John Adams

John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was the first (1789–1797) Vice President of the United States, and the second (1797–1801) President of the United States. His son, John Quincy Adams, was the sixth President of the United States (1825–1829).

Resources

• Adams, John. The Adams Papers. Edited by Richard Ryerson, L.H. Butterfield, Marc Friedlander, et al. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1961.
• Carey, George W., ed. The Political Writings of John Adams. Chicago: Regnery Gateway, 2001. Massive compilation of extracts from Adams's major political writings, accompanied by excellent introduction but marred by lack of an index.
• Diggins, John P. John Adams. New York: Times Books, 2003.
• Diggins, John P., ed. The Portable John Adams. New York: Penguin Books, 2004.
• Ferling, John E. John Adams: A Life. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1992. Reprint, New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1996. Leading one-volume life, slightly marred by the author's tendency to psychoanalyze his subject.
• Grant, James. John Adams: Party of One. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2005. Excellent modern one-volume life.
• Haraszti, Zoltan. John Adams and the Prophets of Progress. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1952. One of the most original and creative studies in this field -- examining Adams's political thought by reference to the arguments he waged with authors in the margins of their books. Deserves to be reprinted.
• McCullough, David. John Adams. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Uncritical best-selling biography. Lacks critical distance and understanding of historical context.
• Smith, Page. John Adams. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962. Reprint, Collector's edition. Norwalk, Conn.: Easton Press, 1988. Massive biography, the first written by a scholar with complete access to the Adams papers. Still valuable though somewhat over-written.
• Thompson, C. Bradley. John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty. Lawrence, Kans.: University Press of Kansas, 1998. Excellent study of Adams's political thought, though slightly uncritical.