Now Is the Time for a John Adams Memorial
Two hundred and eighty-nine years ago, on Oct. 30, 1735, one of the most important yet least appreciated Founding Fathers was born in a place we now know as Quincy, Massachusetts. The birthday of John Adams provides an opportunity to reflect upon this great patriot’s contributions to the creation of our nation. This moment also highlights the need to establish a national memorial to him and to his family.
On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote his wife, Abigail. He was in the mood to celebrate. The previous day, after months of debate, the Continental Congress had adopted a resolution on independence from Great Britain. “The Second Day of July 1776,” he predicted, “will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.” We continue that tradition, even though we prefer to honor the date written on the Declaration of Independence rather than the one that Adams thought significant.
Yet Adams was a realist who was profoundly aware of the sacrifices that would soon be made by the revolutionary generation: “You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States.”
He also understood, better than any of his contemporaries, the awesome responsibility that he had bequeathed to us. “Posterity!” he wrote. “You will never know, how much it cost the present Generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good Use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.” He wrote these words in April of 1777, during one of the darkest periods of the Revolutionary War, as the British army was beginning its spring offensive against George Washington’s beleaguered Continental forces.
Throughout his long and remarkable life, Adams did more than most to preserve our freedom. Writer of persuasive arguments for colonial rights; delegate to both the First and Second Continental Congresses; member of the Declaration committee; diplomat to France, Holland and England; first vice president of the United States; and second president of the United States. His family carried forth that tradition of public service, with a son who served as a diplomat and as president, and a grandson who prevented Britain from intervening in the Civil War. The strong women in their lives, Abigail and Louisa Catherine in particular, were likewise models of patriotism.
As we remember their achievements, we must also be aware of their expectations of us. Their voices from the past offer guidance in the present. Unlike others in the Revolutionary generation, John Adams left behind a vast trove of letters and other personal papers. They are a priceless resource, but one that has left him open to criticism. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was plagued with self-doubt, and he had no illusions about human nature. It is easy to understand those misgivings, since Adams lived in an era of political polarization and mistrust.
Yet, his correspondence reveals his true character and his innate optimism, even in the face of adversity. “Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory,” he reassured Abigail. “I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph.”
It is a message we should take to heart. We live in another age of political polarization and mistrust. Today, we need John Adams more than ever, for he reminds us of the importance of integrity, sacrifice, and personal responsibility. His family worked tirelessly for those principles they held dear and embodied the greatest hopes for this nation. Their commitment to public service immeasurably strengthened our country and made us the people we are today.
Late in his life, John Adams predicted that “monuments will never be erected to me.” It was a prophetic statement, as there is no companion to the iconic structures built to honor George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. That is an unfortunate omission. If any family deserves a memorial in our national capital, that tribute should be bestowed on John Adams and his descendants. Fortunately, the Adams Memorial Foundation is working to create such a memorial.
Now is the time to build a memorial to John Adams and his family. Let us enable them to take their rightful place alongside the other great Americans who have shaped our nation’s destiny.
Marianne Holdzkom is an associate professor of history at Kennesaw State University and the author of Remembering John Adams: The Second President in History, Memory and Popular Culture. The views expressed here do not represent those of Kennesaw State University.
The post Now Is the Time for a John Adams Memorial appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.