Founding Frenemies: America’s Most Complicated Bromance

Roger and Keith outside the President's House as John Adams found it in 1800 — barely habitable, only a few rooms finished, the grounds still unlandscaped.

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Founding Frenemies: America’s Most Complicated Bromance

About This Episode

What’s covered

Few friendships in American history changed as dramatically as that of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. One was a Massachusetts lawyer from a farming family, the other a Virginia planter's son^[1]^[2]. In 1776 both sat on the committee that prepared the Declaration of Independence^{[3, p. 10]}. Years later Adams was the second president and Jefferson his vice president, and in 1800 they stood against each other for the presidency^[4]^[5]. Their friendship lapsed, then revived by letter from the beginning of 1812^[5]. They died on 4 July 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration's adoption^[6]. It is often told as a coincidence of dates, but it is also a story of argument and reconciliation. This documentary follows their story in four parts: two different beginnings and a shared partnership, years in Europe and an unfinished President's House, the party quarrel of 1800, and the letters that ended the silence.

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The Story

How the Story Unfolds

Two Beginnings, One Partnership

John Adams was born in 1735 in the part of Braintree, Massachusetts, later set off as Quincy, the eldest son of a thrifty farmer who served as a selectman and church deacon^[1]. Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 at Shadwell, one of the tobacco plantations of his father, Peter Jefferson, in the Virginia up-country^[2]. Adams studied law at Worcester, Jefferson under George Wythe^[1]^[6]. By 1776 both sat in the Second Continental Congress, which met in what is now Independence Hall in Philadelphia^{[7, p. 2]}. When Richard Henry Lee moved that the colonies be free and independent states, Adams seconded the motion^{[3, p. 10]}^{[8, p. 99]}. Both men were named to the committee of five that prepared a declaration^{[3, p. 10]}. Adams later recalled urging Jefferson to write the draft, because Jefferson was a Virginian, Adams was “obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular”, and Jefferson could write “ten times better”^{[8, p. 99]}.

John Adams presses his case in the Pennsylvania State House assembly room, where in the summer of 1776 he drove hesitant delegates toward independence.

Europe, the Presidency and an Unfinished House

Winning independence meant winning allies. Adams was appointed a commissioner to France in late 1777 and reached Paris in April 1778^[9]. He, Franklin and John Jay later concluded the Treaty of Paris, signed on 3 September 1783^[10]. Jefferson followed in 1784, sent by Congress to negotiate commercial treaties alongside Adams and Franklin, and went on to succeed Franklin as minister to France^{[11, p. 140]}^[6]. Adams was inaugurated as second president on 4 March 1797, with Jefferson as his vice president^[4]. The President's House in the new city of Washington was ready for occupancy in November 1800, but its interior was unfinished, with many rooms unplastered, no grand staircase, and laundry hung in the East Room^{[12, p. 2]}. John Adams was its first occupant^{[12, p. 1]}. Jefferson later worked with the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe on long colonnades east and west of the house, serving as service and storage space^{[12, p. 2]}.

Parties, Pamphlets and a Tied Election

George Washington's Farewell Address warned in solemn terms against the baneful effects of the spirit of party^{[13, p. 19]}. Yet two parties formed in the 1790s, one to support Alexander Hamilton's financial policies and one to oppose them^{[14, p. 21]}. The Republican Party of Jefferson and Madison, also called the Democratic-Republican Party, was founded in the 1790s^{[15, p. 12]}. In 1800 the incumbent Federalist, Adams, faced Jefferson^{[16, p. 13]}. During the campaign many clergy, particularly in New England, denounced Jefferson as an atheist and a French infidel^{[17, p. 17]}. The electoral vote was Jefferson 73, Aaron Burr 73, Adams 65 and Pinckney 64, which sent the election to the House of Representatives^[18]. On the thirty-sixth ballot, on 17 February 1801, the House elected Jefferson^[19]. Hamilton, no friend of Jefferson, had urged Federalists to prefer him to Burr^{[16, p. 30]}. Adams left Washington on the day of the inauguration without attending the ceremony^[20], and the friendship lapsed^[5].

Thomas Jefferson stands outside the White House, of which he was the second occupant and the first president to be inaugurated in the new capital.

Silence, Letters and One Fourth of July

After Abigail Adams wrote to Jefferson on the death of his daughter in 1804, no communication passed between the two families^{[11, p. 401]}. Their friend Dr Benjamin Rush worked to bring about a reconciliation, and Adams opened the way with a letter dated 1 January 1812 enclosing two pieces of homespun^{[11, p. 401]}^[5]. Jefferson replied on 21 January^[5], and the correspondence that followed was voluminous and uninterrupted^{[11, p. 401]}. Their letters ranged over history, politics and religion, and on the subject of parties Adams wrote that parties and factions would not suffer improvements to be made^[5]. At least 102 letters from Adams and 48 from Jefferson survive, according to the editor of a 1925 collection^[5]. Jefferson died on 4 July 1826, aged 83, and Adams, aged 90, died a few hours later the same day^[6]. According to nineteenth-century accounts, Adams's last words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives”, though Jefferson had already died^[4]. Other accounts give the wording differently^[21].

Townspeople gather beneath a hand-painted "Adams or Jefferson?" banner, the presidential election of 1800 that turned political rivalry bitterly personal.

Historical Context

What was going on

The friendship of Adams and Jefferson endures partly because it shows affection and opposition sharing one republic. The Republican side presented it as the saving grace of the American Revolution^{[16, p. 25]}, while the Federalists' Alien and Sedition Acts were later judged to have contributed largely to their party's downfall^[1]. The tied vote exposed a flaw in the electoral system, corrected by the Twelfth Amendment in 1804^{[22, p. 1]}. In his inaugural address Jefferson argued that differences of opinion were not differences of principle^[20]. The founders' reputations remain contested. Adams was long overshadowed by Washington and Jefferson, though historians point to his resistance to Federalist pressure for wider conflict with France as a reason he deserves more credit^{[23, p. 25]}^{[23, p. 16]}. Jefferson, who wrote that all men are created equal, personally held around 150 people in slavery at Monticello, a contradiction historians still wrestle with^{[17, p. 17]}^{[11, p. 212]}. In 1831 the French visitor Alexis de Tocqueville came to study the American prison system and returned with the book that shaped how the world understood American democracy^[24]^{[25, p. 1]}^[26]. Their story suggests a republic can hold bitter argument and lasting respect together.

Quick Facts

The essentials

Quick Facts

Keith on Who Held the Pen

Adams later recalled telling Jefferson to write the Declaration draft, with three reasons: Jefferson was a Virginian, Adams was “obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular”, and Jefferson could write “ten times better”. Roger calls it modesty. Keith calls it the best delegating in American history^{[8, p. 99]}.

Roger Finds a Grudge That Lasted

Reconciled, yes. Forgiven on everything, apparently not. In a letter to William Short on 8 January 1825, Jefferson asked whether anyone could read Adams's Defence of the American Constitutions without seeing that he was a monarchist. Even old friends keep a few receipts^[3].

A Last Question on the Third

Jefferson's physician recorded that on the evening of 3 July he asked, “Is it the Fourth?” and was told, “It soon will be.” He died about one o'clock on the 4th^{[17, p. 419]}. Adams's reported last words vary between accounts, so treat the exact wording with care^[4]^[21].

The Epitaph That Skipped the Presidency

Jefferson wrote his own gravestone inscription, and it names three achievements: author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia^{[27, p. 105]}^{[28, p. 277]}. The presidency did not make the list. Keith finds that quietly telling.

Another President Chose the Fourth

Adams and Jefferson were not the last president to die on a Fourth of July. James Monroe did so in 1831, a year after his wife^[29]. Roger says the founders had impeccable timing. Keith says three is where coincidence starts asking for a second opinion.

George Washington, the first President of the United States, addresses Congress; his Farewell Address warned the young republic against the rise of political parties.

But every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle.

Thomas Jefferson, first inaugural address, Senate Chamber of the Capitol, Washington, 4 March 1801^[20]^[20]

Delivered to a country split between Federalists and Republicans, the line shows Jefferson describing party differences as differences of opinion rather than of principle.

Who Is in This One?

The people you'll meet

Pierre Charles L’Enfant

Benjamin Henry Latrobe

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Alexis de Tocqueville

George H. W. Bush

John Quincy Adams

Timeline

How it unfolded

30 October 1735

Birth of John Adams

John Adams was born at Quincy, then part of Braintree, Massachusetts, on 19 October 1735 by the Old Style calendar^[18], which is 30 October 1735 by the modern calendar^[30]. He sat in the Continental Congress from 1774 until 1781^{[28, p. 183]}.

13 April 1743

Birth of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was born on 13 April 1743 (2 April, Old Style) at Shadwell, one of the tobacco plantations owned by his father Peter Jefferson, in the Virginia up-country^[2]. He would become the third president of the United States^[31].

4 July 1776

Declaration of Independence Adopted

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776, with the text written primarily by Jefferson^[32]. A committee of five that included Jefferson and Adams, alongside Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston, had been appointed in June to prepare it^[33].

3 September 1783

Treaty of Paris Ends the Revolutionary War

John Adams, who had been in Europe on congressional missions since 1778^{[34, p. 6]}, signed the definitive peace treaty between the United States and Great Britain on 3 September 1783^{[34, p. 7]}. The Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War^[35].

4 March 1797

Inauguration of John Adams

John Adams was inaugurated as second president on 4 March 1797, succeeding Washington^[36]^[4]. Jefferson, who had received the next largest number of votes, became his vice president and presided over the Senate^[4].

17 February 1801

House Elects Jefferson President

In the election of 1800 Jefferson and Aaron Burr each received 73 electoral votes, ahead of Adams with 65 and Pinckney with 64, which threw the decision to the House of Representatives^[18]. On 17 February 1801, on the 36th ballot, the House elected Jefferson president^[19].

1 January 1812

Adams Writes to Jefferson Again

Adams sent Jefferson a letter dated 1 January 1812, enclosing two pieces of homespun, reopening direct contact between the two men^[5]. Their friend Dr Benjamin Rush had worked to bring about the reconciliation, after no communication had passed between the families since 1804, and the correspondence that followed was voluminous and uninterrupted^{[11, p. 401]}.

4 July 1826

Deaths of Adams and Jefferson

Jefferson died at the age of 83 on 4 July 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and John Adams died at 90 a few hours later the same day^[6]. Nineteenth-century accounts report that Adams's last words were 'Thomas Jefferson still survives', though Jefferson had in fact already died^[4].

Where Is That?

The maps used in this episode

Colonial America, 1776 – British Possessions on the Eve of Revolution

Diplomats Abroad: Franklin, Adams & Jefferson in Europe, 1776-1789

What Happens in This One?

The moments it covers

American Revolution

Continental Congress debates and votes for independence – 1776

Drafting and adoption of the Declaration of Independence

Planning of Washington, D.C.

Construction of the White House

Presidential Election of 1800

Myth-buster

Think you know this one?

Keith, you know the day! The Fourth of July, 1776, Independence Hall, quills scratching, every delegate signing the Declaration of Independence in one grand ceremony. Jefferson's masterpiece signed, sealed and delivered by teatime, and the fireworks have been going ever since. That is the day the signatures went down, and I will not hear otherwise!

Roger, I admire the quills and the teatime, but the signing is where it wobbles. Congress voted for independence on 2 July, a day Adams called the most memorable epocha in American history^[37]^{[38, p. 60]}. The text was adopted on 4 July^{[39, p. 375]}^{[33, p. 170]}. The parchment copy was signed at the table on 2 August by the members present^{[33, p. 170]}^[40]. So the Fourth keeps the fireworks, Roger, and August gets the pens.

Officially, Roger, the President's House was a palace fit for a president. L'Enfant did plan one he called a palace, five times the size of the house actually built^{[12, p. 1]}. In practice, when the Adamses moved in during November 1800, the house was habitable but unfinished. Many rooms were unplastered, the grand staircase was missing, and the East Room had become a place to hang the laundry^{[12, p. 2]}.

Keith, unfinished? A staircase is just a hole with ambition! And a drying line in the East Room makes it the grandest laundry room in the republic. Palace by any other name, my friend, and I will not be moved.

Adams argues fiercely across the chamber table; opponents branded him a would-be monarch, though he wanted only a strong executive restrained by law.

Keith, here is the one everybody knows. Adams and Jefferson were mortal enemies from start to finish. Rivals in 1776, rivals in 1800, rivals to the grave, never a kind word between them. Two founders, one enormous grudge, and not a single friendly letter in all those years!

Roger, “to the grave” is where it falls over. They sat on the same committee in 1776^{[3, p. 10]}, and their early letters run from 1777 to 1796^[5]. The friendship lapsed after the election of 1800, but from 1812 letters passed between them in every remaining year^[5]. A long grudge? No, Roger. A long argument with a very good ending.