51From John Adams to George Mason Jr., 4 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
With great pleasure, I received your kind letter of the twenty fifth of last month, give me leave to congratulate you on your marriage, the increase of your family, and your happy settlement on your plantation. I have known by repeated experience enough of the pleasure of returning from the life of a traveller in Europe, to the pleasures of domestic life, in a calm retreat in the country, to...
52From John Adams to Benjamin Rush, 5 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
Without waiting for an Answer to my last, I will take a little more notice of a Sentiment in one your Letters. You Say you “abhor all Titles.” I will take the familiar freedom of Friendship to say I dont believe you.— Let me explain my self.— I doubt not your Varacity. but I believe you deceive yourself, and have not yet examined your own heart, and recollected the feelings of every day and...
53John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 9 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I thank you my dear Son, for your dutiful Letter of the 28 th. of June, and rejoice, with exceeding Joy, in the recovery of your health My Advice is, to give yourself very little Thought about the Place of your future Residence. a few Months will produce changes that will easily Settle that Question for you. M r Parsons’s great Law Abilities make me wish that the Public may be availed of them,...
54From John Adams to Francis Dana, [10 July 1789] (Adams Papers)
I have received the letter you did me the honor to write on the 26 th of last month and am much obliged to you for it. The Judicial bill is still under consideration of the senate, and altho’ it has undergone many alterations and amendments it is imposible to say what farther changes may be made in the house of representatives. The district Judges may be annihilated altogether, and the number...
55From John Adams to Stephen Higginson, 14 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I received your favor of the 4 th of this month, but not till the impost bill was enacted and published. In the progress of that law, through the several branches of the legislature, the arguments in favor of a drawback on rum were insisted on by several members of each house. But I think it was not shewn with sufficient evidence, nor explained with so much precision as I expected, how it...
56From John Adams to Thomas Mifflin, 14 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have received the letter you did me the honor to write me on the third of this month, and I thank you for giving me an opportunity of renewing a friendly intercourse which has continued I beleive with some interruption for these seventeen years. I was early acquainted with the activity, Zeal, and Steadiness of Capt: Falconer in the cause of his country: but as the number of competitors for...
57From John Adams to James Sullivan, 14 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favor of the second of this month. The report I mentioned to you in a former letter, was spoken of to me by gentle n: from Rhode Island, who are good citizens. One of these assured me of the fact as of his own knowledge, that there was an intimate intercourse between some of the leading antifederalists in their State and some of the same character in Massachusetts,...
58[John Adams’ Diary resumes.] (Adams Papers)
Mr. Carrol. The Executive Power is commensurate with the Legislative and Judicial Powers. The Rule of Construction of Treaties, Statutes and deeds. The same Power which creates must annihilate.—This is true where the Power is simple, but when compound not. If a Minister is suspected to betray Secrets to an Ennemy, the Senate not sitting, cannot the President displace, nor suspend. The States...
59[Notes of Debates in the United States Senate] July 15. 1789. (Adams Papers)
Mr. Carrol. The Executive Power is commensurate with the Legislative and Judicial Powers. The Rule of Construction of Treaties, Statutes and deeds. The same Power which creates must annihilate.—This is true where the Power is simple, but when compound not. If a Minister is suspected to betray Secrets to an Ennemy, the Senate not sitting, cannot the President displace, nor suspend. The States...
60From John Adams to John Jenks, 15 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I received your letter of the first of this month and thank you for you kind congratulations. The application in favor of Joseph Hiller to be naval officer for the port of Salem must be made by himself or friends to the President. The indispensible duties of my office render it impossible for me to give much attention to nominations and appointments in the executive departments: but if this...
61From John Adams to Benjamin Rush, 15 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have read D r Rush, de moribus Germanorum, with pleasure. As I am a great lover of paradoxes, when defended with ingenuity, I have read also the Phillippic against Latin and Greek, with some amusement: but my reverence for those Languages and the inestimable treasures hoarded up in them is not abated. Jean Jaques Roussseau’s phillippic against the arts and sciences amused informed and...
62From John Adams to William Thompson, [15 July 1789] (Adams Papers)
I have received the letter you did me the honor to write me on the fifth of this month, and am the more earnest to give it an early answer, as from various circumstances, I have been prevented from answering that delivered by Colo; Tudor It is so rare of late, to find a candidate for office, acknowlege the ease and independance of his circumstances, that your frankness in this particular: was...
63From John Adams to James Lovell, 16 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
There is no such point in dispute, as that you mention in your favour of the 9 th. The only question is concerning the title of the first man. All the world sees the absurdity and feels the humiliation of giving the titled of excellency, which is only a provincial, or diplomatic title of the lowest order, to a great Prince vested with the whole executive authority of Government in a nation,...
64From John Adams to Theophilus Parsons, 16 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favor of the eigth of this month, and am much obliged to you for the frank and manly representation it contains, I wish however you had written the same things to the President. I doubt whether the President has prescribed to himself any rule so rigid as that you have heard of to appoint all men who are in possession, against whom there is no complaint of Superior merit...
65To George Washington from John Adams, 16 July 1789 (Washington Papers)
The inclosed letters are from two as respectable characters as any in Massachusetts, containing information which I hope has been transmitted to you, through other channels. But as it is possible, it may be otherwise, it is my duty to lay them before you, which I beg leave to do by the bearer Colo: Smith. With all possible defference and respect I have the honor to be Sir your most obedient...
66From John Adams to Roger Sherman, 17 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have read over with Pleasure, your Observations on the new federal Constitution, and am glad of an opportunity to communicate to you my opinion of some Parts of them. it is by a free and friendly Intercourse of Sentiments that the Friends of our Country may hope for Such an Unanimity of Opinion and Such a Concert of Exertions, as may sooner or later produce the Blessings of good Government,...
67From John Adams to Roger Sherman, 18 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
In my Letter of Yesterday, I think it was demonstrated that the English Constitution is a Republic, and that the Regal Negative upon the Laws, is essential to that Republic: because that without it, that Government would not be what it is a monarchical Republic, and consequently could not preserve the Ballance of Power between, the Executive and Legislative Powers, nor that other Ballance,...
68From John Adams to Roger Sherman, 20 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
There is a Sense, and a degree, in which the Executive, in our Constitution, is blended with the Legislature: The President, has the Power of Suspending a Law; of giving the two Houses an Opportunity to pause, to think, to collect themselves, to reconsider a rash Step of a Majority; he has the Right to Urge all his Reasons against it, by Speech or Message; which becoming Public is an Appeal to...
69From John Adams to Peter Cunningham, 21 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favor of the thirteenth of this month, from the hand of M r M c Guire, and am much obliged to you for the information of your welfare, and the situation of your family. A country life like yours, retired on a farm is sedom acceptable to a man educated in a city and accustomed to the sea: and therefore your inclination to return into the active world is no surprise to me....
70From John Adams to Alexander Hamilton, 21 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
M r Charles Adams, my Second son, the Bearer of this Letter, I beg leave to introduce to you.— He took his degree at our University of Cambridge this Year, and is destined to the Study of the Law.— I wish to get him into some office in New York, and should give the Preference to yours But there are two Contingencies, one possible the other probable in the Way. The first is that Congress may...
71To Alexander Hamilton from John Adams, [21 July 1789] (Hamilton Papers)
Mr Charles Adams, my second son, the Bearer of this Letter, I beg leave to introduce to you. He took his degree at our University of Cambridge this year, and is destined to the Study of the Law. I wish to get him into some office in New York, and should give the Preference to yours. But there are two Contingencies, one possible the other probable in the way. The first is that Congress may...
72From John Adams to Roger Sherman, 22 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
As the Citizens of these States, are all Legislators, or Creators of Legislators, it is, as you observe in your favour of the 20 th. , necessary that Government Should be well understood by them. it is necessary too that We Should understand it alike. That We should all agree in Principles, and the essential Parts of Systems. to this end it is necessary that We understand each others Language,...
73From John Adams to Jeremy Belknap, 24 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have, this morning received your Letter of the 18 th. , George Chalmers, I have Seen in London. He is a Scot, who adventured to Maryland and practised Law,. When Hostilities commenced, he fled to the British Army in N. York. He has much of the Scornful, fastidious Temper of his nation; has been a very bitter Tory: but is a laborious writer. There is no Second Volume of his Annals, and as he...
74From John Adams to Benjamin Rush, 24 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have persecuted you, too much with my Letters.— I beg you would give yourself no trouble to answer them, but when you are quite at Leisure, from more important Business or more agreable Amusement. I deny; that there is or ever was in Europe a more free Republic than England, or that any Liberty on Earth ever equalled English Liberty, notwithstanding the defects in their Constitution. The...
75From John Adams to Benjamin Rush, 28 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
“The Characters, I So much admire among the ancients,” were not “formed wholly by Republican forms of Government”— I admire, Phillip and Alexander, as much as I do Themistocles and Pericles, nay as much as Demosthenes— I admire Pisistratus, almost as much as solon: and think that the Arts, Elegance, Literature and Science of Athens, was his Work and that of his sons, more than of any or all...
76From John Adams to Joseph Hardy, 6 August 1789 (Adams Papers)
In 1779 at Bilbao I was solicited for releif by a number of American seamen who had been captured by the English and turned adrift in Portugal. These wandered to Spain with much difficulty and in great distress. I had no means of supplying them: but M r Gardoqui very generously offered to assist them upon my advice. The article in his account, ought to be allowed him with interest and thanks....
77From John Adams to Henry Marchant, 18 August 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have received your kind and obliging letter of the 16 of July, and am sorry that the extream heat of the weather, and a constant attendance on the duties of an office which is somewhat laborious and fatiguing, have prevented my giving it an earlier answer. The approbation you are pleased to express of my public conduct, is a great satisfaction to me. It is true that I have run through a...
78From John Adams to Sylvanus Bourne, 30 August 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have received your letter of the 18 th of this month and have communicated that to the President, which was inclosed in it. The particular office you sollicit by that letter, will be sought by numbers: and among them probably will be men advanced in life, incumbered with large families, in necessitous circumstances, perhaps occasioned by public services, by depreciated public promises & &—...
79From John Adams to James Lovell, 1 September 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have not yet answered your letter of the 26 of July. You guess well—I find that I shall have all the unpopular questions to determine: and shall soon be pronounced Hostes Republicani generis— What they will do with me I know not, but must trust to providence. You insinuate that I am accused “of deciding in favor of the power of the prime: because I look up to that goal” That I look up to...
80John Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 2 September 1789 (Adams Papers)
I have this morning received your manly letter of 25 th Ult.— I had long intended to write you but as you observe avocations have always intervened. Public business my son, must always be done by somebody.— it will be done by somebody or other— If wise men decline it others will not: if honest men refuse it, others will not. A young man should well weigh his plans. Integrity should be...