In Praise of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama

 

by Pa Rock

Patriotic American

(Note:  Today's blog posting was intended to be focused on the ways Trump has actively sought to control and spoil our nation's celebration of its Semiquincentennial, but I got distracted early on and meandered into a forest of presidential trivia.  Suffice it to say that I strongly dislike the way Donald Trump has co-opted this holiday and celebration and used it to glorify himself.   As to the meandering, I guess that's why this blog is called "The Ramble."  Happy Fourth! ~ Pa Rock)

Tomorrow marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of our nation's Declaration of Independence.  The day's formal title is the "Semiquincentennial."  Tomorrow also marks the 200th anniversary of the deaths of two of the more prominent signers of that historic document:  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.  Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.  John Adams went on to become the new nation's second President, when running in 1796 as a "Federalist" he defeated Jefferson (who was running as a Democratic Republican).  Jefferson, who placed second in the electoral college vote, became Vice President in the Adams' administration, and four years later, in 1800, Jefferson defeated Adams in the Presidential election in the electoral college.

(In an unanticipated constitutional quirk, Jefferson tied with his own Vice-Presidential running mate, Aaron Burr, in 1800, and after Burr decided that, yes, he, too, would like to be President, the matter had to be settled by a vote in the House of Representatives - which Jefferson won.)

Adams and Jefferson did not get along well during the years they both served in George Washington's administration and later during their own years as President.  Adams promoted the concept of a strong federal (central) government, and Jefferson, a southern slaveholder like Washington, thought primary power should reside in the states.  That political divide still exists in the nation today, though the adherents to each view have taken several different labels over the past 250 years.  Today people who favor a dominant federal government tend to call themselves "Democrats," and those pushing for more power at the state level are often "Republicans."  (From the Civil War until the 1960's, those labels were basically reversed with Democrats favoring states' rights, and Republicans, the party of Lincoln, backing a strong federal government.)

The two early leaders who died 200 years ago tomorrow, Adams and Jefferson, patched up their animosity toward one another after leaving office and moving home.  During their final years they became quill pals and enjoyed a close relationship through written correspondence.  Both obviously worked at "hanging on" until the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration, and as John Adams passed away at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts at around five in the afternoon on July 4th, 1826, his final words were "Thomas Jefferson survives."   But John Adams was wrong.  Jefferson had passed away at Monticello, his estate in Virginia, just after noon on that same day, and word of his demise hadn't had time to reach Adams.

Two elderly politicians, poles apart in their political philosophies, yet inextricably bound in their hopes and aspirations for the new nation which they helped to found and build.  

Those of us of a certain age can remember our nation's 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which was known as the "Bicentennial."  The United States had a different vibe in 1976 compared to the noise it makes today.   Then, like now, there was a Republican in the White House, but Gerald Ford was a different species of individual than the one who lives there now.  He was a dedicated family man with a personable wife and four teenage children residing with him in the White House.  Ford was known (perhaps unfairly) for being awkward, clumsy, and often ineffectual as a leader, but he got America through the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and the (basically forced) resignation of his predecessor in the White House, Richard Nixon.  People liked Gerald Ford and they felt he had the nation's best interest at heart.  

Gerald Ford certainly had political differences with Jimmy Carter, the Democrat who defeated him in 1976 and was the next President, but interestingly, after the two men left office they became close friends, much like the closeness that developed between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

More recently the Republican George W. Bush and his wife Laura, and the Democratic couple who followed them into the White House (back when it was still intact), Barack and Michelle Obama, are also becoming close, climbing over those pesky party lines to form friendships.

Donald Trump, who doesn't play well with others, takes great pleasure in publicly berating his presidential predecessors, due, no doubt, to his own massive insecurities - and the former Presidents, in a more dignified manner, tend to ignore him as much as they can.   Civility still has a place in modern society, just not at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Donald, I doubt that you have any Former President buddies after you leave office.  They fly commercial and are basically nice people - so you would have little in common with any of them.  

Oh, and shame on you, Donald, for making the Semiquincentennial all about you.  Gerald Ford had the good sense not to interfere with the Bicentennial, and it was exceptional.  But Ford, of course, was presidential and a good-hearted human being.