The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States

John Adams (1735–1826) was a highly educated and enlightened lawyer who became a central figure in the American Revolution. As a political theorist he influenced the constitutions of the former British colonies in America, and he is regarded, with Jefferson, as the father of the United States Constitution. First published in 1850–6, this collection brings together Adams' major writings. Given their influence not only on the United States, but also on other republics, Adams' works rank among the most important political writings of their time. Volume 4 includes one of Adams' most celebrated works, Novanglus (1775) and the first part of his famous Defence of the Constitutions (1787), which sets out his views on an ideal constitution. Using his extensive legal knowledge, Adams argued that the provincial legislatures had sovereign power and that the colonies were connected to Britain only through the person of the King.