John Singleton Copley (1738–1815), John Trumbull (1756–1843), and Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828) are three of the most important early American artists. Their work captured scenes of colonial, revolutionary, and post-independence America—especially through portraiture of the country’s founding fathers. Patriots Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, and John Adams were all from the colony of Massachusetts and played…

Commentary Unlike the other Founders profiled in this series, John Adams of Massachusetts didn’t attend the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He was America’s ambassador to England when the convention met, and he didn’t return home until the ratification process was well underway. His contribution was in laying the groundwork for the Constitution, both when in Massachusetts…

If you ask what education means to people, most will think “school.” If they are jaded, “debt.” But for the first great American family, it was much more than this. In his autobiography, “The Education of Henry Adams,” the author describes growing up within a celebrated lineage that, by his lifetime, had become a cultural…

A new report has raised questions about the efficiency of how corporate watchdog Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) used its powers to investigate and prosecute white-collar crime.   Written by economist John Adams, the report shows that only 0.7 percent of suspected offences reported to ASIC were investigated in 2020, compared to two percent…

On this week 239 years ago, the Treaty of Paris was signed by England’s King George III and five of the U.S. Founding Fathers, thus formally ending the eight plus-year Revolutionary War solidifying America’s independence. In my continuing series of Top 5 war movies, I’ve come up with five impressive titles and one honorable mention…

Across New England, snow fell early in the day on March 5, 1770. In Boston, a single sentry, Private Hugh White, grenadier of the 29th Regiment of Foot, stood watch at the Customs House, a soldier of one of the two regiments of His Majesty’s Army remaining in the city to keep the peace and…

Known to be blunt, impatient, and cantankerous, John Adams, second president of the United States, is not generally thought of as having a diplomat’s character. He had a quick temper and, at times, could be explosive. In spite of those flaws, he nevertheless scored major success as a diplomat in Europe at a very crucial…

The United States has been blessed with many distinguished leaders. But the generation that founded our nation has a special place in the hearts of many Americans. Even among that very special generation, two of our Founders stand out not only because of their many accomplishments and their lasting mark on the country, but because…

Commentary “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” So said John Adams at the trial of the British soldiers involved in what, more than two centuries later, we continue to call “The Boston Massacre.” But…