmen.

A highly recommended, easy reading bio of the 6th President
Lynn H. Parsons has written a biography that is blessedly free from 'academic speak' or the sense that he is only writing for other historians.This is definitely a biography for even the most casual lover of history. Parsons' familiarity with JQA allows him to introduce us to that prickly character as one would introduce an eccentric friend--always aware of the eccentricities but never apologizing for them. Adams (and his father) are two of the greatest of America's early statesmen and two of it's worst politicians.Parsons presents the genius and the folly and allows us to weigh our opinions--tho' its clear where Parsons' affections lie. It is hard to imagine that anyone will (or could) write a better one volume popular biography of JQA.Parsons clearly could tell us much more, but he chooses not to bog his narrative down in the kind of historical detail that glazes the eye of the casual reader.For serious historians this is a valuable book because it doesn't get lost in its own importance--the writing is direct, succinct and keeps the reader aware of the difference of the attitudes of Adams and his contemporaries to our current sensibilities. Parsons ends with a note that JQA's only monument in Washington is a small plaque in statuary hall in the Capitol.I would argue that Adams' best monument in DC is the one he would be proudest of--the Smithsonian Institution he fought so hard to help establish. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more