Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Gordon S. Wood           Audio Book:  17 hours, 50 minutes     Paperback Book:  880 pages             

Excellent book.   I have always enjoyed reading memoirs and learning about history these two founding fathers in particular.   Jefferson, the younger idealistic President who was a fan of the French Revolution – even though he knew many of the aristocracy that were guillotined, Jefferson chocked it up to ‘some lives are lost when fighting a revolution’ and he was for the citizenry of France and hoped they would be able to maintain control of the republic even though Jefferson himself was of the aristocracy in the United States.     Adams, older than Jefferson by at least 10 years was more serious minded which made him unpopular with the masses and even with his own constituents.   Adams was far more pessimistic definetly a glass half empty kind of guy.   Jefferson was only 15 when Adams took up the call to arms in moving politically toward a break from England.    As the years passed and the American Revolution got underway, if clandestine at first,  Jefferson and Adams were spending more time together and learning the thoughts of one another and the other later signers of the Constitution.    They liked and respected one another, Jefferson, though, of the upper class felt affection for Adams who could put things in witty and jesting terms and break tense moments with ease.   In Adams, Jefferson saw a mentor and friend.   Adams, far the poorer of the two,  came up in dirt poor circumstances and was a self-made man.    Adams questioned whether he had taken the correct path in life when he was so often met with adversity.   It peeved him through the years to see how well Jefferson was received while he (Adams) was often dismissed, disregarded or disbarraged.   The thing was Jefferson had a light breezy way of relating to people while Adams tended to be confrontational, often blunt, sometimes erratic in his angry outbursts and he took things way too personally which tended to keep him in stress mode.     Both men were avid readers and had large libraries within their homes, Jefferson had access to a wider array than Adams due to his privileged lifestyle often going abroad and finding tomes of political or philosophical worth that he would deen to share with Adams who he looked up to without reservation and often spoke well of.   Adams on the other hand while admittedly being taken with the friendship of this up and coming young man whom he thoroughly enjoyed debating every topic under the sun with and shared hundreds of letters back and forth with just couldn’t get past the jealousy he felt because Jefferson was so much more accepted than he was.    While Jefferson was thought to be fresh and exciting, Adams was considered and old curmudgeon.    That plagued Adams throughout his life.     Sometimes his jealousy caused him to stay away from Jefferson for years – do read this one  - the history is fascinating – all that went on to establish the United States then the political changes that took place changing the country from Washington’s, Jefferson’s and Adam’s ideal as a no party system without paper money to abase the innocence of the nation to a multi-party system of Whigs, Tories, Federalists, Republicans ad infinitum that was eventually controlled by an over abundance of paper money flowing selling expansion as its right to control the lives of the people.    At the end of their lives on July 4, 1826 – both men died on the same day within hours of one another, while they cheered the celebration of the nation’s birthday, each man hardly recognized the maniacal path the nation had turned to.     Often consulting with one another through hundreds of letters over the years and heart felt affection and apologies for any sour sentiments that had occurred over the years, the two friends always sought the counsel and support of one another and as with all friends sometimes they were on opposite viewpoints or something one or the other wrote or said was surreptitiously sold to a publisher then later read by the public putting them at odds, Jefferson never took these things to heart though every one was taken as an attack on his character by Adams.   Adams embarrassed by some harsh words he shared in letters about Jefferson besmirching his character during the election when they ran against one another and Adams lost and again when Jefferson was so vocal about his support for the French revolution and again when as President, Jefferson felt Aaron Burr guilty of treason and spoke often and openly about his assurance of the man’s guilt, Adams felt Jefferson in the position of President especially should not speak so as all men should be presumed innocent and PROVEN guilty in a court of law.    And again being a writer, Adams put his feelings on these subjects into letters that got out and got into the press or was copied and shared with Jefferson when they were meant only for the eyes of the person being written to.    This caused an 11 year absence in contact between Adams and Jefferson.   Adams because of his deep embarrassment at Jefferson knowing his true thoughts on how Jefferson was conducting himself and Jefferson smarting from the comments.   Jefferson, too, had made comments about Adams in behaviors of his that Jefferson disagreed with and  Adams being the more sensitive to criticism of the two just couldn’t tolerate it and so ended or so he thought the friendship.    Abigail Adams even sent a smart alecky letter to Jefferson which Jefferson didn’t realize at the time was meant to be such a cold shoulder and a get out of our life we are no longer friends missive.    Jefferson read the letter as though from a dear friend and replied in kind.   Putting Abigail a little aback but she kept her anger for a time thereafter.   Jefferson did not read between the lines, Adams took every word as some kind of attack on his person.    After 11 years had gone by and each man had lost a child – Jefferson a daughter, Adams a daughter and a son, they were in contact again at last to commiserate their losses and apologize for wrongs done.    Jefferson magnanimous as always and both John and Abigail feeling like jerks for holding grudges against someone who loved them dearly even when they said bad things about him.   Jefferson let all that go and told them many things are said to cause political rifts and he didn’t take it seriously and did not want to let it come between a lifelong friendship that he held dear to him.   There must have been hugs involved and the Adams had to take that walk of shame with their olive branches.   This is a terrific book and two of the United States most famous presidents and freedom fighters.    There is so much more here for the reader to learn.   Enjoy!