Adams: An American Dynasty

To imagine the United States you know without John and Abigail Adams and their descendants would be impossible. The indefatigable Adams family has managed to be close to the heartbeat of America's political and intellectual life across most of our two centuries.A timely contribution to the nation's bicentennial year, this absorbing American Heritage history tells the epic story of the Adamses of Massachusetts. From the great political and philosophical contributions of the founding father, John Adams, to the present generation of inheritors of the family legacy who continue to serve the country, the reader follows the dramatic careers of John's stoutly independent son, the diplomat and sixth President, John Quincy Adams; the pre-Civil War "Voice of Honor," Charles Francis Adams; the famous authors, Henry and Brooks Adams; and those who have carried on the dynasty's tradition in giving leadership in many fields of American endeavor, from scholarship and intellectual pursuits to statesmanship and business.Francis Russell, the noted New England historian whose books include TRAGEDY IN DEDHAM and the controversial study of Harding's life, THE SHADOW OF BLOOMING GROVE, draws masterfully on diaries, letters, and other original writings to make the principals vivid, living personalities. In his knowledgeable telling, the complex and voluminously documented Adams chronicles are refined to a flowing, memorable, and inspiring story that reads like a fine novel.Some 60 historical illustrations have been selected and captioned by the editors of American Heritage, the foremost iconographers of the American experience.