Reasons why I’d select the dumpy, grumpy sage of Quincy as Favorite Founder are most apparent in the marginalia and correspondence. Focusing on the last quarter century of Adams’ long life, we see him wrestling with his bitterness at electoral defeat, defending his record in interminable newspaper articles, arguing with authors in the margins of their books, and mending fences with former friends and political opponents, Thomas Jefferson being only the most famous. Still, if forced to choose, I’d select John Adams, and Joseph Ellis, with his typical penetrating insights and lucid style, presents a vivid exposition of the reasons why. Much like the balanced government they established, each man seems to act as a check and corrective on the intellectual excesses and spiritual shortcomings of his fellows, making it hard to subscribe fully to any single Founder’s views. It’s impossible to choose a favorite Founder. The Revolutionary Generation’s Supreme Realist
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