In mid-March 1781 John Adams received his commission and instructions as minister to the Netherlands and embarked on the boldest initiative of his diplomatic career. Disappointed by the lack of interest shown by Dutch investors in his efforts to raise a loan for the United States, Adams changed his tactics, and in a memorial made a forthright appeal to the States General of the Netherlands for immediate recognition of the United States. Published in Dutch, English, and French, it offered all of Europe a radical vision of the ordinary citizen's role in determining political events. In this...
In mid-March 1781 John Adams received his commission and instructions as minister to the Netherlands and embarked on the boldest initiative of his ...
The American victory at Yorktown in October 1781 and the fall of Lord North's ministry in March 1782 opened the possibility that John Adams might soon be involved in negotiations to end the war for American independence. To prepare for the occasion, Adams and Benjamin Franklin discussed in their letters the fundamentals for peace. Adams made it clear to the British government that there would be no negotiations without British recognition of the United States as independent and sovereign.
This volume chronicles Adams's efforts, against great odds, to achieve formal recognition of...
The American victory at Yorktown in October 1781 and the fall of Lord North's ministry in March 1782 opened the possibility that John Adams might s...
No family in three generations has contributed so much to American history as the Adamses. John, John Quincy, and Charles Francis, despite periods of doubt, knew that history, if not their contemporaries, would recognize their accomplishments. When the Adams Papers series is complete, the writings of these three statesmen will have been examined thoroughly.
Aside from the Legal Papers of John Adams, published in 1965, these two volumes are the first in Series III: General Correspondence and Other Papers of the Adams Statesmen. Volumes 1 and 2 of the Papers of John Adams...
No family in three generations has contributed so much to American history as the Adamses. John, John Quincy, and Charles Francis, despite periods ...
As the American colonies grew more restive, and a break with the mother country ceased to be unthinkable, John Adams was forced to spend less and less time with his beloved family. Although burdened by ever-expanding responsibilities in the Second Continental Congress, he found time for an amazing amount of correspondence. The majority of his letters were written to secure the facts that would enable this duty-ridden man to decide and act effectively on the issues being debated. Military affairs, a source of never-ending concern, provide some of the most fascinating subjects, including...
As the American colonies grew more restive, and a break with the mother country ceased to be unthinkable, John Adams was forced to spend less and l...
These volumes document John Adams' thinking and actions during the final years of his congressional service and take him through his first five months as a Commissioner in France in association with Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee.
While Adams was still in Philadelphia, military matters continued to he his major concern. Most demanding was his presidency of the Board of War, which took up his "whole Time, every Morning and Evening." In general though, the documents and reports of his conduct reveal a commitment to a national outlook. Congress should be a national legislature, and...
These volumes document John Adams' thinking and actions during the final years of his congressional service and take him through his first five mon...
On the last day of December 1780 John Adams wrote that he had just spent "the most anxious and mortifying Year of my whole Life." He had resided first at Paris, then at Amsterdam, attempting, without success, to open Anglo-American peace negotiations and to raise a Dutch loan. In volumes 9 and 10 of the Papers of John Adams, over 600 letters and documents that Adams sent to and received from numerous correspondents in Europe and America provide an unparalleled view of Adams' diplomacy and a wealth of detail on the world in which he lived.
These volumes chronicle Adams' efforts...
On the last day of December 1780 John Adams wrote that he had just spent "the most anxious and mortifying Year of my whole Life." He had resided fi...
This volume chronicles Adam's efforts to achieve various objectives, but it also provides an unparalleled view of 18th century American diplomacy on the eve of a peace settlement ending the eight-year war of the American Revolution.
This volume chronicles Adam's efforts to achieve various objectives, but it also provides an unparalleled view of 18th century American diplomacy on t...
"Once more after an Interruption of ten Years, I pronounce myself a happy Man, and pray Heaven to continue me so." Thus wrote John Adams in late August 1784 after the arrival in Europe of his wife Abigail and daughter Nabby. Adams and his family were living together in the pleasant Paris suburb of Auteuil. There Adams, with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, formed a joint commission to conclude commercial treaties with the nations of Europe and North Africa. For the first time since he had left America in 1778 on his first diplomatic mission, Adams was no longer engaged in "militia...
"Once more after an Interruption of ten Years, I pronounce myself a happy Man, and pray Heaven to continue me so." Thus wrote John Adams in late Au...
