It is arguably the case that when it comes to the political principles upon which our nation was founded Thomas Jefferson and John Adams may be held most responsible.

In many ways, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were unalike. Adams grew up a commoner in Massachusetts while Jefferson was born into Virginia gentry. Adams was educated in a public school but preferred to be at home with his father on the farm; Jefferson received a correct classical education and was taught to dance, ride and hunt.

Yet these two men shared many of the same experiences. Both were selected by their respective states to be representatives in the Continental Congress, both served on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence, both had grave reservations about political life, both would become President of the United States, and both died on July 4, 1826, 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Through the writings and speeches of Adams and Jefferson and with the aid of chapters from the books of Professors Thompson and Mayer, this seminar will examine the political thought of these two men who had such great influence on the founding of our nation.

C. Bradley Thompson is Professor of Political Science at Ashland University and author of John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty. David N. Mayer is Professor of Law at Capital University and author of The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson.

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