Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
If you think you have a challenging job, consider replacing the most popular man in America in the most challenging political office in the land. This was exactly the trial that John Adams faced when he assumed the presidency in 1796, succeeding George Washington, the only man elected president twice by virtual acclamation. In this grand new volume, author Lindsay Chervinsky takes us into a relatively unknown time of American history in which the institutions of government were still in their infancy and the longevity of the American experiment in constitutional republican government was not assured.
When John Adams assumed the presidency, not only did he face the difficulty of emerging from Washington’s shadow, but he also came into office during a major foreign policy crisis and a deepening political rift that threatened the very future of the country. Chervinsky weaves together a remarkable tale that often reads more like a political thriller than a historical narrative.
At the center of the story is John Adams, a character best described as proud and irascible, who spent most of his public life in the shadow of George Washington and other founders as he served nearly all the American Revolution overseas in diplomatic postings. When he assumed the presidency, he immediately had to deal with an inherited Cabinet that was often at odds with his political goals and objectives and a rapidly dividing political environment that was living up to the Founders’ worst fears of partisan and divisive rhetoric.
At the forefront of Adams’ challenges was the potential for war with Revolutionary France. As Chervinsky takes the reader through the machinations of duplicitous French diplomats and an America divided between sympathy for France and a desire to maintain commercial ties with England, it will surprise readers how similar the challenges are to American diplomacy today—What is America’s role in the world and when do our strategic interests require us to go to war? As well, the meddling of foreign governments in domestic politics is nothing new as French agents vied for influence with American politicians and actively campaigned to bring America into the war on their side.
Adams also had to deal with his own Administration led up Arch Federalists who wanted war with France and his own Vice President, Thomas Jefferson, who greatly sympathized with the Revolution and disdained the military and naval buildup of the Adams Administration. Jefferson was actually a member of the opposing political party as the Constitution at this time (before the 12th Amendment) provided that the candidate who came in second in electoral votes would become vice president. As the new American Navy became involved in an undeclared naval conflict with the French and the drumbeat of war being played by characters like Alexander Hamilton, Adams had to conduct adroit diplomacy and astute political maneuvering to both avoid war and an open rupture with his own party.
Unfortunately, Adams did not seem to fare as well with his handling of domestic politics. While it will surprise some readers, the Founders were just as sensitive to criticism and “libel” as current politicians, and the Adams Administration and its allies in Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Act in 1798, allowing the power of the Federal judiciary, in the hands of the Federalists who despised their Republican opponents, to arrest and imprison newspaper publishers they accused of spreading intentional attacks on Administration policies and decisions. The use of government power to suppress free speech is clearly not a new phenomenon in American politics, as Chervinsky demonstrates.
Very few politicians escape criticism, even George Washington. Brought out of retirement to take command of a rebuilt and controversial American Army at the height of the war fever with France, Washington undermines some of the very presidential prerogatives he began during his own administration, particularly the role of the President as Commander-in-Chief and the primacy of civilian control of the military.
Through the excellent use of diaries, letters, and official documents, Chervinsky weaves together a compelling story that highlights that hard-ball partisan politics, the use of newspapers to push political agendas, and foreign intrigue in American domestic politics have been around since our country’s founding.
In the end, Adams does emerge as a sympathetic character, determined to be his own man and create his own legacy. Understanding the importance of the peaceful transition of power that led to his presidency, a truly unprecedented act in 18th century politics, he was keenly aware, just like George Washington before him, that everything he said and did would set the stage for his successors to follow.
This is probably the most important theme of the book—despite their partisanship, back room dealing, mud-slinging, and outright deception among themselves—the Founders all fundamentally believed in the Constitution and the republican form of government it established and prevailed over their own faults and foibles to overcome a very challenging period in our nation’s history.