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Copyright © 2008
Mark Cole
“I must be independent as long as I live,” John Adams once said.
And so it all began, the life of this incredible man: lawyer, patriot, diplomat, President, husband and father – and above all else, a man of independence.
His father was a minister and naturally enough was eager for his son to follow in his footsteps. But what Adams as a boy really wanted to do was to become – gasp! – a farmer.
Horrified by this presumptive career choice, Reverend Adams organized a demonstration day of sorts where they would work together for a day, father and son, in the fields under the burning sun, just like farmers. He would show young John what the life of the farmer entailed, day in and day out. Surely that would break the young boy of his belief that the life of the farmer is a good one. Or so he thought.
The day was long and the work was hard. Reverend Adams toiled and sweated. In secret delight, the boy struggled to keep up the pace with his father.
Later, in the debriefing over dinner, a famished, aching and sun-scorched Reverend Adams confidently asked John, “Well, John, are you satisfied with being a farmer?”
“Yes, sir, I like it very much,” the boy proudly answered.
His father’s attempt to straighten out his thinking about farming having failed, John was nonetheless sent back to the Latin school.
Independence forever.
Institutional school was never Adams’ strong suit. He found the teachers pedantic, boring and slow. The young Adams was either way behind, or, when the inclination took hold, as it often did with mathematics, he would dash ahead and do the exercises for the entire book while the rest of the class plodded along together at a more leisurely pace.
Independence forever.
Out of desperation, his father sent John to study one-on-one with a local scholar, Joseph Marsh. Marsh reported back that John had an exceptionally keen mind – though he also reported to Reverend Adams that he was, according to Adams biographer Page Smith:
“…a curious combination of traits – sober and reserved, passionate and intense, stiff and shy yet affectionate and responsive; impulsive, headstrong, sharp-tongued, with an aggressive self-assurance….”
Rarely has a more accurate description of a human being been set forth. Impulsive? Headstrong? Aggressively self-assured?
Independence forever.
As time went on, John Adams lost his exclusive fondness for farming, developed a passion for intellectual pursuits (at least those which interested him), and, no doubt to the relief of his father, attended Harvard and then settled on a legal career.
His legal skills rapidly led him to become the most prominent attorney in Boston. It was not long before he took up the cause of American independence, linking arms with his cousin Sam Adams and fellow Bostonian John Hancock. In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party he wrote, “The die is cast. Swim or sink, live or die, survive or perish with my country was my unalterable determination.”
Independence forever.
At 38, Adams was elected to the Continental Congress as a resolute and steadfast proponent of independence. He forcefully advocated the patriot position every chance he got. But he was more, much more, than just an orator. John Adams was a tireless worker. Eventually he served on some fifty committees, chairing half of them. His legendary work ethic earned him nickname “The Atlas of Independence” as so much of the movement was on his shoulders.
In 1776, the time had arrived. Continental Congressman Adams chaired a special committee charged with the duty of crafting a declaration of independence. The others on the committee were Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingstone, Roger Sherman, and of course, Thomas Jefferson. Adams and Jefferson were responsible for the creation of the document. Jefferson did the actual writing. When the task was complete, each of the committee members, together with 51 other men, pledged their lives, fortune and sacred honor for the cause.
Independence forever.
John Adams was often right about things. But he was convinced he was always
Mark Cole is an attorney who lives in Magnolia, Texas. To learn about how the Great Men of the Past – including men like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson – can help you to fulfill your destiny, please visit http://www.conversationsfromthepast.com.
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