Intro

David McCullough’s John Adams was a wonderful read. Chronologically presented, it follows Adams from an ambitious youngster living in Braintree through his time as the second President of the United States to his death on July 4, 1826. Not only did John Adams live through major turning points in history, but he himself was a fascinating figure. Here are some of my main takeaways from reading about John Adams, the individual.

The amorphous nature of leadership

Leadership takes on many different forms. Adam’s style of leadership had to change according to which role he was playing. In his early life, John Adams had a small sphere of influence. In this period, he led primarily by friendship, earning respect from his peers through good conversation and devotion to his studies. For Adams, friendship was paramount, calling it “one of the distinguishing glories of man.”

When Adams began to practice law, his reputation continued to grow due to his professionalism and honesty. I was surprised to learn that John Adams himself served as the legal defense of the British soldiers in the Boston Massacre. He not only accepted the role unhesitatingly despite political pressure, but defended the soldiers exceedingly well, acquitting nearly all of them. In his defense of the soldiers, Adams led by example with his devotion to justice.

The Boston Massacre trial was a launching point for Adams’ political career. His oratory skills made him a figure of prominence in the First Continental Congress. During his time serving on the Continental Congress and as a senior delegate to Europe, John Adams led by initiative and assertiveness. While Thomas Jefferson remained reserved and unconfrontational during his time in the Continental Congress and George Washington was described by Abigail Adams as having a “distant without haughtiness” quality, John Adams took a stance on nearly every issue. Though he could be somewhat abrasive at times, Adams demonstrated remarkable compassion and politeness towards his opponents.

Adam’s role as the first vice president of the U.S. marked a transition in his leadership style. The vice presidential role was more passive than Adam’s had hoped. Instead of spearheading decisions in the senate, the vice president was to “preside” or “oversee” senatorial sessions. Adam’s felt that he was ill-suited for the role, initially embarrassing himself by creating controversy over small decisions like how to formally address the president. Instead of being the central orator, Adam’s role shifted to more of an informed onlooker. By and by, Adams adapted to the role, though he felt at times that: “To be wholly overlooked, and to know it, are intolerable.” He courageously took much of the flak directed at the administration, leaving Washington’s reputation relatively untainted. John Adams led in his role as VP by supporting the administration, remaining hard at work in the background, and casting decisive votes in tie-breaking decisions.

As president, Adams again was cast into an authoritative role. However, instead of the more individualistic crusader that he had been on the Continental Congress and during his time in Europe, Adams now had to learn how to become an administrator and manage his own cabinet.

Though John Adams’ leadership changed throughout his life, his honesty, desire for information to make good decisions, and drive for goals rather than personal glory remained the most defining and important characteristics of his leadership.

Self-Awareness

John Adams was continually reflecting upon his thoughts and actions. As a young man, he started keeping a journal. In letters to Abigail, Jefferson, and Rush, Adams wrote his opinions and asked for advice. David McCullough said in an interview that “Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” In a period where the written word was king (though John Adams would have preferred the word president ;)), John Adams showed an incredible aptitude for thinking clearly. His eloquence was probably partially a product of extensive daily writing and refining.

A young John Adams wrote that “Reputation ought to be the perpetual subject of my thoughts and aim of my behavior”. I laughed a little when I first read this line, but in thinking more about the context, Adam’s goal to refine his reputation was one that made a lot of sense. Reputation sounds a bit superficial, but traits like honesty, hard work, friendship, and open-mindedness that create a good reputation are anything but shallow. He critiqued himself for his vanity and saw this as a character defect that could compromise his reputation.

It is a great joy to read about characters like Adams. McCullough is masterful at highlighting very admirable qualities of Adams among which are his extreme honesty, dedication to learning, sense of humor, and friendship.