john adams spearheads the complicated effort to frame a state constitution. this is before the revolution is even over, which has been on adams mind since the publishing his thoughts on government in 1776. he has many helping hands, scores of them, including robert treat paine. the goal is government of laws, not of men protecting natural inalienable rights. adams credits john locke, whose two treatises on government were reprinted in boston. in 1773. paine served on many of those committees and chaired at least ten of them. and among the declaration of rights article. 12 comes out of one of paine's committees and one that he chairs, quote. it's worth quoting no subject shall be compelled to furnish evidence against himself and every subject shall have a right to be fully heard. his defense to meet to meet the witnesses against him face to face and to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the country without whose consent or his own voluntary confession, he cannot finally be declared guilty or sentenced to loss of life, liberty, or property, unquot

but even john adams eventually had to acknowledge the pamphlet's extraordinary power. after the war was won months later, add tams -- adams wrote that -- [inaudible] indeed, this little 46-page pamphlet would soon push the members of the second continental congress to adopt independence as the fundamental objective of their escalating war with britain. their july 1776 declaration of independence owed an obvious department to "common sense." thomas paine had no hand in drafting the declaration, because by then paine was no longer in pennsylvania. he had joined the continental army on its march towards new york to try to capture that city from the british. but the british would soon put the continental army on their back foot, forcing them to retreat back across new jersey towards their headquarters in philadelphia. paine was with them as they advanced forward, he was with them as they had gone back working as an aide throughout that dispiriting summer and fall campaign. it was as the continental army fell back to trenton that tom paine authored the first and most famous

so john adams ridiculous makes it a crime to criticize john adams and jefferson and madison create a party to stop that and they need to and good for them but then that party is a southern party. it has a southern base. the base needs to be fed and pro-slavery base and they go with the party against principle. you see, when it comes to extending the admirable ideas of their use anti slavery to prohibit slavery in louisiana territory madison is saying it's unconstitutional to do the very thing that he pushed in the first congress. that story isn't there's a part of your brain that maybe knows that about jefferson and and madison in 1819 1820. and there's a part of your that knows about the northwest territory. but those two parts haven't talked to each other. there's a part of your brain that knows that fed was ten is anti party but there's another part of your brain that knows that madison and jefferson are creating this political party. but they haven't talked to other. if james madison were alive today. the closer analogy today would not be liz cheney, who is choosing principle abo

thomas jefferson, john adams and james monroe. july 4th, 1850, that president zachary taylor fell ill after attending dedication ceremonies for the new washington monument, dying just five days later after only 16 months in office. >> interesting. so his physicians concluded it was a bacterial infection. he had eaten a large quantity of cherries with iced milk and then several glasses of water. cholera was a major problem in d.c. back then. they had those primitive sewage systems, but other sources claim he died of gastroenteritis caused by the highly acidic cherries combined with the fresh milk. it's kind of amazing that something with the food clearly was the cause. >> but i never heard this before. it feels like a hollywood movie. >> next to celebrating the fourth by plummeting to earth. >> wait, what? yeah. helmet, camera video captured this dramatic jump from a black hawk helicopter over the weekend. look at this. as part of the us army's early independence day celebration on base in hawaii. that's sergeant first class jonath

so if you've got john adams on your side, i don't think you need much more proof. one for the road here. so overall, what are your thoughts after you wrote this book about thomas jefferson? yeah, it's i would like to go back in time and talk to my ninth grade history teacher and ask mrs. palazzo why she only told me about 10% of the truth about thomas jefferson. it's it is not an easy thing to do because he is such a revered founding father. but the layer upon layer upon layer with thomas jefferson, it's awful. and i will just tell you that plagiarizing this document was about one of the least terrible things he did. all right, dave, it's titled who's your founding father? one man's epic quest to uncover the first true declaration of independence. dave fleming, always appreciate your time here talking about it. thanks very much. of course. well, the 4th of july holiday usually means loud and startling noises for pets. the noises can overwhelm your animals who then can be stressed out when professional dog trainer says simply playing with your pet could help ease th

what more could john adams have wanted, , right? we are good at that. i'm not as sure though that john and george washington and hamilton and others would be as excited with us when it comes to the blood and toil part of preserving this nation, the sacrifices it takes. you see, they warned of these things. they warned of this divide that we are seeing in our country right now. john adams in several letters was very clear that if we are not careful, he talked about the importance of humility. he talked about the importance of removing division in our country, , that those are the things that could tear us apart. he said in fact, if you don't have the political virtue of patience and humility and kindness, that all of us become what he referred to as ravenous beasts, which was a think to to under 50 years later is a great description for the political class in america right now, and so many of us on social media. we have turned into this worth version of ourselves. there were other warnings of course. hamilton and madison when talking about the forming of

this song gave voice to support for john adams and it was used as a campaign song for thomas jeffersonthe fourth of july, and by francis scott key in 18 05. nine years before writing the star-spangled banner, he wrote another song called when the warrior returns. it celebrated the heroism of a captain in the u.s. navy fighting in the barbary war in north africa. he was being paraded around the east coast and celebrated by various communities for his heroism and one of those places was at georgetown, and key had just moved to the nation's capital and was looking for a way to introduce himself to future legal clients so he wrote a song for a dinner called when the warrior returns from the battle of far -- afar. so we know that he knew the melody that was later used for the star-spangled banner because he had previously written other lyrics to the same tune. so when he is trapped aboard ship for three days from wednesday morning through friday night is he carefully constructs lyrics to encourage unity and encourage a strong military and piety, these things he wants to see happen. it is ki

he said you mentioned adam says in john adams and he tweeted out with jessica's question. there any lessons or takeaways that you took from lafayette? >> just a very small thing because we don't have much time. the thing about, okay there is a tendency that people often have two subconsciously believe that things like progress and reform change for the better are just things that happen. look back on history. history is really progress. you don't worry about things will get better because progress will take care of it capital p progress but aren't things better for this group in that group? yes and you want to know why, because people fought for it and people went out and did something about it and the very people who you think are like radicals today and he would say to them why are you making such a big deal about it? we will do? we will do? we will do anchorman to reform and even incremental reform doesn't happen without lots of people making it happen. lafayette was somebody who from the very beginning of his life and to the end of his life was constantly using his mon

he only he only talked about that in private and and didn't and not in public with john adams. yes. he they very famously rekindled their correspondence. they'd become good friends and it was here in france. actually adams was one of it was kind of an all-star lineup of diplomats when jefferson got there benjamin franklin and john adams were already there as ambassadors as ministers to france too. so he joined them and he they had you know, adams and jefferson had worked together in the continental continental congress. they bonded even more and and he with her whole family there in paris. he visited jefferson visited adams in england and they toured some of those english gardens together, so they were very close friends. they broke apart bitterly, you know over the politics of the 1790s and then in their retirement, they rekindled the correspondence. they did not talk about slavery almost never in in the letters and i suspect it was because atoms didn't bring it up because he knew this was a painful subject. it was one that jefferson didn't have a good answer for he didn't like conf

yeah, public opinion was still very mixed and you had radicals in the continental congress, john adams, who are ready to do it right away. not quite right away. but you know what? i mean? moderates like john dickinson of pennsylvania who kept urging caution to reconcile, where was do we is it even possible to reconstruct public opinion during this period? yeah. so this is a big thing that scholars are working on and it's it's hard and we do have to do some broad generalized with the numbers. but i think, you know, generalizing broadly, we think that around 20% are very hard core loyalists. they're going to stick with, you know, the king no matter what we think around 30% or so as of july 76 are strongly patriot, you know, pro in american independence. that leaves about 50% of the american population. and that's kind of on the fence. it's not clear which side they're going to go to. but another way of thinking of that is that there's a vast majority of people are not supporting american independence at. the point of the declaration, and that's why it had to be a persuasive document. and

here's a quote from john adams.e said there's nothing which i dread so much as a division of the republic into two political parties. each under its leader converting measures into opposition to each other and he had his own problems, jefferson you may remember. first president had this to say about division, political parties likely in the course of time and things to become potent engines becoming ambitious unprincipled girlfriend will be unable to subvert power of the people and usurp themselves reins of government. see they were worried about this? we are worried about war. they were worried about war and peace, the safety of our nation and defense, his defense the best place to spend our money? what do they think? hamilton said this, if a well regulated militia the most natural defense of a free country and certainly under the regulation and disposal of his body which constituted the guardian of national security, they don't say it like that but he's trying to say we need strong defense for strong country and g

george washington, john adams, thomas jefferson or james madison? thinking about it?out it at homelu ♪ ashley: earlier we asked who was the first president to host a fourth of july celebration at the white house. lydia? >> thomas jefferson. i know he lived in monticello but maybe before he moved there. >> john adams, i have no idea why i heard a shout out from madison and the answer is thomas jefferson, well done, not just monticello. in 1801 he opened the house to guest and held a festival with horseracing, parades and refreshments he did it big. 15 seconds, any fourth of july plans? >> fireworks. >> and hamburgers and hotdogs and you name it. enjoy, that's it for "varney & company". "coast to coast" starts no

we've had some great ones starting with john adams and teddy roosevelt and harry truman. it's hard to think of any who has been more intensely tested than the vice president. we're to hear from. in fact, i met mr. pence only back when he was a congressman. i doubt he'd remember it. the encounter was on the sidewalk in front of the harvard club of new york. i'm not accusing just to be clear, not accusing mr. pence of having been in the harvard club. this was on the sidewalk he was with a mutual friend, as i recall it, steve forbes, which might be why when we were introduced briefly, i leaned over and said to mr. pence, did i hear? you're for the gold standard. i'm reluctant to repeat what? mr. pence replied because i hadn't informed him that i was with the newspaper. but it was substantive. several sentences, and i don't think it's a violation of ground rules to disclose that. when i got home that evening, i said to amity, i shook hands today with mike pence. he strikes me as a man to watch and he went on to be governor of indiana, of course, and history calling. one day w

john adams, john quincy adams with an alligator and that john quincy adams not really knowing what to do with that. essentially just put the alligator, the east room and that was just where i guess that's where alligator of stored because at that point in time remember the east room wasn't finished. it was sort of a storage space. so it's like, okay, well, i guess that part sort of holds up, but you know anything about john quincy adams? he was meticulous with his note and his diaries. and he was the kind of guy that he went for a walk in the city. he would identify plants and trees and flowers and then try remember their latin names and he would record them. it was a way that he was teaching himself the latin of plants and trees. so i find it hard to believe that john quincy adams wouldn't have mentioned his diaries that he received an alligator it seems like a pretty, pretty stand out event. right. but let's keep digging. august lovers. august levasseur, who was lafayette's secretary and later published an account of the travels and what they saw and what they did. he mentions seen

the navy -- but she had it wrong must have been thinking of john adams but jean paul jones. >> give credit for that. jefferson came right after. >> i have some sympathy for those folks it seemed funny thomas edison but when you're put on the spot you know you answer -- questions wrong. what is your theory vivek a lot of the foreigners knew the questions better than americans. >> it is really easy. people who have to immigrate to become a citizen have to pass a civics test. it is 128 question test if you are required to know something about the country, it turns out you know more about the country. so my proposal as president it is simple and different ways we can do this, every high school student should be required it to pass the same civics test to become a voting citizen if they want their right to vote. >> we wouldn't have that the cuban missile crisis hamilton -- yeah. >> to piggy back i love that idea not only do we get them to learn the civics test but also we have to get them to have that will power that immigrants have to force them all to move to a third world country live

i love the quote that john adams said.stitution was made for moral and religious people, and without that, it is not equipped to govern at all. so there is a certain sense that we should, as the church, continue to live as free people, and as we do, and this is why we have to be cautious about putting the church to the periphery of society, that in the end, there is faith, there is freedom, in jesus christ, eternal life, abundant life to all who believe. this is the freedom that truly enables us to love our neighbors and be good citizens when we know we have citizenship in heaven. >> we spent a year together at guatanamo bay guarding terrorists, and we reflect on that year a lot because you host a reunion at your house every year for the guys we served with. why is that service so impactful? what is it about standing shoulder to shoulder with your brother in arms that makes a day like today so much more meaningful? >> that's what it's all about, especially if you serve. that bomb, you know, it never goes away. that's why w

john adams didn't want to create a king, but it was a tagline that worked. you say monarchy that is the kind of codeword but we have today. >> reassuring they were just as vicious with each other as we are today. they didn't have the internet to do it but they had pamphlets, ways of getting the message across. just as unreasonable and mean as we are today. >> guest:'s holy and underhanded. in jefferson's case, here he is in washington's cabinet getting increasingly alienated by washington and hamilton's policies. doing everything he can to secretly undercut washington's administration. what does he do? he didn't have the internet, but the internet of the day was the newspaper so he hires a guy supposedly as a translator for the state department but his job was to start a newspaper that is critical of the government. it makes washington's life miserable, this paper. jefferson portrays no knowledge of what is going on and by this time he and madison are the ringleaders in organizing what will ultimately be the opposition party, the republican party. this is go

yeah, public opinion was still very mixed and you had radicals in the continental congress, john adams, who are ready to do it right away. not quite right away. but you know what? i mean? moderates like john dickinson of pennsylvania who kept urging caution to reconcile, where was do we is it even possible to reconstruct public opinion during this period? yeah. so this is a big thing that scholars are working on and it's it's hard and we do have to do some broad generalized with the numbers. but i think, you know, generalizing broadly, we think that around 20% are very hard core loyalists. they're going to stick with, you know, the king no matter what we think around 30% or so as of july 76 are strongly patriot, you know, pro in american independence. that leaves about 50% of the american population. and that's kind of on the fence. it's not clear which side they're going to go to. but another way of thinking of that is that there's a vast majority of people are not supporting american independence at. the point of the declaration, and that's why it had to be a persuasive document. and

john adams. why? all wonderful. we know so much about history. margaret kept all those letters, but upon hearing of his death, she burned them. why keep them? if you're going to burn them, what what was her mindset? was she just so distraught? if if she had waited a week or two, would she have kept them what put yourself in her mind. okay. so here's a question for lynn robbins about martha washington burning husband's letters after he died. and his question is basically, was this woman thinking, why do you think she did this can put yourself her place? oh, absolutely. about that. and this wasn't it. she's not the only one who did it. there were spouses where died first. the other one would burn all of the letters and i look at it as this is this is the personal side. this is a very personal relationship with spouse. i'm sure you've written at least one love letter in your life. perhaps a spouse. and that might not be something that you would want someone copy and put up on facebook. and so i think this was the the intimate relationship, the one o

then we move on to john adams.n seven times removed but we are not done because, yes, there is thomas jefferson and you are thomas jefferson's 12th cousin four times removed. i kid you not. and you can thank grandma doocy for this because grandma doocy's great grandfather was a gentleman named elijah butterfield. >> steve: that's right. >> that's right. so elijah butterfield was your great, great, great grandfather. >> steve: wait. how did you get into your family album? >> we have our ways. we have our friends at myheritage.com and that is elijah butterfield's son. this is also named elijah butterfield. this is your great, great grandfather and it is through tracing that part of your family tree that you are connected to all three of the founding fathers. >> steve: that is remarkable. >> elijah you had about punish field born in new york served in the militia fought in the year of 1812 his son your great great franked father then moved your family from new york to iowa which is where your midwestern roots come in,

there's that very famous john adams quote, i can you know that. which is it kind of divides between the war and the revolution that the revolutions affected before the war began. excuse me. right. and i think that kind of really thinking about not leaning into these kind of like sanitized, bloodless of revolution. right. but really thinking about the violence of it and what it did to individuals and communities is really important to kind of recognize how people navigate because that people. certainly i agree, realizing what has been lost is major. i think for me it's about realizing how choices affect not just moment to moment, our daily lives but our futures. so much of what we are finally bringing to the forefront of these underrepresented right these marginalized peoples, especially when it comes to the enslaved, is the condition of enslavement. and lucy, that and she still chose through all the horrible things that could have happened to her along the way, taking the chance to take her life into her hands. still, the better choice for her. an

versus jefferson, democratic republicans of jefferson and madison and federalists hamilton and john adams. it was an even contest for a while. it is mostly an elite affair. but fighting over real issues, the role of a central bank, whether the u.s. is aligned with france are not. the election of 1800 is one of the most contested and nasty elections in political history. a lot of mudslinging. and jefferson and animals later became friends. corresponded with each other until the end. at about 1820, the u.s. has basically collapsed into a one party system, the unique period in the u.s. with one party election. what happens when you have one party politics is you have a faction and when you get -- 1860 and 1820 are one party elections and by 1824 you have the four candidate election andrew jackson wins the most votes but he doesn't win presidency because he doesn't win a majority in the electoral college. by 1828, jackson and martin van buren are organizing the democratic party which is the first massive party in the u.s. and there is opposition organized and that eventually becomes the whig

another viewer would like to is referring to the miniseries john adams and is referencing the the the patient in the cart. was that standard practice if the doctors are inoculating so many soldiers in washington's army? i mean, i guess an easy way to ask this question is they just have a collection of guys with smallpox that they were just pulling from or how did that? yeah, i thought about showing that clip. i've done it before in front of students. i didn't know about copyright issues and that kind of stuff. i love that. the mini series, the hbo series, john adams included inoculation run and i could go on and on, but they get almost everything wrong. and how inoculation works that they put in there, wonderful. they wouldn't actually a poor fellow through boston and then scrape his pockets to go inserted into abigail adams's arm must not they didn't need to bring him there they had jars they had vial was that they could keep the pox matter in. so what they would usually do, if you want a little bit of of grody details, they would often take a thread, a piece of thread and run that t