Abstract:
The period surrounding the American Revolution was rich in the writing of political thought. Although there was a great amount of bloodshed and strife throughout the era, the Revolutionary War was as much a war of ideas as anything else. Propaganda abounded enflaming the hearts and spirits of the America Patriot cause. But writing that went beyond propaganda to the realm of rich theory also appeared in abundance. After the war ended some of the same political theorists who wrote during the Revolution set out to transform their ideas into action, left as they were with the task of creating new republican governments.
Two men who were as prolific and creative as any of their contemporaries in the realm of political theory were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Both men were united in their support of the Patriot cause and fought the ideological battles of the Revolutionary War side by side. Once the war ended, however, the two men became divided in their views on the formation of the government and on their visions of the future of the newly created republic.
This work is an attempt to trace the development of the political thought of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, to compare their philosophies, and to examine their expectations of the future of their country. The focus is on political theory, not political leadership, but equally important are their attempts to transform thought into action through the formation of federal and state plans of government.
The first two chapters examine the development of and changes in the political theory of Jefferson and Adams. Central to both men's theories was the philosophy of John Locke and the other philosophers of the Enlightenment era. Locke's theory of natural rights influenced both men, but both Adams and Jefferson carried Locke's ideas beyond theory into the realm of practical application in the formation of state constitutions and plans of government. Throughout his life Jefferson held true to his view of man as an inherently rational and moral creature who would generally make the right decisions given the proper education. He wrote his plan of government with those beliefs in mind. Adams with his Puritan upbringing wrote his plan of government keeping in mind his less optimistic views of man's continuous struggle between passion and reason.
The third chapter is a comparison between the two theorists' political views, their writings, and their plans of government. Both sought to expand the political base thereby disseminating political power, but they did so for opposite reasons. Whereas Jefferson fought to include more people in the political system because of his complete faith in them, Adams did so because of his distrust of everyone, rich or poor, in or out of government.
The final part of this work is an examination of Adams' and Jefferson's visions of this country. Both were generous in their correspondence and in other writings in expressing their hopes and dreams for the emerging nation. An examination of their works has led to some interesting and perhaps useful speculations about the United States-- how it has developed in contrast to the hopes of two of its founders, how well or badly it has lived up to the dreams of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both of which will be set forth in the last chapter.
The contributions of Adams and Jefferson to the founding of this country have been recounted many times before. However, it is in the area of theory and ideology that both men wished to be remembered. It is hoped that this thesis will contribute in small part to that desire.