This second of two volumes gathering the essential writings of one of the
towering figures of the American Revolution traces John Adams's career from his
leading role in the debate over independence (he was "our Colossus on the
floor," remembered Thomas Jefferson), to his tireless efforts to establish the
fledgling government of the United States and supply its army in the field, to
his crucial diplomatic service in Europe, where he was hailed as "the George
Washington of negotiation." It includes the highly influential pamphlet
"Thoughts on Government" (1776); the "Report of a Constitution for
Massachusetts," (1780) Adams's blueprint for what remains the world's oldest
working political charter,