“[John] Adams was the best and most colorful stylist among the Founders. Although [Tomas] Jefferson is widely regarded as the smoothest writer, Adams is by far the most engaging and imaginative.” FoundersEngagingImaginativeColorfulStylistTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“I think [John's Adams] descriptions of the personalities of [Benjamin] Franklin and [Tomas] Jefferson and others were pretty accurate. It is only when he felt he was wronged by them that he lets loose his anger and resentment.” ThinkingFeltPersonalityDescriptionResentmentAccurateFranklinWrongedAnger And ResentmentTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“[John Adams] is impressed with [Tomas] Jefferson's learning, but noted his silence during the debates in the Congress: "I never heard him utter three Sentences together."” TogetherThreeSilenceHeardCongressSentencesDebateImpressedTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“[John Adams] always felt that his contribution to bringing about independence went unappreciated, especially after the 1790s when [Tomas] Jefferson began to be lauded as the "author" of the Declaration of Independence.” FeltIndependenceContributionDeclarationDeclaration Of IndependenceTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“The Declaration [of Independence] was a committee report, and [Tomas] Jefferson was simply the draftsman. [John] Adams's crucial role in bringing about independence in the Continental Congress has tended to get forgotten.” RolesIndependenceForgottenCongressReportsCrucialCommitteesDeclarationDeclaration Of IndependenceContinentalTomas JeffersonDraftsman Author:Gordon S. Wood
“[John] Adams's perception of Europe, and especially France, was clearly different than [Tomas] Jefferson's. For Jefferson, the luxury and sophistication of Europe only made American simplicity and virtue appear dearer. For Adams, by contrast, Europe represented what America was fast becoming - a society consumed by luxury and vice and fundamentally riven by a struggle between rich and poor, gentlemen and commoners.” MadeDifferentAmericaPoorStruggleVirtueRichBecomingPerceptionEuropeSimplicityVicesLuxuryFranceGentlemanContrastConsumedRich And PoorSophisticationCommonersTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“The relationship between [John] Adams and [Tomas] Jefferson was extraordinary. They differed on every conceivable issue, except on the Revolution and the love of their country.” CountryIssuesRevolutionExtraordinaryTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“[John Adams and Tomas Jefferson] shared experience in 1775 - 1776 in bringing about the separation from Britain and their service in Europe cemented a friendship that in the end withstood the most serious political and religious differences that one could imagine, especially their differences over the French Revolution. It was probably Jefferson's obsession with politeness and civility that kept the relationship from becoming irreparably broken.” EndsPoliticalDifferencesReligiousImagineSeriousBrokenRevolutionBecomingEuropeSeparationObsessionBritainCivilityPolitenessFrench RevolutionShared ExperiencesTomas JeffersonReligious Differences Author:Gordon S. Wood
“After [Tomas] Jefferson's defeat of [John] Adams in the presidential election of 1800, they didn't communicate with one another for more than a decade.” ElectionDefeatCommunicateDecadesPresidentialPresidential ElectionTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“A mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, brought [Tomas Jefferson and John Adams] together in 1812, and they went on to exchange letters for the rest of their lives. But in their correspondence they tended to avoid the most controversial issues, such as slavery.” TogetherIssuesLettersSlaveryMutualControversialCorrespondenceControversial IssuesTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“Again and again [Tomas] Jefferson deftly sidesteps many of [John] Adams's often provocative remarks. They both felt the correspondence, which was written for posterity, was too important to risk by being too candid with one another.” ImportantFeltWrittenRiskAgain And AgainRemarksPosterityProvocativeCorrespondenceCandidTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“[Tomas] Jefferson believed that the United States was a chosen nation with a special responsibility to spread democracy around the world.” WorldStatesNationsUnitedResponsibilityUnited StatesDemocracySpecialSpreadChosenAround The WorldTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
“More than any other figure in our history [Tomas] Jefferson is responsible for the idea of American exceptionalism.” IdeasFiguresResponsibleExceptionalismAmerican ExceptionalismTomas Jefferson Author:Gordon S. Wood
