"Yesterday, the greatest question was decided, which ever was debated in America."

So writes John Adams in a letter to his wife, Abigail. The question in debate was the independence of “these United Colonies.” The ideas that Adams expressed on the floor of the Continental Congress led to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams, who served as the first vice president and the second president of the United States, found that the best way to explore his ideas was to put pen to paper.

In this rich and revealing collection, Carolyn P. Yoder has selected writings from diaries, journals, letters, and speeches that chart the ideas and life of John Adams, from schoolmaster to president of the United States. The selection also covers the period of his long retirement, the highlight of which was his correspon¬ dence with Thomas Jefferson.

Photographs, prints, paintings, and artifacts bring to life a dramatic period in American history and help present an intimate portrait of John Adams, one of the great Founding Fathers.

From the dust jacket