But Adams did not just read books. He battled them. The casual presumption that there is some kind of rough correlation between the books in the library of any prominent historical figure and the person’s cast of mind would encounter catastrophe with Adams, because he tended to buy and read book with which he profoundly disagreed. Then, as he read, he recorded in the margins and at the bottom of the pages his usually hostile opinions of the arguments and authors.... [T]he Adams marginalia constitute evidence more revealing of his convictions about political theory than any of his official publications.
| Place | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Daughters of the American Revolution Museum | Washington | Houses several hundred thousand books, historical documents, manuscripts, and genealogical material. |
| Lafayette Square | Washington | Dedicated to Lafayette in 1824; at each corner is a statue of one foreign generals who served in the war. |
| Library of Congress | Washington | Established in 1800, the collection includes a recreation of Jefferson’s library of 6,487 books, which he donated in 1815. Guided and self-guided tours available. |
| National Archives | Washington | Contains the original of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and more. |
| National Museum of American History | Washington | Houses a large collection of artifacts from the Revolution. |
| National Portrait Gallery | Washington | Contains historical portraits, including works by John Trumbull, Gilbert Stuart, John Singleton Copley, Mather Brown, and others. |
Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams (1993)