The political parties that began congealing during Washington's second term were tested in the election of 1796. It was assumed that the candidates would be "the odd couple of the American Revolution," John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. As charter members of the "Band of Brothers" of '76, they had worked closely together in Philadelphia, Paris, and London, despite their profound political and ideological differences. They gained fame as a team.
Adams' revolutionary credentials were unbeatable. He was sent to Harvard to become a minister, but turned to law. His marriage in 1764 to Abigail Smith and the Stamp Act of 1765 changed his life's course: he stepped forward to lead the rebellion to British policy. At the Continental Congress in 1774, he was "the Atlas of Independence" for resisting reconciliation with England. He lobbied.....
