John Adams Quotes
Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.
John Adams, 1735-1826, 2nd President of the United States (Federalist, MA), Quoted by Michael Bechloss, PBS The Charlie Rose Show, May 14, 2007
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
14 years after this statesmanlike speech, Davis flip flopped on this principle and became a firebrand and agitator and hawk for secession and war. It was the Southern upper class that controlled the politics of the South and were the ones who would suffer the greatest economic loss if the Union had continued in the direction of refusing to return runaway slaves and other abolitionist activity. Although many Southerners volunteered to fight for the confederacy, there were not enough and Davis, who in earlier years would not war unless there was genuine demand of the people, for the Civil War, the South had to resort to conscription. The North did as well.
John Adams Jr. was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain, and he served as the first vice president of the United States. Adams was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with many important figures in early American history, including his wife and adviser Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
