Inside the Vault: What Makes a Great Leader?: John Adams Discusses the “Ten Talents” of George Washington
What qualities are most important in a leader? In an 1807 letter to Benjamin Rush, John Adams described George Washington’s “ten talents,” listing such attributes as “An handsome Face,” “A tall Stature,” and “An Elegant form.” Excluding any mention of Washington’s intellect or statesmanship, the letter hints at the shadow that Washington had cast over Adams and his career, and how it shaped his understanding of how to be successful in politics.
Join us on February 6, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss John Adams’s perception of George Washington’s leadership with Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library.
Submit your questions for Dr. Chervinsky here.
Featured Documents
Related Resources
- Essay: “George Washington and the Constitution” by Theodore J. Crackel, History Now 13 (Fall 2007)
- Poem: “His Excellency General Washington” by Phillis Wheatley, 1775
- Spotlight on a Primary Source: “George Washington’s reluctance to become president, 1789”
- Spotlight on a Primary Source: “John Adams describes George Washington’s ten talents, 1807”
- Video: “His Excellency George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis
- Video: “John Adams Describes the ‘Ten Talents’ of George Washington: Document in a Minute” by Gilder Lehrman Staff
- Video: “John Adams: Party of One” by James Grant
I cannot attend the live program. Will it be recorded?
Yes! The program is recorded and sent in an email the following day to everyone who registers.
Future Programs
Inside the Vault: Black Land Ownership and the American Dream in the Jim Crow Era
Our children are entitled to a place in the great open spaces where they can play and have fun unrestricted by race prejudice and oppression.
—Sidney P. Dones, founder of Eureka Villa
In the 1920s, businessman Sidney P. Dones traveled to Black organization meetings across the country to promote his Eureka Villa real estate project in southern California. He promised not only sunshine and a sublime landscape but also a dream of community, agency, and leisure for Black families facing racism and discrimination under Jim Crow.
Join us on March 6, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss a 1926 pamphlet advertising homes in Eureka Villa, California, to Black families with historian Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson.
About Inside the Vault
Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection is an online program that highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. From iconic historical treasures, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation, to personal letters that reveal the contributions of ordinary American citizens, each session will investigate primary sources and discuss their background, impact, and potential use in the classroom.