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Introduction

Written two days after Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, this letter continues John Adams’s reflections on the momentous decision now made public. It follows his July 3 letter and turns from anticipation to contemplation, weighing the meaning of independence against the trials still ahead.

Letter Text

It is with pleasure that I hear you have undertaken to inoculate yourself and our children, and I sincerely hope it will be attended with the desired success. The smallpox is a more terrible enemy than any we have yet encountered, and prudence requires us to guard against it with all possible care.

The declaration which you will have seen before this reaches you is now before the world. The measures of Congress have been weighed with the utmost deliberation, and though the step we have taken is bold, it is founded, I trust, in justice and necessity. We must now look forward with resolution and firmness, prepared to meet the consequences of what we have done.

I long for the time when these public anxieties shall give way to domestic felicity, and when I may return to that peaceful scene which your letters so often bring to my mind. Until then, let us each persevere in the duties assigned us, supporting one another by affection and constancy.

HAL 1776 Commentary

This letter bridges the emotional peak of the independence vote with the sober realities that followed its announcement. John Adams’s tone reflects a shift from celebration to endurance, recognizing that the Declaration marked not an end, but a beginning. Within the series, it underscores how revolutionary milestones were immediately accompanied by personal sacrifice and sustained resolve.

Source

Founders Online, National Archives.
John Adams to Abigail Adams, 5 July 1776.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/04-01-02-0114