Thoughts on Government - Wikipedia

Thoughts on Government - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoughts_on_Government Thoughts on Government, or in full Thoughts on Government, Applicable to the Present State of the American Colonies, was written by John Adams during the spring of 1776 in response to a resolution of the North Carolina Provincial Congress which requested Adams' suggestions on the establishment of a new government and the drafting of a constitution. Adams says that "Politics is the Science of human Happiness -and the Felicity of Societies depends on the Constitutions of Government under which they live." Many of the ideas put forth in Adams' essay were adopted in December 1776 by the framers of North Carolina's first constitution. The document is notable in that Adams sketches out the three branches of American government: the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, all with a system of checks and balances. Furthermore, in response to Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Adams rejects the idea of a single legislative body, fearing it may become tyrannical or self-serving (as in the case of the Netherlands at the time). Thus, Adams also conceived of the idea that two legislative bodies should serve as checks to the power of the The book Thoughts on Government other.[1] by John Adams (1776) Constitutionalism Rule according to higher law 1. John Adams by David McCullough, Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 2001. Pg 102-103. ISBN 978-0-684-81363-9 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thoughts_on_Government&oldid=917246409" This page was last edited on 22 September 2019, at 23:33 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. 1 of 1 9/24/2019, 4:01 PM.

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John Adams Contemporaries
17 150-163 Found2 AK 9/13/07 11:27 AM Page 150 Answer Key John Adams contemporaries. These students may point out that Adams penned defenses Handout A—John Adams of American rights in the 1770s and was (1735–1826) one of the earliest advocates of colonial 1. Adams played a leading role in the First independence from Great Britain. They Continental Congress, serving on ninety may also mention that his authorship committees and chairing twenty-five of of the Massachusetts Constitution and these.An early advocate of independence Declaration of Rights of 1780 makes from Great Britain, in 1776 he penned him a champion of individual liberty. his Thoughts on Government, describing 5. Some students may suggest that gov- how government should be arranged. ernment may limit speech when the He headed the committee charged public safety requires it. Others may with writing the Declaration of Inde- suggest that offensive or obscene pendence. He served on the commis- speech may be restricted. Still other sion that negotiated the Treaty of Paris, students will argue against any limita- which ended the Revolutionary War. tions on freedom of speech. 2. Adams was not present at the Consti- tutional Convention. However, while serving as an American diplomat in Handout B—Vocabulary and London, he followed the proceedings. Context Questions Adams and Jefferson urged Congress 1. Vocabulary to yield to the Anti-Federalist demand a. disagreed for the Bill of Rights as a condition for b. caused ratifying the proposed Constitution. c. until now 3. The Alien and Sedition Acts gave the d.
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Construction of the Massachusetts Constitution
Construction of the Massachusetts Constitution ROBERT J. TAYLOR J. HI s YEAR marks tbe 200tb anniversary of tbe Massacbu- setts Constitution, the oldest written organic law still in oper- ation anywhere in the world; and, despite its 113 amendments, its basic structure is largely intact. The constitution of the Commonwealth is, of course, more tban just long-lived. It in- fluenced the efforts at constitution-making of otber states, usu- ally on their second try, and it contributed to tbe shaping of tbe United States Constitution. Tbe Massachusetts experience was important in two major respects. It was decided tbat an organic law should have tbe approval of two-tbirds of tbe state's free male inbabitants twenty-one years old and older; and tbat it sbould be drafted by a convention specially called and chosen for tbat sole purpose. To use the words of a scholar as far back as 1914, Massachusetts gave us 'the fully developed convention.'^ Some of tbe provisions of the resulting constitu- tion were original, but tbe framers borrowed heavily as well. Altbough a number of historians have written at length about this constitution, notably Prof. Samuel Eliot Morison in sev- eral essays, none bas discussed its construction in detail.^ This paper in a slightly different form was read at the annual meeting of the American Antiquarian Society on October IS, 1980. ' Andrew C. McLaughlin, 'American History and American Democracy,' American Historical Review 20(January 1915):26*-65. 2 'The Struggle over the Adoption of the Constitution of Massachusetts, 1780," Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society 50 ( 1916-17 ) : 353-4 W; A History of the Constitution of Massachusetts (Boston, 1917); 'The Formation of the Massachusetts Constitution,' Massachusetts Law Quarterly 40(December 1955):1-17.
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The Stamp Act Crisis (1765)
Click Print on your browser to print the article. Close this window to return to the ANB Online. Adams, John (19 Oct. 1735-4 July 1826), second president of the United States, diplomat, and political theorist, was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts, the son of John Adams (1691-1760), a shoemaker, selectman, and deacon, and Susanna Boylston. He claimed as a young man to have indulged in "a constant dissipation among amusements," such as swimming, fishing, and especially shooting, and wished to be a farmer. However, his father insisted that he follow in the footsteps of his uncle Joseph Adams, attend Harvard College, and become a clergyman. John consented, applied himself to his studies, and developed a passion for learning but refused to become a minister. He felt little love for "frigid John Calvin" and the rigid moral standards expected of New England Congregationalist ministers. John Adams. After a painting by Gilbert Stuart. Adams was also ambitious to make more of a figure than could Courtesy of the Library of Congress (LC- USZ62-13002 DLC). be expected in the local pulpits. So despite the disadvantages of becoming a lawyer, "fumbling and racking amidst the rubbish of writs . pleas, ejectments" and often fomenting "more quarrels than he composes," enriching "himself at the expense of impoverishing others more honest and deserving," Adams fixed on the law as an avenue to "glory" through obtaining "the more important offices of the State." Even in his youth, Adams was aware he possessed a "vanity," which he sought to sublimate in public service: "Reputation ought to be the perpetual subject of my thoughts, and the aim of my behaviour." Adams began reading law with attorney James Putnam in Worcester immediately after graduation from Harvard College in 1755.
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A Republican Abroad: John Adams and the Diplomacy of the American Revolution
W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1991 A Republican Abroad: John Adams and the Diplomacy of the American Revolution Robert Wilmer Smith College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the International Relations Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Smith, Robert Wilmer, "A Republican Abroad: John Adams and the Diplomacy of the American Revolution" (1991). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625694. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-ggdh-n397 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A REPUBLICAN ABROAD: JOHN ADAMS AND THE DIPLOMACY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfilment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts By Robert W. Smith, Jr. 1991 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Robert W.Smith, Jy. Approved, April 1991 Joh: . Selbv Edward P. Crapcjl Thomas F. Sheppa TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................ iv ABSTRACT......................................... v INTRODUCTION.....................................2 PART I. A VIRTUOUS REPUBLIC.....................5 PART II. A COMMERCIAL REPUBLIC................ 16 PART III. THE DIPLOMACY OF A SHORT WAR......... 27 PART IV. JOHN ADAMS IN PARIS...................38 PART V.
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American Political Thought, Spring 2019
San José State University Department of Political Science POLS 163, American Political Thought, Spring 2019 Course and Contact Information Instructor: Kenneth B. Peter Office Location: Clark 449 Telephone: (408) 924-5562 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesday 2-4, Wednesday 12-1 (selected Wednesdays 2-3 instead), and by appointment Class Days/Time: Monday and Wednesday 10:30-11:45 Classroom: DMH 149A Canvas learning management system Course materials can be found on the Canvas learning management system course website. You can learn how to access this site at this web address: http://www.sjsu.edu/at/ec/canvas/ Course Description This course: Many of the political ideas which Americans take for granted were once new and controversial. This course seeks to reawaken the great debates which shaped our political heritage. American political theory is very different from the more famous tradition of European political theory. While APT has important European roots, it also reflects the unique historical and cultural circumstances of America. For example, Americans have tended to be suspicious of abstract theory (maybe this includes you!) As a result, APT tends to be less abstract, less idealistic, and more practical than European theory. Furthermore, the American experiment was faced from the start with an intense debate over inclusion--who would be included as citizens? The presence of slaves and Native Americans in a nation that was initially dominated by European colonizers led to contradictions within their political theories which they sought to suppress, to explain, or to reform. American Political Thought, Spring 2018 Page 1 of 21 This course focuses primarily on the American constitutional founding period.
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The Misunderstood Philosophy of Thomas Paine
THE MISUNDERSTOOD PHILOSOPHY OF THOMAS PAINE A Thesis Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of History Jason Kinsel December, 2015 THE MISUNDERSTOOD PHILOSOPHY OF THOMAS PAINE Jason Kinsel Thesis Approved: Accepted: ______________________________ _____________________________ Advisor Dean of the College Dr. Walter Hixson Dr. Chand Midha ______________________________ ______________________________ Faculty Reader Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Martino-Trutor Dr. Chand Midha ______________________________ ______________________________ Department Chair Date Dr. Martin Wainwright ii ABSTRACT The name Thomas Paine is often associated with his political pamphlet Common Sense. The importance of “Common Sense” in regards to the American Revolution has been researched and debated by historians, political scientists, and literary scholars. While they acknowledge that Paine’s ideas and writing style helped to popularize the idea of separation from Great Britain in 1776, a thorough analysis of the entirety of Paine’s philosophy has yet to be completed. Modern scholars have had great difficulty with categorizing works such as, The Rights of Man, Agrarian Justice, and Paine’s Dissertation on First Principles of Government. Ultimately, these scholars feel most comfortable with associating Paine with the English philosopher John Locke. This thesis will show that Paine developed a unique political philosophy that is not only different from Locke’s in style, but fundamentally opposed to the system of government designed by Locke in his Second Treatise of Government. Furthermore, I will provide evidence that Paine’s contemporary’s in the American Colonies and Great Britain vehemently denied that Paine’s ideas resembled those of Locke in any way.
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Adams on Adams
University of Kentucky UKnowledge American Politics Political Science 2004 Adams on Adams Paul M. Zall Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Zall, Paul M., "Adams on Adams" (2004). American Politics. 5. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_political_science_american_politics/5 Adams on Adams Adan1s ACian1s Selected and Edited by Paul M. Zall THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY Publication of this volume was made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Copyright © 2004 by The University Press of Kentucky Paperback edition 2009 The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com Frontispiece: From: Virginia F. Townsend, Our Presidents (NY: Worthington, 1889). Courtesy of Huntington Library. Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-0-8131-9265-9 (pbk: acid-free paper) This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
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The Unbending Pillars of John Adams's Political Philosophy
Bates College SCARAB Honors Theses Capstone Projects Spring 5-2012 The nbU ending Pillars of John Adams's Political Philosophy Anna Kane Wallman Bates College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses Recommended Citation Wallman, Anna Kane, "The nbeU nding Pillars of John Adams's Political Philosophy" (2012). Honors Theses. 48. http://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses/48 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Capstone Projects at SCARAB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of SCARAB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Unbending Pillars of John Adams's Political Philosophy An Honors Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History Bates College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts by Anna Wallman Lewiston, Maine March 23, 2012 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Cole for his unparalleled sagacity and devotion. And for the constant challenge to his students do better; I think we’ll all benefit from that one in the end. I thank my mother for her inconceivably constant love. I thank my father for many hours of intensive discussions about John Adams. And I thank both of them for agreeing to take part in biweekly drama sessions on the phone. Thank you to my friends for giving me slack about my diminished social life and my hazy future after majoring in history, and for the constant reminders that this would be worth it come March.
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Samuel Adams (1722–1803)
06 028-039 Found2 AdamsS 9/13/07 11:02 AM Page 33 Handout A SAMUEL ADAMS (1722–1803) The country shall be independent, and we will be satisfied with nothing short of it. —Samuel Adams, 1774 r r The sharp knock on the door startled Samuel Adams. Huddled over his desk, attired in a worn shirt, he was composing yet another article for the Boston Gazette about the plan of the British government to reduce his fellow American colonists to slavery. As he tried to ignore the disturbance and finish the sentence on which he was working, a second knock, more insistent and louder, echoed through his house. Grumbling, Adams put his pen down and walked to the front door. Upon opening it, he recognized a local merchant, who held a brand- new gentleman’s suit made of fine silk and red in color. Adams, knowing that he had not purchased such an item, looked curiously at the man. The merchant informed Adams that the suit was an anonymous gift, purchased by Adams’s friends. They hoped that the great Patriot leader, who considered luxuries like fine clothes un-republican, would wear the suit to the Continental Congress, to which Adams had recently been elected. The clothier handed the suit to the surprised Adams, who absent-mindedly shut the door and stood there stunned, staring at the splendid suit, which seemed so out of place in his modest home. Background Samuel Adams was born on September 22, 1722, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He entered Harvard College at the age of fourteen.
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John Adams, Thoughts on Government 1776
John Adams, Thoughts on Government (1776) John Adams, arguably one of the most learned of the American revolutionaries and certainly more advanced in political thought than many others, laid out his ideas for a new style of government in 1776. Here he describes a model colonial government that has a two-house legislature and a separate judiciary and executive, and he makes provisions for public education and a participatory military. If I was equal to the task of forming a plan for the government of a colony, I should be flattered with your request, and very happy to comply with it; because, as the divine science of politics is the science of social happiness, and the blessings of society depend entirely on the constitutions of government, which are generally institutions that last for many generations, there can be no employment more agreeable to a benevolent mind than a research after the best. Pope flattered tyrants too much when he said, "For forms of government let fools contest, That which is best administered is best." Nothing can be more fallacious than this. But poets read history to collect flowers, not fruits; they attend to fanciful images, not the effects of social institutions. Nothing is more certain, from the history of nations and nature of man, than that some forms of government are better fitted for being well administered than others. We ought to consider what is the end of government, before we determine which is the best form. Upon this point all speculative politicians will agree, that the happiness of society is the end of government, as all divines and moral philosophers will agree that the happiness of the individual is the end of man.
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War and Constitution-Making in Revolutionary Massachusetts, 1754-1788 James Fred Hrdlicka Garfield Heights, Ohio B.A. University
War and Constitution-Making in Revolutionary Massachusetts, 1754-1788 James Fred Hrdlicka Garfield Heights, Ohio B.A. University of Notre Dame, 2010 M.A. University of Virginia, 2012 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Corcoran Department of History University of Virginia August 2016 Abstract Throughout the Revolutionary era, Americans embraced the capacity of constitutional government at all levels to mobilize power to achieve desired ends. This study explores how and why the inhabitants of one province-turned-state looked to the institutions, practices, and authority of constitutional government to address the myriad challenges they faced between the French and Indian War and the ratification of the United States Constitution. In these years, people in Massachusetts viewed constitutions as more than sets of theoretical propositions designed to limit the power of those who ruled, and they appreciated them not only because they provided opportunities to declare inviolable rights. Constitutions also comprised practical plans of government through which the populace could effectively mobilize power during times of greatest strain. War and its burdens thus formed the essential backdrop as inhabitants considered what made for legitimate and effective government. In no other context did government demand so much of them; at no other times were they presented with as many opportunities to consider the nature of their attachments to the state and to each other. This study properly situates the narrative of constitutional development by first examining the process by which authorities worked with the populace to mobilize men and resources for war and the specific contexts of governance in which that process occurred.
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Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2008 Republican mothers of and above their time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston Joanna Lyn Reynolds West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Reynolds, Joanna Lyn, "Republican mothers of and above their time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston" (2008). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 787. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/787 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Republican Mothers of and above Their Time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston Joanna Lyn Reynolds Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Mary Lou Lustig, Ph.D., Chair Ken Fones-Wolf, Ph.D. Katherine Aaslestad, Ph.D. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2008 Keywords: Republican Mother, Abigail Adams, Theodosia Burr Alston Copyright 2008 Joanna Lyn Reynolds ABSTRACT Republican Mothers of and above Their Time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston Joanna Lyn Reynolds Unique in their time, Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston possessed intellectual accomplishments, social prominence, and economic status.
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