Thursday, June 12, 2008
Interesting Quotes & Passages from John Adams #1
While reading John Adams by David McCullough I found a number of interesting passages and quotes that I will share here over the next few weeks.
I always thought that easiest way to dissassemble something, is to find the person who assembled it, and ask them what to do. With that in mind, I find Adams' passage below very interesting. First, he honestly believed-in and could visualize America's grandeur before it had even become a sovereign state. Secondly, in an almost prescient warning to future Americans, Adams implies that American disunity (does this include today's current lack of assimilation?) or perhaps American culture (does this include the supposed corrosion of morality today?) may lead to our undoing. Alas, we have the benefit of history to draw upon and learn our lessons. We need not follow these paths to ruin; heed Adams' warning.
October 12 1755, Adams wrote to a classmate and his cousin Nathan Webb:
"Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. If we look into history, we shall find some nations rising from contemtible beginnings and spreading their influence, until the whole globe is subjected to their ways. When they have reached the summit of grandeur, some minute and unsuspected cause commonly affects their ruin, and the empire of the world is transferred to some other place. Immortal Rome was at first but an insignificant village, inhabited only by a few abandoned ruffians, but by degrees it rose to a stupendous height, and excelled in arts and arms all the nations that preceded it. But the demolition of Carthage (what one should think should have established it in supreme dominion) by removing all danger, suffered it to sink into debauchery, and made it at length an easy prey to Barbarians.
England immediately upon this began to increase (the particular and minute cause of which I am not historian enough to trace) in power and magnificence, and is now the greatest nation upon the globe.
Soon after the Reformation a few people came over into the new world for conscience sake. Perhaps this (apparently) trivial incident may transfer the great seat of empire into America. It looks likely to me. For if we can remove the turbulent Gallics, our people according to exactest computations, will in another century, become more numerous than England itself. Should this be the case, since we have (I may say) all the naval stores of the nation in our hands, it will be easy to obtain the mastery of the seas, and then the united force of all Europe, will not be able to subdue us. The only way to keep us from setting up for ourselves is to disunite us. Divide et impera. Keep us in distinct colonies, and then, some great men in each colony, desiring the monarchy of the whole, they will destro each others' influence and keep the country in equilibrio.
Be not surprised that I am turned politician. The whole town is immersed in politics."
I always thought that easiest way to dissassemble something, is to find the person who assembled it, and ask them what to do. With that in mind, I find Adams' passage below very interesting. First, he honestly believed-in and could visualize America's grandeur before it had even become a sovereign state. Secondly, in an almost prescient warning to future Americans, Adams implies that American disunity (does this include today's current lack of assimilation?) or perhaps American culture (does this include the supposed corrosion of morality today?) may lead to our undoing. Alas, we have the benefit of history to draw upon and learn our lessons. We need not follow these paths to ruin; heed Adams' warning.
October 12 1755, Adams wrote to a classmate and his cousin Nathan Webb:
"Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. If we look into history, we shall find some nations rising from contemtible beginnings and spreading their influence, until the whole globe is subjected to their ways. When they have reached the summit of grandeur, some minute and unsuspected cause commonly affects their ruin, and the empire of the world is transferred to some other place. Immortal Rome was at first but an insignificant village, inhabited only by a few abandoned ruffians, but by degrees it rose to a stupendous height, and excelled in arts and arms all the nations that preceded it. But the demolition of Carthage (what one should think should have established it in supreme dominion) by removing all danger, suffered it to sink into debauchery, and made it at length an easy prey to Barbarians.
England immediately upon this began to increase (the particular and minute cause of which I am not historian enough to trace) in power and magnificence, and is now the greatest nation upon the globe.
Soon after the Reformation a few people came over into the new world for conscience sake. Perhaps this (apparently) trivial incident may transfer the great seat of empire into America. It looks likely to me. For if we can remove the turbulent Gallics, our people according to exactest computations, will in another century, become more numerous than England itself. Should this be the case, since we have (I may say) all the naval stores of the nation in our hands, it will be easy to obtain the mastery of the seas, and then the united force of all Europe, will not be able to subdue us. The only way to keep us from setting up for ourselves is to disunite us. Divide et impera. Keep us in distinct colonies, and then, some great men in each colony, desiring the monarchy of the whole, they will destro each others' influence and keep the country in equilibrio.
Be not surprised that I am turned politician. The whole town is immersed in politics."
