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Tag Archives: John Adams
On This Day: December 16, 1773: “This Destruction of the Tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid, and inflexible, and it must have important Consequences, and so lasting, that I can’t but consider it as an Epocha in History.” – John Adams
On November 28, 1773, the Dartmouth sailed into Boston’s port. The ship was full of tea. There had already been trouble in Philadelphia when the ship had tried to unload its cargo. A ship had been blown away from the … Continue reading
Posted in Founding Fathers, On This Day
Tagged Alexander Hamilton, Boston Tea Party, Catherine Drinker-Bowen, John Adams, politics, Samuel Adams, war
6 Comments
R.I.P. David McCullough
“And so many of the blessings and advantages we have, so many of the reasons why our civilization, our culture, has flourished aren’t understood; they’re not appreciated. And if you don’t have any appreciation of what people went through to … Continue reading
Recommended: Biographies
For starters: My recommended Fiction books My recommended Non-Fiction books BIOGRAPHIES: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, by Joseph Ellis I’ve written a lot about Joseph Ellis’ work here. While I love David McCullough’s work so much, Ellis is … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books, Directors, Founding Fathers, James Joyce, Theatre, writers
Tagged A. Scott Berg, Abigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, American Sphinx, Benjamin Franklin, Biography, Bruce Springsteen, Charles Lindbergh, Charlotte Bronte, David McCullough, Dean Martin, Edie Sedgwick, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Ellen Terry, Elvis Presley, Emily Bronte, George Washington, Henry Irving, His Excellency, Howard Hawks, Howard Hughes, James Dean, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Adams, John Wayne, Joseph Cornell, Joseph Ellis, Marlon Brando, Mitford sisters, Montgomery Clift, Nick Tosches, Nureyev, Orson Welles, Oscar Wilde, Patricia Bosworth, Patricia Highsmith, Richard Ellmann, Ron Chernow, Sam Cooke, Simon Callow, Tennessee Williams, Thomas Jefferson, Truman Capote, W.B. Yeats, Zelda Fitzgerald
9 Comments
Happy birthday, Abigail Adams
I grew up in a house where stories of the American Revolution were all around us. A living history. I grew up in a town where Washington actually slept. My family hails from Boston. I have cousins in Quincy. We’d … Continue reading
Posted in Founding Fathers, On This Day
Tagged Abigail Adams, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
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On This Day: 1826
It was July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of July 4, 1776. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, old men by that point, had been invited to attend celebrations in honor of the day, but due to illness both had … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, John Adams
I’ve written more about him than anyone else. Even Cary Grant or Elvis. I grew up hearing about “John and Abigail” with such familiarity (and I had cousins who lived in Quincy, and when we would go there for Thanksgiving, … Continue reading
On This Day: July 3, 1776: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.”
John Adams, in a July 3, 1776 letter to Abigail, after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 2 in Philadelphia: The Delay of this Declaration to this Time, has many great Advantages attending it. The Hopes of … Continue reading
Posted in Founding Fathers, On This Day
Tagged Declaration of Independence, John Adams
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Today in history: September 5, 1774
On September 5, 1774, the First Continental Congress convened at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia. It was a very stressful and dangerous time, and there was very little agreement among the colonies about what should be done. The Port Bill (closing … Continue reading
Posted in Founding Fathers, On This Day
Tagged Abigail Adams, George Washington, John Adams, Martha Washington, politics
5 Comments
February 13, three letters, one year apart:
On Board the Frigate Boston 5 O Clock in the Afternoon Feb. 13, 1778 Dearest of Friends I am favored with an unexpected Opportunity, by Mr. Woodward the later Man who once lived at Mr. Belchers, and who promises in … Continue reading