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Passionate Sage The Character and Legacy of John Adams Joseph J Ellis PhD Books

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Passionate Sage The Character and Legacy of John Adams Joseph J Ellis PhD Books

Passionate Sage is often overlooked in the books relating the life of John Adams, at least in recent years. This of course stems from the excellently researched and lucid McCullough biography of our first vice president, second president and "passionate sage" of the revolutionary generation. Nevertheless, Dr. Joseph Ellis' "Passionate Sage" indeed is a superior volume, though notably shorter in breadth.

Ellis in this writing is not attempting a full-fledged biography of the father of "Montezillo" (a play on words Adam's quipped to Jefferson to rival Monticello - "zillo" meaning little hill rather than little mountain). In fact, there is a wonderful interview with Brian Lamb in which Dr. Ellis gives a vivid justification for why his book focuses on the virtues and vice's of Adams and why he felt it needed to be written.

It is undeniably true that there is not a better recollection of the later years of the Adams/Jefferson than this volume, with the exception of the actual correspondence of letters between the two. In other words, for a erudite analysis of their correspondence, this book is the way to go. It plunges the reader into Adams' mannerisms and potential rationales for his behavior. One thing Dr. Ellis is excellent at is not postulating what Adams was "thinking" because speculations as such are trivial at best. Instead, he focuses on Adams' correspondence with Abigail (and gives this a book-length treatment of it's own), with Jefferson, with Benjamin Rush, with others...

Read this book. You will not regret it.


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Passionate Sage The Character and Legacy of John Adams Joseph J Ellis PhD Books Reviews

Very good to emphasize that Adams was not a secondary president, but a most important founding father. Also very readable
I think you need to read this. It is a great read
This book focuses on Mr. Adams retirement years. Quite enjoyable. I picked up new thoughts and tidbits on early American history that made this quite worthwhile. The author's passion for our presidents clearly comes out and he does this subject a great service by presenting different views on Adams-boring, dull on one hand and very deep thinker, caring and smart on another. He presents new people that I had not heard of before (or did not make an impact on me)-John Taylor, the Otis family and others. If you are a fan of Adams, this is a good one.
Many thanks to Prof. Ellis. This book is a joy to read. So informative about the characters and period. I believe it may help us to be more informed and better citizens for today’s government disfunctions.
Ellis has a wonderful style that provides both profound insights and human sympathy in telling the history of our country and its Founding Fathers. I've read many of Ellis's books. Though not my favorite, ("Founding Brothers" [Pulitzer Prize winner] and "His Excellency, George Washington") were amazing--this is an enjoyable and informative look at the later years in John Adams' life.
Joseph Ellis rescues John Adams from obscurity in this book where he explores the character of the man. Those seeking a detailed bibliography written in the traditional way will be disappointed as Ellis works from a different angle. Adams' experiences in life helped form his character and political thoughts which Ellis explores by presenting the point of view and then backtracking to spots in Adams' past which seem to have formed the opinions he held. In the process we learn a lot about Adams and his way of life. Readers will probably compare this book to McCullough's John Adams, but those looking for reasons why Adams made the decisions he did will be delighted with Ellis's style.

John Adams seems to be a close approximation of a Whig from that era. He had an idea of how things were supposed to be and didn't deviate from the plan very much. In many respects he was a poor choice as president, but in others he should be presented as what a president should be. He put the good of the country over his own interests, his political allies, and regional interests. In that regard he stands out as the ideal president, but his lack of political skill and tact made him a hard man to work with and undermined his ability to work with Congress. In that regard he stands out as the exact opposite of what a president should be.

Ellis does not sugarcoat anything for Adams by any means. He presents the man as he was, warts and all. Adams certainly had them too. He appeared to be a regular all or none type of man. It is surprising that Adams managed to be as successful as he was, but then we have to understand that Adams was one of the more intellectual men of his time. His extremely long life for that period may have had something to do with the way he was viewed too. By the time he became president he was sixty years old which in that time made him older than most people. In 1776 he was 40 years old which placed him in the middle of the group in Philadelphia. His experiences and incessant questioning about government had led him to explore just what a government should look like. Ellis covers this in great detail which is important because so much of what Adams wrote about in Thoughts on Government turned out to be the system put into being by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. While those men arrived at their decision via a system of compromises, one can't help but wonder if Adams' thoughts hadn't made an impact on them a decade earlier.

Naturally, Ellis covers the friendship of Adams and Thomas Jefferson. These two men are intertwined for all of eternity which is fitting considering their relationship despite their long period of estrangement. Theirs was an improbable friendship and we have the results available to us. The letters they exchanged give scholars a unique look at how the two elder statesmen of the Revolution looked back on all that had passed. Ellis captures Adams in these letters and goes back to the periods Adams was referring to in order to explain how Adams arrived at the conclusions he had reached. Both men would die on the same day in 1826 which seems to be fitting for two who were so much a part of each other's lives.

Ironically, Ellis's book on Adams is somewhat like Adams himself. It has a tendency to overkill in some areas and become a bit myopic. In other spots it is tedious in which it seems to be channeling the spirit of John Adams. For all that there are also the parts where the intellect of Adams is in full flower and the book really moves in those parts. Again, this is not a classic biography of Adams and his life, but rather an exploration into the character of the man and why he thought the way he did. I found this to be the best part because that was what I was looking for when I read the book.
Life after the White House is well captured by Adam's multitude of letters showing his personality such as his aggressive attack of a friend whose book on the revolution diminished his role. Quite impressive that Adams worked as a hands on farmer upon returning home and corresponded continuously with his diplomat and future president son. Regretfully loses several of his grown children through cancer and a son through alcoholism but manages to persevere with Abigail. Ellis gives s full picture of Adams who never compromises his values or opinion in spite of his age although mellowing somewhat towards the end. I totally enjoyed Adams response to a famous portrait of the signing of the declaration with Adams front and center but still offering a sharp opinion that the portrait was very inaccurate. Great book full of detail including the reconnection with Jefferson where Adams' offers the more interesting of the two pushing the restrained Jefferson in many subjects.
Passionate Sage is often overlooked in the books relating the life of John Adams, at least in recent years. This of course stems from the excellently researched and lucid McCullough biography of our first vice president, second president and "passionate sage" of the revolutionary generation. Nevertheless, Dr. Joseph Ellis' "Passionate Sage" indeed is a superior volume, though notably shorter in breadth.

Ellis in this writing is not attempting a full-fledged biography of the father of "Montezillo" (a play on words Adam's quipped to Jefferson to rival Monticello - "zillo" meaning little hill rather than little mountain). In fact, there is a wonderful interview with Brian Lamb in which Dr. Ellis gives a vivid justification for why his book focuses on the virtues and vice's of Adams and why he felt it needed to be written.

It is undeniably true that there is not a better recollection of the later years of the Adams/Jefferson than this volume, with the exception of the actual correspondence of letters between the two. In other words, for a erudite analysis of their correspondence, this book is the way to go. It plunges the reader into Adams' mannerisms and potential rationales for his behavior. One thing Dr. Ellis is excellent at is not postulating what Adams was "thinking" because speculations as such are trivial at best. Instead, he focuses on Adams' correspondence with Abigail (and gives this a book-length treatment of it's own), with Jefferson, with Benjamin Rush, with others...

Read this book. You will not regret it.