The Portable John Adams

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Penguin, Jun 29, 2004 - Biography & Autobiography - 576 pages
In addition to being an uncompromising defender of liberty, esteemed diplomat, and successor to George Washington, John Adams was a passionate and prolific writer. Adams biographer John Patrick Diggins gathers an impressive variety of his works in this compact, original volume, including parts of his diary and autobiography, and selections from his rich correspondence with this wife, Abigail, Thomas Jefferson, and others. The Portable John Adams also features his most important political works: “A Dissertation on Canon and Feudal Law,” “Thoughts on Government,” “A Defense of Constitutions,” “Novanglus,” and “Discources in Davila.” There is no finer introduction to the protean genius of this seminal American philosopher.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Contents

Diary and Autobiography
1
Correspondence of John and Abigail Adams
121
Earliest Writings
189
A Dissertation on Canon and Feudal Law
209
Thoughts on Government
233
Novanglus
243
A Defence of the Constitutions of the United States of America
289
Discourses on Davila
337
Correspondence with Roger Sherman and John Taylor
395
Correspondence of John and Abigail Adams with Thomas Jefferson
457
Editors Notes
529
Copyright

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About the author (2004)

John Adams (1735-1826), educated as a lawyer at Harvard, was the Massachusetts delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses. During the Revolutionary War, he served abroad in diplomatic roles and helped negotiate the peace treaty. After serving as Vice President for two terms under George Washington, he was subsequently elected President.

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