By Jerry Grillo
Every year at this time, I think of one of my all-time favorite cosmic coincidences: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two of the most important founding brothers during the summer of 1776, each died on the 50th anniversary of Independence Day, July 4, 1826.
Adams’ famous last words on his Massachusetts deathbed, “Thomas Jefferson still survives,” were actually uttered a few hours after his friend had expired, hundreds of miles away in Virginia.
And what great friends they were. And great frenemies. It was complicated, like the founding of our nation, or like the Beatles. Speaking of which, I’ve always thought of Adams and Jefferson as the Lennon and McCartney of the American Revolution.
These were supremely talented, vastly different individuals. But we’ve always been a country of vast differences, haven’t we? Occasionally we let those differences tear us apart (look up the years 1861 to 1865 for reference).
Author David McCullough, in his Pulitzer-winning John Adams, portrays his subject’s short, stocky, garrulous nature, describing Adams as a kind of ardent, indefatigable political bulldog; honest, blunt, dedicated to public service. He loved to argue, and he could be abrasive, and sincere.
Meanwhile, the tall and thin Jefferson was far more reserved than the combustible Adams, and more likely to tailor his message to an audience. He preferred to avoid open public disputes and act behind the scenes. Adams was generally more consistent and forthright in his public pronouncements, whereas Jefferson was a bit more flexible.
Adams came from a modest economic background, a Boston lawyer who worked his small patch of land with his own hands, never owning a slave. Jefferson was wealthy, multi-talented, and owned many slaves.
If Adams and Jefferson were a football backfield, Adams would be the blocking fullback, and Jefferson would be the speedy tailback. If they were a baseball battery, Adams would be the stout-hearted catcher, Jefferson the flashy pitcher.
For a long time, their friendship was put on hold — it could not overcome their differences when politics overwhelmed governance. They clashed bitterly over the size and scope of the federal government. Basically, Adams — our second president — believed in a strong central government, and Jefferson — our third president — was a proponent of states’ rights.
Their feud lasted for years, until they began a reconciliatory — and historically priceless — correspondence in 1812, and it kept them engaged with each other for the rest of their days.
But it was their differences, combined with a shared commitment, that made Adams and Jefferson work so well together. McCullough describes Adams as the “voice” and Jefferson as the “pen” in creating the Declaration of Independence. Because Adams had been the leading advocate for independence in the Continental Congress that summer in Philadelphia, and Jefferson did the writing.
Which just goes to show that when you bring diverse thoughts and backgrounds together and leverage all of that difference for the common good, incredible things can happen.
Jerry Grillo is the editor/publisher of the White County News.