could never live without his own slaves
and the daily comforts they provided him.
The men had a number of similarities as
well. Both loved fine literature and read continuously.
They were probably the most learned men among the
founding fathers. Both distinguished themselves as lawyers
early in their careers. Both loved great challenges, and hated
wasting time.
Both were very devoted to home and
family. Each had an enormous and life long dedication to
education, and a belief that an independent nation founded on
self rule could only survive if the people were well educated.
Both were very ambitious, and each took steps to try to conceal
that ambition (as was the custom of the times).
Both served as vice president and then
as president. And both men totally devoted their lives to
the Revolution and building of a new nation – they were
true patriots.
JEFFERSON’S FEET OF CLAY
What I found fascinating about this
book was McCullough’s treatment of Jefferson. He has said
that he started off planning to write a book about both men,
but the more he learned about Jefferson the more he fell out of
love with him. As one who lives in Jefferson’s home town
of Charlottesville, I actually appreciated his comments on
Jefferson’s feet of clay. Nobody is as great as we often
make Jefferson out to be, and McCullough noted
Jefferson’s flaws.
It turns out that Jefferson practiced a
kind of politics that contributes to our current cynicism about
public life. Jefferson used others to attack those whose
positions he opposed. He did so when he became concerned that
Adams actually believed in monarchy for the United States
(Adams didn’t, but his writings left many to wonder about
his true sentiments). When Jefferson started to think that
Washington was building too strong a central government and
allowing the presidency to gain more power than necessary, he
encouraged the editor of a Republican party newspaper to attack
Washington in the paper. And he urged others to use an assumed
name to attack Washington, telling Madison, for instance, to “take
up your pen, select the most striking heresies, and cut him
[Washington] to pieces in the face of the public.”
As Adams’ Vice President, Jefferson
opposed Adams on most key issues. For instance, Jefferson
secretly communicated with a French ambassador to undercut
Adams’ negotiations with the French government at a
critical time in Adams’ presidency. By the fourth year of
the administration, the two men were barely on speaking terms.
In 1800, when Adams and Jefferson both ran
for President, Jefferson hired a scandalmonger named Callender
to make vicious attacks on Adams. Jefferson approved of
Callender’s writings in advance, and made sure his
connection to Callender didn’t become public.
Callender’s writings were so outrageous he was tried and
convicted for inciting the people against their president, and
served nine months in jail.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN
FROM ADAMS?
FROM ADAMS?
You might be thinking that Adams
must have contributed his share to the declining relationship
with Jefferson. No doubt that’s true. My point
isn’t to hold Adams up as a saint. The man brought many
of his problems on himself. Rather, I’m struck by the
similarities between Adams’s career in public office, and
those of many public managers today.
First, Adams prided himself on being a
man of character, which he certainly was. But there were times
when he could have used Jefferson’s gifts of diplomatic
language; his tendency to tell people just what he thought
often undercut his effectiveness. Second, Adams was often
enraged by the political maneuvering going on around him, even
by members of his cabinet when he was president. He would have
benefitted from a taking a cool, skeptical view of those who
called themselves his allies. Third, Adams worried endlessly
that his extraordinary contributions to the young republic
would be forgotten by later generations (until recently that
was largely true). He didn’t understand what Jefferson
knew; that in this unfair world it helps to have a
“publicist.” James Madison often served in that
role for Jefferson, and Madison proved extremely effective in
saying things on Jefferson’s behalf that Jefferson
couldn’t say without appearing egotistical and overly
ambitious.
Finally, Adams might have worried
less and enjoyed his early and middle years more had he
understood something my mom used to teach us. She said
that one of the secrets to life is, “you have to live
long enough!” In Adams’ later years he struck up a
correspondence and a new, warm relationship with Jefferson, and
their letters are a treasure for anyone wanting to learn about
the mind sets of our nation’s founders. He lived to see
his son, John Quincy Adams, elected to the presidency. And his
confidence in the future of the American experiment only grew
with time.
Being a leader in public life today can
be extremely frustrating; do 25 great things for your
constituents and they’re all forgotten when you
disappoint them once. We can enjoy our government service more
if we take these lessons from John Adams’s life:
character is critical, but a diplomatic tongue is too; be
careful about assuming your allies are acting in your interest;
realize that your good works won’t necessarily
speak for themselves and that it helps to find someone who
tells your story for you; and take the long view. That long
view, and a healthy sense of humor, are especially important in
today’s political climate. 
For more information:
Russell M. Linden, PhD
Principal
Principal
Russ Linden & Assoc.
609 E. Market St.
Suite 206
Charlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 979-6421
www.russlinden.com