[The Massachusetts constitution] resembles the federal Constitution of 1787 more closely than any of the other revolutionary state constitutions. It was also… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
By the time [John Adams] came to write his Defence of the Constitutions of the United States in 1787 he had as… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
Deeply versed in history, [John Adams] said over and over that America had no special providence, no special role in history, that… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[Tomas] Jefferson believed that the United States was a chosen nation with a special responsibility to spread democracy around the world. — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[John] Adams said his objective in writing his Defence of the Constitutions of the United States and his Davila essays was to… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
The Massachusetts constitution was written much later than the other revolutionary state constitutions, and thus it avoids some of the earlier mistakes.… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
I think [John Adams's] influence on the federal Constitution was indirect. Many including James Madison mocked the first volume of Adams's Defence… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[John Adams' writings] had indicted the United States for slavishly copying the English constitution by erecting bicameral legislatures in their state constitutions,… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[John] Adams's letters reveal his persistence and determination to win over the Dutch against all odds and to convince them and the… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[The Massachusetts constitution] resembles the federal Constitution of 1787 more closely than any of the other revolutionary state constitutions. It was also drawn up… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[John] Adams identified himself with the political theories of [James] Harrington, [John] Locke, and [Charles-Louis] Montesquieu, whose ideas of constitutionalism, he believed, were applicable… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[John] Adams was the best and most colorful stylist among the Founders. Although [Tomas] Jefferson is widely regarded as the smoothest writer, Adams is… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
This rationale, which justified the mixed constitution of Great Britain, might have made some sense in 1776, but by 1787 most American thinkers had… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
By the time [John Adams] came to write his Defence of the Constitutions of the United States in 1787 he had as dark a… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
Creating senates, the French critics said, implied that there was another social order besides the people represented in the houses of representatives. [John] Adams… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
By 1782 [John Adams] had come to feel for [Benjamin] Franklin "no other sentiments than Contempt or Abhorrence." — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
I think [John Adams] developed a much deeper suspicion of France and the other European powers than he had earlier. He lost much if… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
[John] Adams never had an optimistic view of human nature, and his experience in the Congress and abroad only deepened his suspicion that his… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
A mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, brought [Tomas Jefferson and John Adams] together in 1812, and they went on to exchange letters for the rest… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
“Intellectual activity in a culture is not a one-way flow between the great minds and passive recipients; it is a discourse, a complex marketplace-like… — Gordon S. Wood Copy Share Image
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![“[John] Adams said his objective in writing his Defence of…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f7/gordon-s-wood-13199_constitution_john-adams-said-his-objective-in-writing_1758037.jpg)
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![“[John Adams' writings] had indicted the United States for slavishly…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/02e/gordon-s-wood-13199_constitution_john-adams-writings-had-indicted-the-uni_2937112.jpg)
![“[John] Adams's letters reveal his persistence and determination to win…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9e1/gordon-s-wood-13199_against-all-odds_john-adams-s-letters-reveal-his-persiste_3169431.jpg)
![“[John] Adams identified himself with the political theories of [James]…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c71/gordon-s-wood-13199_constitutionalism_john-adams-identified-himself-with-the-p_226327.jpg)
![“[John] Adams was the best and most colorful stylist among…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/782/gordon-s-wood-13199_colorful_john-adams-was-the-best-and-most-colorfu_244163.jpg)
![“By 1782 [John Adams] had come to feel for [Benjamin]…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/91d/gordon-s-wood-13199_abhorrence_by-1782-john-adams-had-come-to-feel-for_357591.jpg)
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