Profiles John Adams, an influential patriot during the American Revolution who became the nation's first vice president and second president.

A thorough, illustrated biography discussing Adams's childhood, his career, his family, and his term as the second president of the United States.

"Fascinating...Gelles has provided a balanced portrait, and her mastery of the period's issues and history is evident on every page. Her treatment of the family... [is] written with understanding and sensitivity... But it is her strength as a feminist historian that makes her treatment of Abigail the most gripping... masterful and captivating." - Washington Times "A landmark... Well-organized and expertly composed, the book is an impressive addition...

A dual portrait of two American founding fathers shares introductions to the many ways they helped a young United States in spite of their disparate views, tracing how they overcame interpersonal differences at key points in the nation's early history.

He fought for Washington, served with Lincoln, witnessed Bunker Hill, and sounded the clarion against slavery on the eve of the Civil War. He negotiated an end to the War of 1812, engineered the annexation of Florida, and won the Supreme Court decision that freed the African captives of The Amistad. He served his nation as minister to six countries, secretary of state, senator, congressman, and president. John Quincy Adams was all of these things...

"From the great historian of the American Revolution, New York Times-bestselling and Pulitzer-winning Gordon Wood, comes a majestic dual biography of two of America's most enduringly fascinating figures, whose partnership helped birth a nation, and whose subsequent falling out did much to fix its course. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could scarcely have come from more different worlds, or been more different in temperament. Jefferson, the optimist...