John Adams by David McCullough

John Adams was a leading advocate and signer of the Declaration of Independence, the author of the Massachusetts Constitution which is the world's oldest functioning written constitution, the first Vice President of the United States and the second President of the United States. I had McCullough's biography on my "to read" list for a long time, but a couple trips to Boston this spring convinced me that now was the time. Here are a few highlights for me.

Adams was a reader. He loved literature and learning, not politics and business. His Harvard education got him started, but it was the life-long practice of reading great literature that brought the depth and delight. And he read in Greek, Latin and French, putting us all to shame.

Adams was hard working and principled. His effort and integrity in his law practice prepared him to serve at the first and second Continental Congresses, then as an emissary to France, Holland and England during the Revolutionary War. His love of farming, combined with copious letter writing, allowed him to remain productive and content for decades after his political career was over.

Adams was immensely blessed by his wife Abigail. She was his secret weapon of wisdom, of sanity, of frugality, of humanity. How he ever lived apart from her for multiple years while in Europe is a mystery to me, but his heart was always drawn to her. She was a Proverbs 31 woman and he reaped the benefit.

Adams was feisty yet forgiving. He clashed with Benjamin Franklin in Paris and Thomas Jefferson back in the States, but rose above the animosity to get essential work done. His reconciliation with Jefferson in their later years is a beautiful story of two very different men treasuring their unique partnership in the founding of our country.

Adams was a Christian man. His faith in God helped him see the evils of slavery, the sure foundation of the rights of man, and the foolishness of the secular French mob. The Word of God, especially the Psalms, gave him delight as his body declined.

Adams was a true patriot. He avoided the bitter politics that broke out quickly after our nation's founding and has continued unabated to this day. He may have been a bit naïve, but he was not selfish. He loved his country and the principles of liberty that been birthed in his lifetime.

The biography of John Adams makes me proud to be an American.