AHI Offers Free Zoom Course on John Adams

The remarkably candid, courageous, and stubborn Adams was at least as interesting and admirable as any other American founder—and he played roles in our history that were as varied as those of any of his peers.

Our focus will be David McCullough's classic biography, titled simply John Adams. It tells the full story—from his role as a key advocate of American independence, to his significance as a political thinker who differed from Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison on significant points, to his important diplomacy in Europe and then in Britain during and after the Revolutionary War, through his vice presidency under Washington and his troubled presidency, and continuing well into the 19th century, with his famous reconciliation with Jefferson. Because Adams and others in his family wrote so many letters, McCullough tells much of the story in his, and their, own words.

We ask participants to buy McCullough biography, which is available inexpensively in paperback. In cases of hardship, AHI will purchase the book for the committed participant.

In addition to about 35 assigned pages a week from John Adams, members of the group will be e-mailed a variety of optional short readings that provide additional perspectives.

David Frisk, who holds a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University, has taught continuing education courses in history, political science, and political thought at the AHI since 2013. In the past year, he has led four other reading groups for the AHI, on biographies of Alexander Hamilton and Winston Churchill, Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, and Richard Hofstadter's classic The American Political Tradition.

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Artists / Speakers: Dr. David Frisk, Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI) Category: Community | Local / Community