David Aguilar July 19, 2019

CLAS1120U
Reading the Shorthand

Letter 1: To Thomas Jefferson from John Adams, October 9, 1787

In this letter, Adams writes to Jefferson his thoughts on how foreign nations could
infiltrate and undermine the country, leading to a “Loss of Paradise” for America. Adams
claims that “Life and History are full” of examples of this occurring. Adams’ view of the
presidency was that four year terms would eventually give way to a lifetime office, which
he viewed as exploitable. This lifetime presidency would become an inheritable office in
this case. “If General Washington had a Daughter,” Adams says hypothetically, “she
would be demanded in Marriage by one of the Royal Families of France or England.”
These would be the very same royals who America fought for independence from and
through marriage they could gain power over the American people. Adams also thinks
that foreign powers could enter American public affairs to “obtain the Confidence of the
People”, from which there would be “Connections courted there” with important
American families. In the last four words of his letter, Adams quotes Cicero, “O
tempora—oh mores,” which summarizes the content of his letter nicely. The context of
this quote involves Cicero stating his amazement that no one has done anything to stop
Catiline from trying to undermine the Roman government. “The senate understands
these things; the consul sees these things; this man, however, lives. He lives?” By
quoting Cicero, Adams conveys his frustration to Jefferson that these are serious
vulnerabilities of the country that should be looked into.

Letter 2: To Thomas Jefferson from John Adams, May 11, 1794

Adams opens by complimenting Jefferson on his retirement, claiming to feel “the Same
delightful Satisfaction” whenever he returns home to his farm for the summer. He
mentions the trial of Ferdinand Antoine Louis Rosset for high treason, where Rosset
praised the French Revolution during a political banquet. Adams claims that after
reading the manuscript of the trial, “As much as I have ever detested an Aristocratical
Government, I did not believe that the Canton of Berne could have been So tyrannical,
till I read this Manuscript.” Adams notes that America “is becoming the Assylum of all
the ardent Spirits in Europe” and along with Rosset, “The Bp. of Autun and Mr.
Beaumez, are arrived and Dr. Priestley is expected” to seek refuge in the country.
Adams notifies Jefferson that Washington has sent John Jay to negotiate with the
British for peace, but says that he has “no great Faith in any very brilliant Success: but
hope he may have enough to keep us out of a war.” Adams closes by admitting some
jealousy over Jefferson’s retirement and hopes to “get out of the Fumum et Opes
Strepitumque Romæ which I abominate.” Here Adams is quoting Horace from Odes
3.29. The English translation for this quote is “the smoke, wealth, and din of Rome,” and
goes with what Adams is telling to Jefferson, how he wishes to leave behind the
commotion of government for the “delightful Satisfaction” he has when he is at his farm.
Letter 3: John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, February 3, 1812

Adams states his surprise at having received a letter from Jefferson after such a long
time, and is pleased to discover “that the Communication between us is much easier,
Surer and may be more frequent than I had ever believed or Suspected to be possible.”
He then tells Jefferson that the “Material of the Samples of American Manufacture” he
had sent him earlier were not samples of materials at all, but actually two volumes of
work by his son John Quincy Adams. Adams relays to Jefferson the authors he has
been reading before moving onto the topic he has on his mind. Adams believed that
“the Prospect of the Future, will depend on the Union,” so he says to Jefferson,
“Concordiâ Res parve crescunt, Discordiâ Maximæ dilabuntur.” This quote by Sallust
from Jugurtha 10 in English reads, “for harmony makes small states great, while discord
undermines the mightiest empires.” With this quotation, Adams is saying to Jefferson
that as long as there is unity in the Union there will be harmony among the states. If the
Union does not stay unified, however, then there will be discord around the country.
“The Union is Still to me an Object of as much Anxiety as ever Independence was,”
says Adams, showing how important the state of the nation is to him.

Letter 4: Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, June 27, 1813

Jefferson opens his letter to Adams with a quotation from Theocritus, “Ἴδαν ἐς
πολύδενδρον ἀνὴρ ὑλητόμος ἐλθὼν, Παπταίνει, παρέοντος ἄδην, ποθεν ἄρξεται
ἔργου·Τί πρᾶτον καταλεξῶ; ἐπεὶ πάρα μυρία ἐιπῆν.” Which in English reads, “Now when
the feller goes up to thick woody Ida / he looks about him where to begin in all that
plenty; / and so I, where now shall I take up my tale.” Jefferson uses this ancient
quotation to convey to Adams that, “like the wood-cutter of Ida,” he has no idea where
to begin in “the forest of opinions, discussions, & contentions which have occurred in
our day.” Jefferson thinks about the state of the country, how “men have differed in
opinion, and been divided into parties by these opinions” and how these political parties
“which now agitate the US. have existed thro’ all time.” Jefferson asks Adams to think
back to the old days, “to the times when you and I became first acquainted. we well
remember the violent parties which agitated the old Congress, and their bitter contests.
there you & I were together.” He also recalls the moments where the two of them fell
apart, “we broke into two parties, each wishing to give a different direction to the
government,” and “here you & I separated for the first time… the party which considered
you as thinking with them, placed your name at their head; the other, for the same
reason, selected mine…” Jefferson then takes the time to apologize for what he said
about Adams in private letters that were “intercepted and published.” “The renewal of
these old discussions, my friend, would be equally useless and irksome. to the volumes
then written on these subjects, human ingenuity can add nothing new.” Jefferson then
quotes Virgil’s Aeneid with “arma, diu desueta, trementibus aevo humeris,” claiming that
he does not wish to fight Adams like a gladiator with “arms, long unused, on shoulders
trembling with age.” Jefferson says all this to Adams, “merely for your consideration and
judgment,” and that despite their differences, “the sentiments of sincere friendship &
respect, consecrated to you by so long a course of time, and of which I now repeat
sincere assurances,” have not been affected by them.
Letter 5: To Thomas Jefferson from John Adams, May 12, 1820

In this letter, Adams write to informs Jefferson of the status of Dugald Stuart who has
been moved to England, then mulls over “The question between spirit and matter.”
Adams does not seem convinced of the existence of either, “we have neither evidence
nor idea of either,” but does admit “all that we certainly know is that some substance
exists, which must be the cause of all the qualitys, and Attributes which we perceive.”
Adams brings up George Berkeley’s theory of immaterialism, and tells Jefferson that
“from that time to this I have been fully persuaded that we know nothing of Essences.”
Adams agrees that they exist, but they are beyond his comprehension. He compares
immaterialism to the mathematical theories of Marquis De L’Hospital who demonstrated
that quantities can be infinitely divisible. This is something that Adams also finds equally
inconceivable, “it is too subtle for any human intellect or imagination to conceive—for I
defy any human mind to form any idea of any-thing so small.” Adams closes his letter by
pointing out how a philosopher such as Cabanis cannot prove or disprove the existence
of both matter and spirit and laughs at his own “delightful Ignorance,” which he invites
Jefferson to do also.

Letter 6: TO JOHN ADAMS, August 15, 1820

Jefferson begins this letter with an apology to Adams for having taken a while to reply to
his previous letter. “Health rarely permits me to write,” he claims, and during the
moments where he is healthy, “matters of business imperiously press their claims.”
Regardless, Jefferson assures Adams that “I am getting better however, slowly, swelled
legs being now the only serious symptom.” The main focus of Jefferson’s writing to
Adams was to give feedback on the letter he had sent him about immaterialism, matter,
and spirit. “Its crowd of scepticisms kept me from sleep. I read it, and laid it down: read
it, and laid it down, again and again,” said Jefferson. He counters the arguments made
by Adams, claiming that “To talk of immaterial existences, is to talk of nothings. To say
that the human soul, angels, God, are immaterial, is to say, they are nothings, or that
there is no God, no angels, no soul.” Jefferson states that “this heresy of immaterialism,
or masked atheism” makes no sense as the “creed of materialism by the Lockes, the
Tracys, and the Stewarts” supports him and says otherwise. Jefferson also lists “St.
Austin, St. Basil, Lactantius, Tatian, Athenagoras, and others,” who are “better
acquainted” with angels who can “deliver the same doctrine.” Jefferson closes his letter
by explaining how he is “satisfied, and sufficiently occupied with the things which are…
but of which I have no evidence.” Lastly, Jefferson shows his continued respect for
Adams even after all these years by ending with: “I am sure that I really know many,
many things, and none more surely than that I love you with all my heart, and pray for
the continuance of your life until you shall be tired of it yourself.”