The Wisdom of John Adams

Book excerpt: The men and women who shaped our world—in their own words. The Wisdom Library invites you on a journey through the lives and works of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders. Compiled by scholars, each book presents excerpts from the most important and revealing writings of the most remarkable minds of all time. THE WISDOM OF JOHN ADAMS “Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to liberty, and few nations, if any, have found it.” John Adams was America’s second president, first vice president, and a leading revolutionary, yet his remarkable accomplishments have sometimes been overshadowed by his peers, Washington and Jefferson. David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography has helped reestablish Adams as a truly heroic figure in his own right—intelligent, passionate, fiercely patriotic, and staunchly committed to the ideals of the United States. Now The Wisdom of John Adams further reveals—in Adams’ own words—this distinguished leader’s brilliance, foresight, and conviction. Here are excerpts from his greatest speeches and published works, including his oration on independence in the Continental Congress; Thoughts on Government, later the guide for several state constitutions; and his three-volume Defense of the Constitution of the United States. The Wisdom of John Adams also includes a selection of his forthright correspondence, as well as his tender love letters to his wife and strongest ally, Abigail—in all, essential reading for any student of the “American Experiment.”