Making the presidency

• Verfasst von: Chervinsky, Lindsay M. [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Making the presidency
• Titelzusatz: John Adams and the precedents that forged the republic
• Verf.angabe: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
• Verlagsort: New York, NY
• Verlag: Oxford University Press
• E-Jahr: 2024
• Jahr: [2024]
• Umfang: 1 online resource (426 pages)
• Illustrationen: illustrations
• Gesamttitel/Reihe: Oxford scholarship online
• Fussnoten: Includes bibliographical references and index ; Description based on online resource and publisher information; title from PDF title page (viewed on May 9, 2024)
• ISBN: 978-0-19-765387-6
• DOI: doi:10.1093/oso/9780197653845.001.0001
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Bibliogr. Hinweis: Erscheint auch als : Druck-Ausgabe
• Sach-SW: History
• Sach-SW: History of the Americas
• K10plus-PPN: 1900813319
• K10plus-PPN:
  Universitätsbibliothek
• Lokale URL UB: Zum Volltext

Abstract

This is an authoritative account of the second president of the United States that shows how John Adams's leadership and legacy defined the office for those who followed and ensured the survival of the American republic.

Abstract

"After George Washington retired, many Americans genuinely wondered if the presidency would work, and the nation would survive. John Adams stepped into the role, knowing it would be nearly impossible. The task required all his diplomatic experience, independence, fierce stubbornness, intelligence, and the unflagging support of his brilliant wife, Abigail. In four years, he secured valuable peace in the face of opposition from his closest advisors and allies in the Federalist Party. He defended the presidency against threats both foreign and domestic. He established critical precedents for executive power. When he left office, the nation was stronger than it had been four years earlier. George Washington created the presidency; John Adams defined it. John Adams's presidency was bookended by the first two peaceful transfers of power at a time when coups, dictatorships, violence, monarchies, and anarchy were the norm. Adams understood that the norms and customs that served as the scaffolding for democratic institutions required repetition over decades to build permanence. The American people had to be taught to cherish democratic elections and the people transfer of power. Yet, he is rarely credited with these monumental achievements. The time is ripe for reconsideration of Adams's contributions. Before January 6, 2021, many Americans and scholars took the peaceful transfer of power for granted, John Adams did not"--