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Introduction

Written during his continued service abroad, this letter finds John Adams reflecting on the instability he observed in European governments and the challenges facing republics old and new. It responds to Abigail’s recent correspondence and reveals his deep concern that liberty, once achieved, could be lost without strong institutions and public virtue.

Letter Text

I have long been convinced that there is no simple remedy for the disorders of government, and that the preservation of liberty depends upon a careful balance of powers. The histories of all nations demonstrate that republics are as liable to corruption and decay as monarchies, if the principles upon which they are founded are not steadily maintained. Human passions are the same in every age, and it is only by restraining them through wise laws that freedom can be secured.

In my observations here, I see much to admire and much to fear. The splendor of courts and the authority of kings may dazzle the imagination, but they are purchased at the expense of the many for the benefit of the few. Yet even in republics, ambition and faction may prove equally destructive if not properly checked. It is therefore of the utmost importance that our country cultivate both knowledge and virtue, for without them no form of government can long endure.

HAL 1776 Commentary

This letter reveals John Adams at his most philosophical, distilling years of diplomatic experience into sober reflections on power and human nature. His insistence on balanced government and moral restraint anticipates debates that would soon shape the framing of the Constitution. Within the Adams correspondence, the letter marks a transition from revolutionary action to the enduring problem of how liberty might be preserved once independence had been secured.

Source

Founders Online, National Archives.
John Adams to Abigail Adams, 15 June 1786.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/04-08-02-0112