Introduction Summary and Analysis

It is widely known that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third presidents of the United States, died on the same day, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1826. The event marked the end of two lives which had had a dramatic impact on the formation of a nation and that made more difference to the creation of modern democracy than almost any others in history.

Adams and Jefferson were not merely statesmen, but political philosophers. They knew that great events had occurred under their watch and that they had put into practice the political philosophy of English and Continental political theory. The Adams-Jefferson letters indicate that both men were somewhat arrogantly aware of these facts.

The Adams-Jefferson letters record many important historical facts, not only about both men's personalities but to their methods of thoughts...