Adams Papers Editorial Project

FAIN: RQ-287004-22

Massachusetts Historical Society (Boston, MA 02215-3631)
Sara Martin (Project Director: December 2021 to present)

Preparation for publication of volumes 22 and 23 of the papers of John Adams (1735-1826) and volumes 16, 17, 18 of the Adams Family’s correspondence. (36 months)

The Adams Papers Editorial Project at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) is the authoritative scholarly edition of the diaries, letters, official records, public writings, and literary miscellanies written by three generations of the Adams Family of Massachusetts, including Abigail Adams, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Louisa Catherine Adams, Charles Francis Adams, and their families. Since 1956, the project has published 56 volumes, with 49 freely available online (https://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/). This family record charts the generational shifts in American life from the Revolution through the Civil War. As the nation’s 250th anniversary approaches, editors are focused on the founding generation’s efforts to establish “A More Perfect Union,” a complex saga that will unfold in 17 more volumes by 2039. The Adams Papers has received continuous aid from the NEH since 2003; we seek further support to make this unparalleled resource accessible to all.

Media Coverage

Washington and Adams: A Tale of Two POTUSes (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Sarah Hume
Publication: MHS Beehive
Date: 9/23/2025
Abstract: A blog post highlighting a rotating MHS exhibition on John Adams and George Washington that included Adams Papers manuscripts previously published in the Adams Family Correspondence (vols. 8 & 12) or Papers of John Adams (vol. 19 and forthcoming in vol. 23).
URL: https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2025/09/washington-and-adams-a-tale-of-two-potuses/

Adams Family Correspondence: Part One, Part Two, & Part Three (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Miriam Liebman
Publication: MHS Beehive
Date: 7/11/2025
Abstract: 3-part blog post announcing publication of Adams Family Correspondence, volume 16
URL: https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2025/07/adams-family-correspondence-volume-16-part-one/; https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2025/07/adams-family-correspondence-volume-16-part-two/; https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2025/07/adams-family-correspondence-volume-16-part-three/

Dialogues of the Dead (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Heather Rockwood
Publication: MHS Beehive
Date: 11/4/2024
Abstract: Blog post featuring a document published in Papers of John Adams, volume 20, along with future Adams Papers materials.
URL: https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2024/11/dialogues-of-the-dead/

Digitization of Sources and the American Revolution (Media Coverage)
Author(s):
Publication: The Panorama
Date: 6/2/2025
Abstract: An overview of Adams digital resources, including the Adams Papers Digital Edition, as an aid to scholarship on the American Revolution.
URL: https://thepanorama.shear.org/2025/06/02/digitization-of-sources-and-the-american-revolution/

Associated Products

Adams Family Correspondence, volume 14, Adams Papers Digital Edition (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Adams Family Correspondence, volume 14, Adams Papers Digital Edition
Author: Woodward, Hobson
Author: Martin, Sara
Author: Minty, Christopher F.
Author: Norton, Amanda M.
Author: Millikan, Neal E.
Author: Fries, Gwen
Author: Georgini, Sara
Abstract: “I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it,” John Adams wrote to Abigail Adams as he took up residence in the building that became known as the White House. John and Abigail’s reflections on an emerging nation as they settle into the new national capital of Washington, D.C., are one highlight of the nearly 280 letters written over seventeen months printed in this volume of Adams Family Correspondence. The volume opens with the Adamses’ public and private mourning of George Washington and concludes with John’s defeat in the contentious presidential election of 1800. Electioneering, charges of sedition, and state-by-state strategizing are debated by the Adamses and their correspondents as the election advances toward deadlock and concludes with victory for Thomas Jefferson in the House of Representatives. John’s retirement from public life had some sweet mixed with the bitter. The U.S. mission to France resulted in the Convention of 1800 that ended the Quasi-War and John’s nomination of John Marshall as chief justice marked the beginning of a transformative era for the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall’s nomination preceded the so-called “midnight appointments” at the close of John’s presidency, a coda anticipated in Abigail’s request to John in the final days of his administration—“I want to see the list of judges.”
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/index.php/volume/ADMS-04-14
Primary URL Description: This is the link to the landing page for volume 14 of the Adams Family Correspondence, as included in the Adams Papers Digital Edition on the website of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Secondary URL: https://founders.archives.gov/content/volumes#Adams
Secondary URL Description: The annotated documents within this volume are also available within Founders Online.
Access Model: Open Access

Papers of John Adams, Volume 20, Adams Papers Digital Edition (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Papers of John Adams, Volume 20, Adams Papers Digital Edition
Author: Sara Georgini
Author: Sara Martin
Author: R. M. Barlow
Author: Gwen Fries
Author: Amanda M. Norton
Author: Neal E. Millikan
Author: Hobson Woodward
Abstract: John Adams’s shaping of the vice presidency dominates Volume 20 of the Papers of John Adams, which charts the formation of the American government from June 1789 to February 1791. As the first federal Congress struggled to interpret the U.S. Constitution and implement an economic framework, Adams held fast to federalist principles and sought to define his duties. While outliers North Carolina and Rhode Island delayed ratification, Congress battled through three sessions of major progress. Moving from New York City to Philadelphia, Adams and his colleagues warred over how to collect revenue and where to locate the federal seat. They established the departments of justice, state, treasury, and war. Whether or not the union would hold, as regional interests impeded congressional momentum, remained Adams’s chief concern. “There is every Evidence of good Intentions on all sides but there are too many Symptoms of old Colonial Habits: and too few, of great national Views,” he observed. Equally challenging to John Adams was the scope of his role, since the Constitution said little about the vice president’s powers. He focused on presiding over the Senate, where he broke a number of ties. Adams found his voice in George Washington’s cabinet, too, drawing on his diplomatic expertise to champion American neutrality during the Nootka Sound conflict of 1790. He pledged to continue laboring for the American people. “If I did not love them now, I would not Serve them another hour—for I very well know that Vexation and Chagrine, must be my Portion, every moment I shall continue in public Life,” he wrote. Finally, Adams carved out time to create. He issued his Discourses on Davila, a synthesis of national progress and republican history. Once again, John Adams’s frank letters reveal firsthand the labor of nation-building in an age of constitutions.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/index.php/volume/ADMS-06-20
Primary URL Description: This is the link to the landing page for volume 20 of the Papers of John Adams, as included in the Adams Papers Digital Edition on the website of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Secondary URL: https://founders.archives.gov/volumes/Adams/06-20
Secondary URL Description: The annotated documents within this volume are also available within Founders Online.
Access Model: Open Access

Papers of John Adams, Volume 22 (Book)
Title: Papers of John Adams, Volume 22
Author: John Adams
Editor: Sara Georgini
Editor: Sara Martin
Editor: R. M. Barlow
Editor: Gwen Fries
Editor: Hobson Woodward
Editor: Amanda M. Norton
Editor: Miriam Liebman
Abstract: Renewing his pledge to serve the American people, newly elected President John Adams wrote: “I never in my life felt Such an awful Weight of obligation to devote all my time, and all the forces that remain, to the Public.” This volume of the Papers of John Adams explores Adams’ first fractious year in office, as he led the United States through the global upheaval of European war. The second president faced a set of hard trials. French privateers preyed on neutral American commerce. Yellow fever afflicted the federal seat in Philadelphia. The press warred over Adams’ political character. Meanwhile, he labored with Congress to shift money and resources for military preparedness. “I should hold myself guilty of a neglect of Duty, if I forebore to recommend that We Should make every exertion to protect our Commerce, and to place our Country in a Suitable posture of defence,” he wrote. Adams’ rich correspondence reveals an administration bent on pursuing a policy of strategic peace despite rumbles of war. Running the nation’s highest office presented fresh challenges for the lifelong public servant. Domestic unrest roiled the nation. Popular debate grew over conflicting agreements with France and Great Britain, and factionalism marred congressional progress. Adams kept careful watch as protests exploded at imperial crossroads along the southern and western frontiers, where Spain, France, Great Britain, Native nations, and the United States sparred for control. The urgent question of France dominated Adams’ mind. As shipping losses mounted, he sought to salvage a tattered alliance and hold off war. Adams’ Federalist ideology of tripartite government animated his policymaking and his public reputation; understanding how to preserve liberty while defending the people remained his challenge. Volume 22 depicts John Adams’ hard labor to heal the United States’ relations with France, and it shows how he made the presidency.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674296473
Primary URL Description: This links to the book page on the Harvard University Press website.
Access Model: Book
Publisher: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780674296473
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Adams Family Correspondence, volume 16 (Book)
Title: Adams Family Correspondence, volume 16
Author: Thomas Boylston Adams
Author: John Adams
Author: Abigail Adams
Author: John Quincy Adams
Author: Louisa Catherine Adams
Editor: Sara Martin
Editor: Hobson Woodward
Editor: Miriam Liebman
Editor: Gwen Fries
Editor: Amanda M. Norton
Editor: Neal E. Millikan
Editor: Sara Georgini
Editor: R. M. Barlow
Abstract: A growing tension between the United States and Great Britain permeates the 236 letters printed in Volume 16 of Adams Family Correspondence. The Embargo Act of 1807 cut off trade with the British in response to the harassment of American ships. John and Abigail Adams witnessed their neighbors’ ensuing economic hardships and felt the sting of knowing that their son played a role in its passage. The efforts of US Senator John Quincy Adams to balance conscience with party and family loyalties are revealed in earnest correspondence, culminating in his resignation in the face of withering Federalist criticism. Louisa Catherine Adams’s loyalties were always with her senator husband, though her attentions were focused on raising their children. Family concerns also occupied Thomas Boylston Adams. He married Ann Harrod, and together they added two children to the growing flock under Abigail’s wing at Peacefield.
Year: 2025
Primary URL: https://search.worldcat.org/title/1474008249
Primary URL Description: Worldcat
Secondary URL: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674247741
Secondary URL Description: Publisher
Access Model: Book and Digital Edition (Founders Online)
Publisher: The Belknap Press of Havard University Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780674247741
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Adams Family Correspondence, volume 15, Adams Papers Digital Edition (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Adams Family Correspondence, volume 15, Adams Papers Digital Edition
Author: Hobson Woodward
Author: Sara Martin
Author: Christopher F. Minty
Author: Neal E. Millikan
Author: Gwen Fries
Author: Amanda M. Norton
Author: Sara Georgini
Author: R. M. Barlow
Abstract: John and Abigail Adams remained fully engaged in American political life after they left Washington, DC, for retirement in Quincy. A highlight of Volume 15 of Adams Family Correspondence is a series of letters between Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson that debated fundamental questions of the nation’s tumultuous early years. A new generation rose in prominence in the period covered in the volume, with John Quincy Adams returning from abroad to take a seat in the United States Senate just in time to break with the Federalists and support the Louisiana Purchase. The family commented on other events of the era—Jefferson’s dismantling of John Adams’s judicial reforms, the mobilization of the US Navy for the Barbary wars, the growing bane of British impressment, and the duel that killed Alexander Hamilton. Equally compelling family stories emerge in the volume’s 251 letters. The failure of a British banking firm proved calamitous to the family’s finances, compelling John Quincy to quietly finance his parents’ retirement. Thomas Boylston Adams, acting as an occasional editor of the Port Folio, carved out his public persona as a man of letters. Louisa Catherine Adams wrote of motherhood and adjusting to a new country of residence while providing a spirited perspective on Washington society. As always, the heart of Adams Family Correspondence is Abigail Adams, who survived a near-fatal fall to continue providing letters of insight and wit that once again show why the correspondence of the Adams family is a national treasure.
Year: 2025
Primary URL: https://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/index.php/volume/ADMS-04-15
Primary URL Description: This is the link to the landing page for volume 145 of the Adams Family Correspondence, as included in the Adams Papers Digital Edition with free public access via the website of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Secondary URL: https://founders.archives.gov/content/volumes#Adams
Secondary URL Description: The annotated documents within this volume are also freely available within Founders Online.
Access Model: Open Access

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