1From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 15 March 1791 (Adams Papers)
Thank you for yours of Feb. 27. You seem to threaten me with a Place in the Pages of some Tory Historian. If the Party “to a man supposed me the most energetic Plotter and intrepid Projector of all the Authors of the Revolution” I shall no doubt have it. The Papers signed Novanglus, and the Controversy with Brattle about the Independence of the Judges they could be no strangers to. Nor could...
2From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 7 September 1798 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for this respectfull Address. The Existence of the Independence of any Nation, cannot be more grossly attacked, the Sovereign Rights of a Country cannot be more offensively violated, than by a refusal to receive Ambassadors sent as Ministers of Explanation and Concord; especially, if such refusal is accompanied with public and notorious circumstances of deliberate, Indignity,...
3From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 25 February 1800 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favor of the 17th & thank you for the information & opinion you give me respecting a dock yard which will be considered with all others upon the same subject in due time.—I thank you too for your letter, on a name for our Country. I have never thought much on this subject, & believe it had better be in silence for the present. Americans is a very comprehensive word, & has...
4From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 14 November 1800 (Adams Papers)
I have recd with great pleasure your favour of the fifth. Of the Book which my Enemy has written you shall hear more, hereafter. My Character Shall not lie under that load. I will not write in Newspapers nor in Pamphlets, while I am in my present Station, against that Pamphlet. Personal Injuries! I cry you mercy, what personal Injuries? Is making his Nephew a Captain a personal Injury? Is...
5From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 19 November 1800 (Adams Papers)
In your late Letter you intimate that a certain Gentleman is not a Friend to the present Administration nor to those measures which will be necessary. I am anxious to be informed more particularly of the extent of your meaning. I always lived in friendship with him. He always visited me, till the British Treaty. Since that he has estranged himself. It can be nothing personal that I know of....
6From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 13 December 1800 (Adams Papers)
Thank you for your favour of 30 Nov. No reply will be made while I am a public Man—Perhaps none will ever be made. But I make no Promises. Before this Letter reaches you, the duration of my Station, to which you apply Such Sublime Epithets that I dare not repeat them, will be ascertained to your Satisfaction as it is now to mine. If nothing flew on Eagles Wings as Said or done by me, but what...
7From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 25 December 1800 (Adams Papers)
It is plain from Mr. Hamiltons pamphlet & from all the writings against the negotiation with France that neither that gentleman nor his fellow laborers in the great work of detraction have ever known the rise and progress of the measures they have successfully misrepresented & abused. In order to correct the public opinion, I inclose you authenticated copies of the messages, which I pray you...
8From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 25 December 1800 (Adams Papers)
I had last night, yours of the 24th.—The Anxiety of the two Setts of Persons you mention is eer this time relieved. Perhaps it may have been Succeeded by another. The Plan of bringing in Mr Pinckney by tacking him to my shoulder as a Rider, has not only been defeated but two opposite Characters have been brought in, with Splendid Tryumph. If 99 in 100 would have wonderd at the premature...
9From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 20 January 1801 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your favour of the 9th. You ask, if it is true that Hamilton and Burr are on an easy and friendly footing? I have heard they are. But Hamilton has written several Letters to his Correspondents in this place, (one Gentleman of high Character told me he had seen three) earnestly dissuading from the Election of Burr, and exhorting the Election of Jefferson as the least of two...
10From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 5 June 1813 (Adams Papers)
“You ‘never profoundly admired Mr. H.’ I have suggested some hints in his favor. You ‘never profoundly admired Mr. S. A.’ I have promised you an apology for him. You may think it a weak one; for I have no talent at panegyric or apology. ‘There are all sorts of men in the world.’ This observation, you may say, is self-evident and futile; yet Mr. Locke thought it not unworthy of him to make it;...
11From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 9 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your kind Letter of the fifth—of this month—which—our meritorious friend Mr. Shaw, put into my hand, yesterday, I had before seen the paragraph in the Daily Advertiser— The Baron De Greishm—himself, in a subsequent vol—Sufficiently explains, and confutes the Error—of the rumour which had been propagated, I know not by whom in 1782—. You will find at the End of the first Vol—of...
12From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 14 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
Some of those publications, which in France, as you very well know, are called foreign Gazettes & journals, announced to the world in 1782 that the Congress of the United States of America had directed Dr Franklin, and Mr Adams to request the Abby de Mably to furnish them with a plan, or a code of laws for their future government. By whom so ridiculous a fiction was imagined, and how it found...
13From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 17 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
As in your favour of the fifth, you seem to regret “the Intermission of our Correspondence, your Renewall of it, may cost you more than you expected, namely a Surfeit of it. I wrote you on the 9th. a little Volume, upon a frivolous Anecdote of the voluminous Baron De Grimm, which he has himself corrected in a Subsequent Period of his own Correspondence. As I find this Mystery is circulating in...
14From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 22 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
The mail of yesterday, brought me your favour of the 19th I presume you had not then received my little packet of the 17th containing little notes in the hand writing of De Mably and Marmontell. You Sir and your Son have my consent to do what you please with all my letters only excepting a request, that you would return to me the original notes from De Mably and Marmontel and their French...
15From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 24 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favour of the 22d, & the French translation of my letter with Mably’s, & Marmontels original billets, which I lent to your father. You are welcome to publish the whole or any part of my Letters to your father & the papers I sent him—You may insert them in your own way & I have no objection to your stating that they came from your & y’r fathers & your Grandfathers / friend...
16From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 25 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
In my letter of yesterday—I forgot to answer your question concerning Marmontels thoughts of writing on American affairs. Marmontel had been appointed by the King—Histiographer of France, while I was there. I suppose that thinking—the the Duties of his office would require him to write on the connection between this country France & America & hearing of my letter to De Mably—desired to see it....
17From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 5 November 1816 (Adams Papers)
Though your Son is engaged in an honourable and a laudable pursuit, I apprehend he is not quite aware of all the embarrassments in his way. his objects are the literature and the history of his country. I will pass by the first for the present and confine myself to the second There were two pivots upon which the American revolution turned, These were The controversy between Governor Hutchinson...
18From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 7 November 1816 (Adams Papers)
I like this prompt and quick correspondences, I have received your Sons acknowledgement dated the 6th of my letter to you of the 5th. Your Sons letter has greatly obliged me and I cordially wish him success but he has proposed to me a plan that would increase, my already established reputation for Vanity and Egotism to a mountain as high as blue hill, Wachusett or Monadnock. Before any...
19From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 16 November 1816 (Adams Papers)
Your favour of the 11th. has conjured up, in my Imagination so many Ghosts that I am in danger of being frightened as much as the Old Lady of Endor was at the Light of Samuel.— Many are the Years, in which I have Seriously endeavoured to Strip from my Mind every prejudice, and from my heart every Feeling, unfavourable to Mr Hutchinson. The subject is so familiar to my thoughts that I could...
20From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 25 November 1816 (Adams Papers)
We need not fear that Mr Hutchinsons Character will be injured with Posterity—His every Virtue, and his every Talent and his every Service will be recorded in polite Language, and blazened in Splendid colours; when we, poor Beings who resisted him shall be thrown in Shades of blackness of darkness in the back ground.— I may not live to see, but you may live to see, or if you should not your...
21From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 7 December 1816 (Adams Papers)
Knowing as I do the importance of your office & the punctuality with which you fulfill the duties of it, your apology in your favour of the second was unnecessary for me, who have so long known your fidelity, and your friendship. You ask me to sketch the portrait of Mr Hutchinson. your pencil is more polished than mine; I will enter into contract with you; if you will paint Mr Washington and...
22From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 18 December 1816 (Adams Papers)
Your kind letter of the 13th contains much truth, and nothing but the truth. I may return to it hereafter, but at present, with your leave, I will continue a few hints on the judicial character of Chief Justice Hutchinson. I pass over that scenery which he introduced, so showy & so shallow, so theatrical & so ecclesiastical, of scarlet and sable robes, of broad bands, & enormous tie wigs, more...
23From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 30 December 1816 (Adams Papers)
I cannot say whether I ought to laugh, or cry, or scold, in reporting the trial of Michael Corbet & his three Comrades. You must remember it. A volume would be necessary to relate this cause as it ought to be, but never will be related. The trial was before a special Court of Vice-admiralty, instituted by a special act of Parliament for the trial of piracy and murder on the high seas. The...
24From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 11 January 1817 (Adams Papers)
Dr Morse having undertaken to continue Trumbul’s History: wrote urgently to me to assist him. I wrote him a few Anecdotes in a few Letters which he regularly acknowledged but my Facts were so new to him and so ill calculated to promote the Sale of his projected Book, that he soon neglected to answer me. There our Correspondence ended. You attempted to “bring the Old Gentleman out.” You have...
25From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 19 January 1817 (Adams Papers)
Thanks for your favour of the 14th. You urge me to explain the secret of Hutchinsons conduct. I have explained in my letter of the 11th. It was fear of explanations before the people of the doctrine of Impressments You may have but another nail upon the head; and there had been before and were afterwards many such nails, but they are too frivolous to be remembered one only, excepted, before...
26From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 24 January 1817 (Adams Papers)
Bernard, Hutchinson, Oliver, the Commissioners of the customs, and their Satellites had an Espionage as inquisitive, as zealous, and as faithful, as that in France, before, during, or since the Revolution, by which the Tories were better informed of the anecdote, which I am about to relate to you, than the Whigs themselves were in general. That the Tory histories, may not hereafter...
27From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 4 February 1817 (Adams Papers)
Your worthy son, William, in a kind letter of the 2d. has asked my opinion of “Pownall’s Administration of the Collonies, and of its auther.” It is nearly forty years since I read the Work, and I cannot read it again; but I would advise Mr Tudor to read it, and his Memorial to the Sovereigns of the United States Europe, and another to his own Sovereign, and a third to the Sovereigns of the...
28From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 14 February 1817 (Adams Papers)
The Metaphysical, Theological, Ecclesiasticcal and political Pendulums, which all go to gether, like clockwork, have swung to the Utmost extremity, one way: and are now, taking a Contrary direction, and there is reason to fear, will produce as many Calamaties to mankind as the former Vibration.—Our dear Country my dear Tudor, has an important Part to act in the drama before us.—How humble...
29From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 8 March 1817 (Adams Papers)
“Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity!” The French have a distinction, between Eulogy and Apology. I know not under which of these heads to class, the following anecdote. Governor Hutchinson, in the plenitude of his Vanity and self sufficiency, thought he could convince all America and all Europe, that the Parliament of Great Britain had an authority supreme, sovereign, absolute and...
30From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 29 March 1817 (Adams Papers)
Is your daughter, Mrs Stewart, who I am credibly informed is one of the most accomplished Ladies, a Painter? Are you acquainted with Miss Lydia Smith, who I am also credibly informed is one of he most accomplished Ladies and a Painter? Do you know Mr. Sargent? Do you correspond with your old companion in Arms Colo. John Trumbull? Do you think Fisher will be an historical Painter? Whenever you...