Introduction
Since 1986 I have been able to listen to books. For me, this has been immensely satisfying. I initially received books on tape and then returned the books to Books on Tape and Recorded Books. Subsequently, the recordings were provided on CDs. Now I get both books and Great Courses online through Audible. The books are downloaded onto my iPhone. One of my greatest thrills was having lunch with Dewey Hecht, the founder of Books on Tape.
I am currently listening to The American Story, a collection of interviews between David Rubinstein and leading historians such as David McCullough, Scott Berg, Walter Isaacson, Doris Goodwin, Cokie Roberts, etc.
Rubinstein is a true Renaissance man. He not only was a co-founder of a very successful private equity firm, Carlyle Group, but had enjoyed major positions with Lincoln Center, John F. Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Institute, Council on Foreign Affairs, Economics Club of Washington, etc.
The American Story
I wanted to share with you his interview with David McCullough and why McCullough believed that John Adams deserves more attention as one of our Founding Fathers. In brief, unlike Washington and Jefferson, there currently are no monuments to Adams despite his pivotal role in our Declaration of Independence, American Constitution, and his serving as Ambassador to France during the American Revolution and subsequently serving as Ambassador to Great Britain.
McCullough pointed out that Adams showed enormous personal courage on many occasions. First of all, John Adams took on the onerous duty of defending British Soldiers in American Courts because of the Boston Massacre (1770). At great personal risk to his reputation, Adams represented the British soldiers so well that an American court found them not guilty. Secondly, Adams traveled by sea on the Atlantic to take up his responsibilities in France in winter when the British Navy controlled the sea. If the British had captured the ship, they would have hung Adams. Thirdly, Adams lost his opportunity to be reelected President because he refused to declare war on France. Lastly, after Adams lost his reelection bid in the middle of the night a few days following his son’s death, he personally took part in an effort to put out a fire a few blocks from the White House.
In brief, McCullough has the highest regard for Adams because the later held steadfast to his core beliefs. In brief, at great personal cost Adams was courageous, honest, and displayed enormous integrity.
Originally published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
