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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00935 |
| From Archive Folder | Unassociated Civil War Documents 1861 |
| Title | Horace Greeley to Henry S. Randall discussing the relative merits of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Alexander Hamilton |
| Date | 20 November 1861 |
| Author | Greeley, Horace (1811-1872) |
| Recipient | Randall, Henry Stephens |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Writes to Randall, a biographer of Thomas Jefferson, about the relative qualities of Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Alexander Hamilton. Expresses thanks for Randall's "vindication of Jefferson from the personal calumnies which had somewhat blackened his reputation." Expresses his reverence and love for Jefferson as the author of the Declaration of Independence but wishes Randall had "let him have some venial faults" to make him appear more human. Indicates that he has greater admiration for Hamilton, who he attributes greater responsibility "In building a Government and Nation." Expresses his poor opinion of the Adamses: "a bad lot--conceited, cold-hearted, selfish and (on occasion) treacherous." In relation to the Adamses, his comment "Depend upon it, blood tells all the way through," may be a negative reference to the congressman Charles Francis Adams, the recently appointed Ambassador to Great Britain. Written on stationary of the New York Tribune. |
| Subjects | President Politics Declaration of Independence Literature and Language Arts Government and Civics Corruption and Scandal |
| People | Greeley, Horace (1811-1872) Randall, Henry Stephens (1811-1876) Adams, John (1735-1826) Adams, John Quincy (1767-1848) Hamilton, Alexander (ca. 1757-1804) Adams, Charles Francis (1807-1886) |
| Place written | New York, New York |
| Theme | The American Civil War; The Presidency |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |