A high-resolution version of this object is only available for registered users - register here.
High-resolution images are also available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription or click here for more information.
- GLC#
- GLC00424
- Type
- Letters
- Date
- November 11, 1807
- Author/Creator
- Adams, John, 1735-1826
- Title
- to Benjamin Rush
- Place Written
- Quincy, Massachusetts
- Pagination
- 4 p. : Height: 25 cm, Width: 22 cm
- Language
- English
- Primary time period
- The New Nation, 1783-1815
- Sub-Era
- The Age of Jefferson & Madison
Addressed to "My dear Phylosopher [sic] and Friend," this letter discusses George Washington, France and scientific societies. Adams dwells ironically at great length upon those "talents" which brought about Washington's "elevation above his Fellows." The ten talents include a "handsome Face" and "tall Stature", coming from Virginia ("Virginian Geese are all Swans"), the "Gift of Silence," self-control, and his ability to hide his temper. His letter concludes that he ought never have agreed to the appointment of Washington Commander of the Army (during the Quasi-War) with Hamilton, and he argues that had Washington lived, he would have been elected president and appointed Hamilton commander in chief of the Army. "Washington ought either to have never gone out of Public Life, or he ought never to have come in again."
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
- Copyright Notice
- The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.