America’s Hopeful Vision Transcends Political Division

In this semiquincentennial year, I’ve heard more than a few folks say they wish they felt more celebratory about America at 250 but political division gets in the way. So much rancor and disagreement around every corner. It’s true, we live in a highly polarized moment of history. But I’m not sure that makes us unique, let alone defines us. In fact, today’s political climate bears an uncanny resemblance to that of early American politics.

I submit the case of two Founding Fathers: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The same duo that brought us the Declaration of Independence, also introduced political division. They shared the same vision for American independence but held intensely different views as to the nature of the new republic. For decades they worked in tandem. Then for years, they found themselves at cross-purposes, and their bond of friendship slowly unraveled. In time, the two would rekindle their long-held amity. The full arc of their friendship provides a sympathetic model for how we each might approach our own feelings in the countdown to America’s 250th.

Shared Vision

Adams and Jefferson met during the Continental Congress under radical circumstances. The American colonies had come together for a treasonous purpose—to seek independence from Great Britain.

Both men were native born, Adams from Massachusetts and Jefferson from Virginia. Each were lawyers with a deep interest in philosophy, history and government. Adams was educated at Harvard College; Jefferson at the College of William & Mary. In time, they both shaped early American foreign policy, serving as diplomats in Europe. And of course, both would serve as president of the nation they helped to create.

In 1775, their shared vision, their singular purpose was chronicling the colonists’ grievances against King George III and declaring independence from British rule in the pursuit of something new. Adams and Jefferson served on the five-man committee that drafted the Declaration. Their cohorts were the esteemed Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston from New York, and Roger Sherman from Connecticut. But it is Adams and Jefferson who are most closely remembered for the Declaration of Independence: Jefferson for writing it and Adams for defending it.

In this endeavor, little political division existed between the two founders. Still, much heavy lifting and compromise would be required to bring their fellow delegates into one accord.

Contrasting Temperaments

Before the ink was dry on the Declaration, the differences between Adams and Jefferson began to emerge. In Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence, Joseph J. Ellis writes, “If Jefferson preferred to levitate above the waves of political and military challenges roiling through the Continental Congress after independence was declared, Adams was predisposed to dive into them all at once.”

Jefferson exuded a quiet, reflective, and idealistic demeanor. By contrast, Adams was outspoken, combative, and frequently blunt. Differences of style, agendas, and visions were not limited to these two Founders. Passionate debates ensued in the Continental Congress over many matters. Of particular and immediate concern was funding for the Continental Army, which was tasked with securing the very independence Congress had just voted for. The fiery deliberations resembled the acrimony of many modern-day sessions of Congress.

As Ellis continues, “The consensus on independence did not translate into a consensus on American union…Americans regarded both a national government and a potent continental army as embodiments of consolidated political and military power that ran against the grain of the very values the American revolution claimed to stand for.”

Indeed, differing viewpoints as to the nature of the new republic quickly became a hallmark of the American experience. How to unite those differences—E Pluribus Unum—was an essential struggle for the Founders and remains so even now. Political division is never welcome, but it is ever present.

If there is polarization in our politics today, we ought not be too surprised. That dynamic was baked in the cake from the start. In fact, it was Adams and Jefferson who would set the stage for political parties in the United States. Adams was a staunch Federalist and advocate for a strong central government. He favored commerce, industry and a national banking system. On the other hand, Jefferson championed an agrarian ideal. As a Democratic-Republican, he believed the states should wield the most power, and the federal government should be restrained.

Discord and Criticism

Adams narrowly defeated Jefferson in the presidential election of 1796. In the early years of the republic, the consolation prize for second place was the vice presidency. The arrangement went about as well as you might expect it would go if the candidates from any of our recent elections had the same ground rules.

In her book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic, historian Lyndsay M. Chervinsky writes that Adams and Jefferson “had once considered the other a most valued friend and treasured their shared time together in Europe. Then they returned to politics in the United States and spent the next several years criticizing each other’s diverging politics. Adams thought Jefferson was a naive optimist about the violence and danger of the French Revolution, and Jefferson worried that Adams had grown too fond of the monarchies in Europe and wanted to replicate the same system at home. The election had exacerbated their differences, as their supporters slung criticism and falsehoods at the other in newspapers.”

The political division between Adams and Jefferson was palpable. As Vice President, Jefferson is known to have worked in the shadows to destabilize the administration’s federalist-leaning policies at home and abroad. Chervinsky writes, “Not only was the vice president sabotaging Adams’s foreign policy, but he was also actively colluding to undermine the administration at home while still in office.”

The election of 1800 was a highly contentious one. This time, Jefferson defeated Adams. The outcome intensified an already bitter discord. For more than a decade, the two men who together had ushered in the birth of a nation would not speak to one another.

Reconciliation

With the passage of time, and the help of a mutual friend, Adams and Jefferson would begin a slow crawl back to the friendship they had once enjoyed. Dr. Benjamin Rush, himself a signer of the Declaration of Independence, encouraged reconciliation. In 1812 Adams and Jefferson began a correspondence that would continue until their deaths—on the same day—on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence.

In one letter, dated July 15, 1813, Adams writes, “You and I ought not to die, before We have explained ourselves to each other.” Over the next dozen years, the two would exchange more than 150 letters. Together, they reflected on philosophy, faith, science, government, the meaning of America, and the future of its next generations.

Adams and Jefferson lived for a time as bitter political rivals. Yet, they rediscovered a mutual admiration and abiding friendship in their twilight years. Egos set aside, core values and the wisdom that comes with age would unite them as in years past. Theirs is a timeless lesson in civility and a reminder that opposing views can coexist in mutual respect.

Americans can find cause for celebration in our founding heritage as modeled by Adams and Jefferson. If John and Tom can see their way to reconciliation and authentic fellowship, surely we can find common ground for the next 250 years. Though imperfect now as it was then, America remains a beacon for the hope that is born of the promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Footnote

In anticipation of America’s semiquincentennial, Monticello has introduced a new tour to its line-up this year. Founding Friends, Founding Foes explores how ordinary people became leaders of the Revolution who struggled to transform their ideals into an enduring government. This tour runs through Dec. 31, 2025.