Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die - Jul 04, 1826 - HISTORY.com An unlikely pair whose tumultuous friendship lasted half a century, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence. Presidential Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die Share this: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die Author Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1826, former Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who were once fellow Patriots and then adversaries, die on the same day within five hours of each other. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the last surviving members of the original American revolutionaries who had stood up to the British empire and forged a new political system in the former colonies. However, while they both believed in democracy and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their opinions on how to achieve these ideals diverged over time. Adams preceded Jefferson as president (1797-1800); it was during this time that their ideas about policy-making became as distinct as their personalities.

The irascible and hot-tempered Adams was a firm believer in a strong centralized government, while the erudite and gentile Jefferson believed federal government should take a more hands-off approach and defer to individual states’ rights. As Adams’ vice president, Jefferson was so horrified by what he considered to be Adams’ abuse of the presidency–particularly his passage of the restrictive Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798–that he abandoned Adams and Washington for his estate at Monticello. There, he plotted how to bring his Republican faction back into power in the presidential election of 1800. After an exceptionally bitter campaign, in which both parties engaged in slanderous attacks on each other in print, Jefferson emerged victorious. It appeared the former friends would be eternal enemies. After serving two presidential terms (1801-1809), Jefferson and Adams each expressed to third parties their respect the other and their desire to renew their friendship. Adams was the first to break the silence; he sent Jefferson a letter dated January 1, 1812, in which he wished Jefferson many happy new years to come.

Jefferson responded with a note in which he fondly recalled when they were fellow laborers in the same cause. The former revolutionaries went on to resume their friendship over 14 years of correspondence during their golden years. On July 4, 1826, at the age of 90, Adams lay on his deathbed while the country celebrated Independence Day. His last words were Thomas Jefferson still survives. He was mistaken: Jefferson had died five hours earlier at Monticello at the age of 82. Related Videos The 'Miracle' of July 4, 1826 | The Huffington Post The 'Miracle' of July 4, 1826 07/02/2014 08:29 pm ET | Updated Sep 01, 2014 Stafford Betty Professor of religious studies, California State University, Bakersfield One of the most astonishing coincidences in world history was the deaths of John Adams, America's second president, and Thomas Jefferson, its third. They both died, 500 miles apart, on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

But it's not this improbable -- many at the time said miraculous -- event that I will write about today. During the last 14 years of their lives, the two great founding fathers put aside their resentments and became pen pals. (Their voluminous correspondence would become a treasure trove for historians of early America.) So what happened on that final day as each exited the world was not totally surprising. According to bedside witnesses, on the afternoon of the fourth in Quincy, Massachusetts, three or four hours after Jefferson's death at Monticello in Virginia, and an hour or two before his own death, Adams stirred and said in a faint voice, "Thomas Jefferson survives." Every Adams biographer mentions this mysterious utterance, but none seems to understand it. One of them, Charles Francis Adams, Adam's grandson, positively misinterprets it . "But he was mistaken," he says of his grandfather. "The fact was not as he supposed. Thomas Jefferson did not survive." We know a great deal more today about deathbed visions, sometimes called parting visions, than was known in 1826. Hospice nurses especially tell us how common they are.

During a typical deathbed vision, dying people report seeing what death researchers call a "crisis apparition" -- usually the ghost of someone they knew and loved who preceded them in death. It was ignorance of this common experience that led to the biographer's mistake. John Adams did not say of Jefferson that he still lived, but that he survived. Survived what? The obvious answer is that he survived death. And how did Adams know? It is likely that he could have seen Jefferson's apparition. If this interpretation is correct -- and I believe it is -- then Adams might not have been mistaken at all. At any rate, what he saw was proof enough for him that his old friend had indeed survived. (Adams was a firm believer in life after death.) Did Jefferson come in spirit to pay his old friend a visit three or four hours after he, Jefferson, left the world? That is a distinct possibility -- and I would say a likelihood. I say this as a longtime student of deathbed visions.

Some of them, well-attested in books like Final Gifts, written by two hospice nurses, involve apparitions that startle the dying person because the spirit seen is thought to be alive in the flesh, when in fact he or she has died without the dying person's knowledge. "Ah, now I understand," is the usual response when told of the death of the friend. Such apparitions bring with them veridical information -- the death of a friend thought to be alive -- that could not have been known in a normal way and is consequently received with surprise and often confusion. They are not what the dying person expected and cannot easily be explained away as hallucinations born of wishful thinking, for hallucinations don't contain veridical information. The exact nature of Adams' apparition is of course up for debate. Was it Jefferson in spirit come to greet his old friend and reassure him that death was not extinction? Or was it a hallucination produced by a dying mind? Either way, it is a fascinating postscript to one of the most influential friendships in American history, and a proper way to commemorate, not only our country's independence, but the lives of two of its great founding presidents.

Follow Stafford Betty on Twitter: More: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson both Died July 4, 1826 John Adams, Thomas Jefferson both Died July 4, 1826 Posted on 06/28/2009 7:51:11 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP Frequently Asked Dead Presidents Questions Which Two Presidents Died On The Same Day?? I don't know why (maybe it's on a lesson plan for schools around the country) but this little question with a quick answer (and one that is quickly found in any ready reference) has been asked of me so often that I finally decided to list the answer here. The answer is John Adams (second President) and Thomas Jefferson (third President). These two men died on the same day. But that's not all; read on.... The question with an even more interesting answer is, "On which day did they die?" Both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826. The fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we all know, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration in committee with John Adams (and Benjamin Franklin).

After George Washington retired from the Presidency, John Adams became President and Thomas Jefferson became Vice-President. The two men had disagreed politically throughout the Washington Administration, and were only both elected because in those days, whomever came in second in the Presidential vote became Vice-President. During the Adams Administration, the two differed on almost every issue, and Jefferson defeated Adams and took the Presidency in 1800. To make a long story short, although they had worked together in the cause for independence, Adams and Jefferson became truly bitter enemies when political parties began to form around each of them. Luckily, Adams and Jefferson reconciled in their retirement and they became the absolute best of friends as they lived out their final years. Both men were conscious of living to see the fiftieth Fourth of July, and both, despite knowing they were on their death beds, made genuine efforts to hang on to dear life until the day had come. John Adams's final words were (supposedly), "Thomas Jefferson survives." But he was wrong. Jefferson had died just hours earlier at Monticello. Five years to the day after Adams and Jefferson died -- on July 4, 1831 -- the fifth President, James Monroe, passed away.

So three presidents have died on the same date: July 4th. One more Presidential fact about the Fourth of July. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born in Vermont on July 4th, 1872! KEYWORDS: death ; independenceday ; johnadams ; presidents ; thomasjefferson BOTH Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died July 4, 1826. Two Founding Fathers dying on the FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY of the Declaration of Independence! I heard Mark Davis discuss this amazing and interesting coincidence and thought I'd post it for your Trivia Information and fun! :) Sort of an early post in anticipation of the upcoming Independence Day celebration this coming Saturday. 1 posted on 06/28/2009 7:51:11 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP To: Alamo-Girl; onyx; ALOHA RONNIE; SpookBrat; Republican Wildcat; Howlin; dixiechick2000; RonDog; ... Pingin’ my General Interest and TEXAS lists here! Ping! Ping! Ping!

- - - - - - - And wishing y’all a(n early) VERY VERY Happy Independence Day! 2 posted on 06/28/2009 7:54:27 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (2008: The year the Media died. --Sean Hannity, regarding Barack HUSSEIN ObaMao's treatment ...) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP When we visited the Madison Estate just 45 minutes north of Monticello (Jefferson’s home) on the tour they mentioned that Madison’s doctors told him he could be kept alive until the 4th of July if he wanted to die on that day. He died June 28, 1836... We’ll never see great men like our founding fathers again-our country is too full of self-obsessed narcissists and our people have turned their backs on the One True God and Lord who gave us this great country and its principles. We are NO LONGER “One Nation Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”...

3 posted on 06/28/2009 7:58:15 AM PDT by princess leah To: MeekOneGOP And the American idea that they so carefully constructed breathed its last on Nov 4, 2009. 4 posted on 06/28/2009 7:59:10 AM PDT by Mygirlsmom (What's the difference between God and Obama? Liberals LOVE Obama) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP What it meant to Adams and Jefferson to live to see another 4th of July had to be truly something. Today, we just take the 4th of July for granted. With 0 in office, it could be eliminated to celebrate his Azzness day. 5 posted on 06/28/2009 8:00:05 AM PDT by VicVega (Join Jihad, get captured by the US and resettled in the best places in the world. I love the USA) To: Daisyjane69 James Monroe also died on the Fourth, five years later.

And Coolidge was born on the Fourth. 9 posted on 06/28/2009 8:10:23 AM PDT by cotton1706 [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP That’s always been my favorite political coincidence — though, as you point out, maybe it wasn’t pure happenstance; one or both may well of delayed his death until that day by pure force of will. Another great American died on Independence Day: Senator Jesse Helms (October 18, 1921 — July 4, 2008). 10 posted on 06/28/2009 8:10:59 AM PDT by southernnorthcarolina (Now with ConstructionCam! Click on my name and follow the progress.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP You said — I heard Mark Davis discuss this amazing and interesting coincidence and thought I’d post it for your Trivia Information and fun! :) — And they were both writing to one another...

11 posted on 06/28/2009 8:12:50 AM PDT by Star Traveler (The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a Zionist and Jerusalem is the apple of His eye.) To: southernnorthcarolina Senator Helms was a patriot. He was a product of his times, like so many others. We all are, in fact. And he surely deserved better when he passed than he got, given the long lens of history, which I suspect will be kind to him. 12 posted on 06/28/2009 8:15:49 AM PDT by Daisyjane69 [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP The two actually were friends during the Revolution, started to drift apart in Washington’s terms, then became bitter enemies from about 1796-1810, then slowly began to reconcile and write each other. 13 posted on 06/28/2009 8:25:41 AM PDT by LS ("Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . .

eventually." (Hendrix)) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP July 4, 2009 on Turner Classic Movies "Yankee Doodle Dandy" will play. James Cagney won the Academy Award for this show. great show. Set the DVR if your going to out watching fireworks, (unless they're to be banned due to globust warbling!P 14 posted on 06/28/2009 8:31:21 AM PDT by Young Werther (Julius Caesar (Quae Cum Ita Sunt. Since these things are so.)) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP This is a remarkable fact. One of the neat, if lesser known things about the founders. Of course NEA members are more concerned today with teaching the proper method of putting a condom on a cucumber than enlightening students about the great men who helped create this nation.

15 posted on 06/28/2009 8:31:31 AM PDT by Oldpuppymax (AGENDA OF THE LEFT EXPOSED) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Mygirlsmom Yep! Which reminds of the phrase from Star Wars when obozo won: “So this is how liberty dies: to thunderous applause.” 16 posted on 06/28/2009 8:34:52 AM PDT by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP I had not known that they reconciled. I always thought that Adams’ last words were “...and yet Jefferson survives.” Live and learn. 17 posted on 06/28/2009 8:43:24 AM PDT by Roccus (The Capitol, the White House, the Court House...........America's Axis of Evil) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP I have mentioned this several times.

Was providence at hand or what, when the voice and the pen of the declaration died on the day of the glorious celebration of the 50th year of that hallowed document. Thanks for posting and God rest their souls. Let us give thanks that men like these two lived. 18 posted on 06/28/2009 8:45:39 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot ((Freedom's Precious Metals: Gold, Silver and Lead)) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP There was a funny question used in the game Trivial Pursuit, some years ago, which asked “How many US Presidents are not buried in the United States?” The most common wrong guesses were “George S. Patton”, followed by “George Kennedy”, the actor. The correct response, now at least, would be five. Carter, H.W. Bush, Clinton, W. Bush, and Obama.

19 posted on 06/28/2009 8:48:22 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy To: southernnorthcarolina Another great American died on Independence Day: Senator Jesse Helms (October 18, 1921  July 4, 2008).”” Yes, there are still good men willing to stand for what is right in the face of political correctness/tyranny. God rest his soul too. 20 posted on 06/28/2009 8:48:51 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot ((Freedom's Precious Metals: Gold, Silver and Lead)) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP And Stephen C. Fpster the composer of MY OL KENTUCKY HOME and SWANEE RIVER (both state songs)was born on that day. 21 posted on 06/28/2009 9:13:08 AM PDT by hoosiermama (Hey hey! Ho ho!

Where's your Birth Certificate/ We've a right to know!) To: MeekOneGOP They had been enemies for years but I read somewhere they reconciled before they died, hope so. 22 posted on 06/28/2009 9:18:09 AM PDT by Snurple (VEGETARIAN, OLD INDIAN WORD FOR BAD HUNTER.) To: yefragetuwrabrumuy How many US Presidents are not buried in the United States? Probably few people (except for FReepers) could name the U.S. President not born in the United States, either. 23 posted on 06/28/2009 9:58:08 AM PDT by hellbender To: cotton1706 Coolidge was born on the Fourth Coolidge was also almost the last President who truly embodied the values of the Declaration. Liberal historians have made him nothing but a joke because he didn't yack about govt. all the time, like Hussein.

24 posted on 06/28/2009 10:06:22 AM PDT by hellbender [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP I carry a small US Constitution booklet in my Day Planner and that fact is listed in the “Facts about the Founders” section. 25 posted on 06/28/2009 11:21:22 AM PDT by JaguarXKE [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: hellbender The first US president who was not born a British subject was Martin Van Buren. The last president who had been born a British subject was William Henry Harrison. 26 posted on 06/28/2009 11:23:05 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP This concidence resonated strongly in the nation at the time. For those who have not seen the miniseries, “John Adams,” I recommend it.

The actors who played Adams and Jefferson bring vividly to life the two men. I commend especially the actor who played Jefferson, capturing his shyness. A great writer and conversationist, but a hesitant orator. It is said that and his inauguration he spoke so softly that he could only beheld by those in the front rows. 27 posted on 06/28/2009 11:58:49 AM PDT by RobbyS (ECCE homo) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: hellbender Coolidge was the last, or one of the last President who could read Greek. Not a hick at all, he was a snappidresser, Loquacious in private. He was popular with the White House staff. His wife was a dream. He would wonder into the kitchen to get a snack. When he heard that the roof leaking up in the servants’ quarters, he went up to inspect the damage, and made sure that it got patched up. The black staff members found the New Englanders a relief after the bigoted Wilson, and were totally frozen by the imperious Hoovers.

As for policy, his concept of the Presidency was pre-progressive, conservative in the McKinley sense. That’s why the historian hate him. 28 posted on 06/28/2009 12:11:57 PM PDT by RobbyS (ECCE homo) Thanks for posting - I didn't know that they died on the same day, pretty wild. During the Adams Administration, the two differed on almost every issue... Including the payment of tribute to the Barbary pirates. ...and Jefferson defeated Adams and took the Presidency in 1800. And then Jefferson beefed up the Navy and sent the Marines to trounce the Islamic pirate states in the first Barbary war. In 1786 he had heard firsthand from Tripoli's ambassador that "It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every muslim who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise.

He said, also, that the man who was the first to board a vessel had one slave over and above his share, and that when they sprang to the deck of an enemy's ship, every sailor held a dagger in each hand and a third in his mouth; which usually struck such terror into the foe that they cried out for quarter at once." Thankfully it stuck with him so that 15 yrs later he was prepared to act. I wonder what he'd say today about today's Islam (which still practices the above) and the West's passive reaction to it. 29 posted on 06/28/2009 12:57:33 PM PDT by agrace Hey Meek, Even though I already knew this, Thank You so much for posting it! It's all about the remembering, you know just like The Alamo, Pearl Harbor, The 4th of July... It gets my emotions in an uproar, and this year I have to try and force myself into celebrating freedom on the heels of a disastrous 0bamonation. While I celebrate the birth of the greatest nation on Earth, my heart weeps with anxiety for her future.

Come on America, let's show our spirit and resolve, and that we truly do still have our sense of right & wrong. If I were truly religious (which I think I am, more-so than I know) I might pray something like this: Almighty God, please guide us along the path of righteousness, let us gather our strength from one another, encourage each other, To: MeekOneGOP Very profound! FRegards, and happy Fourth of July! Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness [and property]! 38 posted on 06/29/2009 6:32:19 AM PDT by Arthur Wildfire! March (Ayers unimportant? What about Robert KKK Byrd or FALN pardons? DNC -- the terrorism party.) To: MeekOneGOP God speaks to us in subtle ways, doesn’t He? 39 posted on 06/29/2009 6:38:36 AM PDT by Arthur Wildfire! March (Ayers unimportant? What about Robert KKK Byrd or FALN pardons?

DNC -- the terrorism party.) To: Mygirlsmom And the American idea that they so carefully constructed breathed its last on Nov 4, 2009. I prefer to think that it is just taking a little nap for now. But it'll wake up. 40 posted on 06/29/2009 11:40:28 AM PDT by navyblue (<u>) To: Mygirlsmom And the American idea that they so carefully constructed breathed its last on Nov 4, 2009. I prefer to think that it is only taking a little nap for now, but when it wakes up, it's going to be grumpy and in a very nasty mood. 41 posted on 06/29/2009 11:58:41 AM PDT by navyblue (<u>) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP I love this sort of trivia. I live about an hour & half from Speigel Grove... Rutherford B Hayes museum, home etc. Last time there a few weeks ago I picked up a few books & several of them had tidbits like this.

One was on the first ladies.. ending with Laura (whew).. that was really fascinating. Have a great day Meek.. gotta run now..as usual running late 42 posted on 07/04/2009 7:30:58 AM PDT by DollyCali (Don't tell GOD how big your storm is -- Tell the storm how B-I-G your God is!) To: navyblue Amen on that one 43 posted on 07/04/2009 7:31:57 AM PDT by DollyCali (Don't tell GOD how big your storm is -- Tell the storm how B-I-G your God is!) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies ] To: MeekOneGOP I bet at sometime in their lives, President Grant and Farce Lady Obama had a fifth on the fourth. 45 posted on 07/04/2009 7:59:50 AM PDT by Rebelbase To: Rebelbase I’ll drink to that!

:) 46 posted on 07/04/2009 9:48:16 PM PDT by MeekOneGOP (2008: The year the Media died. --Sean Hannity, regarding Barack HUSSEIN ObaMao's treatment ...) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies ] Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. Dead Presidents: July 4 Frequently Asked Dead Presidents Questions Which Two Presidents Died On The Same Day?? I don't know why (maybe it's on a lesson plan for schools around the country) but this little question with a quick answer (and one that is quickly found in any ready reference) has been asked of me so often that I finally decided to list the answer here. The answer is John Adams (second President) and Thomas Jefferson (third President). These two men died on the same day. But that's not all; read on....

The question with an even more interesting answer is, "On which day did they die?" Both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826. The fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we all know, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration in committee with John Adams (and Benjamin Franklin). After George Washington retired from the Presidency, John Adams became President and Thomas Jefferson became Vice-President. The two men had disagreed politically throughout the Washington Administration, and were only both elected because in those days, whomever came in second in the Presidential vote became Vice-President. During the Adams Administration, the two differed on almost every issue, and Jefferson defeated Adams and took the Presidency in 1800. To make a long story short, although they had worked together in the cause for independence, Adams and Jefferson became truly bitter enemies when political parties began to form around each of them. Luckily, Adams and Jefferson reconciled in their retirement and they became the absolute best of friends as they lived out their final years.

Both men were conscious of living to see the fiftieth Fourth of July, and both, despite knowing they were on their death beds, made genuine efforts to hang on to dear life until the day had come. John Adams's final words were (supposedly), "Thomas Jefferson survives." But he was wrong. Jefferson had died just hours earlier at Monticello. Five years to the day after Adams and Jefferson died -- on July 4, 1831 -- the fifth President, James Monroe, passed away. So three presidents have died on the same date: July 4th. One more Presidential fact about the Fourth of July. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born in Vermont on July 4th, 1872! In addition to the trio of Adams, Jefferson, and Monrow, there is another pair of Presidents who died on the same date: Harry Truman and Gerald Ford both died on December 26 (Boxing Day), Truman in 1972 and Ford in 2006.

On This Day: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Die On This Day: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Die July 04, 2014 06:00 AM Adams and Jefferson Die on Fourth of July John Adams, the second president of the United States, and Thomas Jefferson, Adams’ vice president and successor in office, had worked with each other to draft the Declaration of Independence, published on July 4, 1776. Fifty years to the day, the 90-year-old Adams and 83-year-old Jefferson died just hours apart. Jefferson’s dying days, spent in his home of Monticello, were recounted by B. L. Rayner in his 1829 biography “Life of Thomas Jefferson.” Jefferson expressed his concern for the future of his university and his country without him; one of his last statements was, “Warn the committee to be on their guard,” a warning to his descendents to be ever vigilant in defending freedom.

Jefferson desired to live until July 4 so “that he might breathe the air of the Fiftieth Anniversary.” His last words, spoken the night before his death in the early afternoon of July 4, are traditionally given as some variation of “Is it the Fourth?” Adams spent his final days at his home in Quincy, Mass. On the morning of July 4, he remarked, “It is a great day. It is a good day.” He died in the early evening, hours after Jefferson. According to tradition, Adams uttered the final words, “Thomas Jefferson survives,” unaware of the fact that his longtime friend had just passed away. Biographies: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson John Adams Born in Massachusetts, John Adams started his career as a Harvard-educated lawyer. He served in the Continental Congress and helped to negotiate treaties with France and Holland during the Revolutionary War. In 1788, in the inaugural presidential election of the U.S., he was elected as vice president under George Washington. In 1796, Adams was elected as the country’s second president , with Jefferson as his vice president.

During his term, Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts , a series of four bills written by Federalists which aimed to protect the U.S. from foreign citizens and Republican attacks on the government. Jefferson, a Republican, vociferously opposed the acts, and the American public’s dislike of the acts contributed to Jefferson’s victory over Adams in the 1800 presidential election. When Adams died in 1826, his son John Quincy Adams was president of the United States. To learn more about the life of John Adams, read the findingDulcinea feature “ Three Sides of John Adams. ” Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was one of America’s great political philosophers and Enlightenment thinkers. Chosen along with Adams, Benjamin Franklin and two others to write the Declaration of Independence, he was its principal author, crafting the eloquent preamble known for its affirmation of man’s natural rights. He served as the minister to France for President Washington and as vice president under Adams. He defeated Adams in the 1800 election to become the third U.S. President. He served from 1801 to 1809, during which time he nearly doubled the size of the U.S.

by acquiring 828,000 square miles of land in the Louisiana Purchase and authorizing Lewis and Clark’s legendary Western expedition. Monroe’s Death on Independence Day James Monroe , fifth president of the United States, died exactly five years after Adams and Jefferson, on July 4, 1831. During his term in office, Monroe approved the Missouri Compromise in 1820, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state while banning slavery in northern American territory. He also issued the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, which prevented European powers from interfering with newly independent Latin American colonies. Death of the founding fathers - Jul 04, 1826 - HISTORY.com Death of the founding fathers Share this: Death of the founding fathers Author Death of the founding fathers URL Publisher A+E Networks John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third presidents of the United States, respectively, die on this day, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Both men had been central in the drafting of the historic document; Jefferson had authored it, and Adams, who was known as the “colossus of the debate,” served on the drafting committee and had argued eloquently for the declaration’s passage. After July 4, 1776, Adams traveled to France as a diplomat, where he proved instrumental in winning French support for the Patriot cause, and Jefferson returned to Virginia, where he served as state governor during the dark days of the American Revolution. After the British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, Adams was one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Paris that ended the war, and with Jefferson he returned to Europe to try to negotiate a U.S.-British trade treaty. After the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, Adams was elected vice president to George Washington, and Jefferson was appointed secretary of state. During Washington’s administration, Jefferson, with his democratic ideals and concept of states’ rights, often came into conflict with Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who supported a strong federal government and conservative property rights. Adams often arbitrated between Hamilton and his old friend Jefferson, though in politics he was generally allied with Hamilton.

In 1796, Adams defeated Jefferson in the presidential election, but the latter became vice president, because at that time the office was still filled by the candidate who finished second. As president, Adams’ main concern was America’s deteriorating relationship with France, and war was only averted because of his considerable diplomatic talents. In 1800, Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans (the forerunner of the Democratic Party) defeated the Federalist party of Adams and Hamilton, and Adams retired to his estate in Quincy, Massachusetts. As president, Jefferson reduced the power and expenditures of the central government but advocated the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, which more than doubled the size of the United States. During his second administration, Jefferson faced renewed conflict with Great Britain, but he left office before the War of 1812 began. Jefferson retired to his estate in Monticello, Virginia, but he often advised his presidential successors and helped establish the University of Virginia. Jefferson also corresponded with John Adams to discuss politics, and these famous letters are regarded as masterpieces of the American enlightenment.

By remarkable coincidence, Jefferson and Adams died on the same day, Independence Day in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Adams’ last words were, “Thomas Jefferson still survives,” though his old friend and political adversary had died a few hours before. Related Videos LIBERTY! . John Adams and Thomas Jefferson | PBS John Adams John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other, on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1826. There is probably no greater coincidence in American history. Together, and as political rivals, they had done as much or more to shape the nation in those first 50 years as any two people in the country. In many respects, the two were poles apart. Adams was a New England overachiever; Jefferson, a southern aristocrat. Adams was a Federalist; Jefferson, the classic Republican. Adams was a political animal; Jefferson was most at home on his Virginia mountaintop.

But according to historian Joseph Ellis, They "came to embody the American dialogue." In their retirement, they exchanged a memorable correspondence in which they expressed all of their concerns for, as well as their pride in, the new nation. "You and I ought not to die," Adams wrote Jefferson, "before we have explained ourselves to each other." Adams, always the more loquacious of the two, did more explaining. He wrote two letters to every one of Jefferson's. Both worried about the future of the country, especially as it concerned the growing divide between the north and the south. "I look back with rapture on those golden days when Virginia and Massachusetts lived and acted together like a band of brothers," Adams wrote Jefferson in 1825. of Independence Jefferson had been asked to prepare a speech for that last 4th of July. Though ill health prevented him from delivering this valedictory, it contained some of his most stirring language.

Speaking of the celebration, he wrote, "May it be to the world, what I believe it to be, the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government." Adams, too, was asked to help celebrate the occasion in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. Likewise, illness prevented him from traveling. He died at about five o'clock on the 4th. His last words were, "Thomas Jefferson survives." Adams was wrong by about five hours. On July 4, 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Died - Happy Independence Day! July 4, 2016 by Warren Throckmorton Leave a Comment With slight editing, this post is reprinted from prior posts on Independence Day . Last year it was the culmination of my Daily Jefferson series . Happy Independence Day! In addition to being Independence Day, this is the day that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826.

On this day in 1826, former Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who were once fellow Patriots and then adversaries, die on the same day within five hours of each other. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were friends who together served on the committee that constructed the Declaration of Independence, but later became political rivals during the 1800 election. Jefferson felt Adams had made serious blunders during his term and Jefferson ran against Adams in a bitter campaign. As a consequence, the two patriots and former friends had fallen out of touch. Mutual friend and Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush wanted to encourage them to reconcile. Rush was on good terms with both Adams and Jefferson and after the end of Jefferson’s second term, endeavored to help them bridge the distance. In his letter to Adams on October 17, 1809, Rush used the device of a dream to express his wish for Adams and Jefferson to resume communications. This letter is part of a remarkable sequence of letters which can be read here . In this portion, Rush suggests his “dream” of a Jefferson-Adams reunion to Adams. “What book is that in your hands?” said I to my son Richard a few nights ago in a dream.

“It is the history of the United States,” said he. “Shall I read a page of it to you?” “No, no,” said I. “I believe in the truth of no history but in that which is contained in the Old and New Testaments.” “But, sir,” said my son, “this page relates to your friend Mr. Adams.” “Let me see it then,” said I. I read it with great pleasure and herewith send you a copy of it. “1809. Among the most extraordinary events of this year was the renewal of the friendship and intercourse between Mr. John Adams and Mr. Jefferson, the two ex-Presidents of the United States. They met for the first time in the Congress of 1775. Their principles of liberty, their ardent attachment to their country, and their views of the importance and probable issue of the struggle with Great Britain in which they were engaged being exactly the same, they were strongly attracted to each other and became personal as well as political friends.

They met in England during the war while each of them held commissions of honor and trust at two of the first courts of Europe, and spent many happy hours together in reviewing the difficulties and success of their respective negotiations. A difference of opinion upon the objects and issue of the French Revolution separated them during the years in which that great event interested and divided the American people. The predominance of the party which favored the French cause threw Mr. Adams out of the Chair of the United States in the year 1800 and placed Mr. Jefferson there in his stead. The former retired with resignation and dignity to his seat at Quincy, where he spent the evening of his life in literary and philosophical pursuits, surrounded by an amiable family and a few old and affectionate friends. The latter resigned the Chair of the United States in the year 1808, sick of the cares and disgusted with the intrigues of public life, and retired to his seat at Monticello, in Virginia, where he spent the remainder of his days in the cultivation of a large farm agreeably to the new system of husbandry. In the month of November 1809, Mr. Adams addressed a short letter to his friend Mr.

Jefferson in which he congratulated him upon his escape to the shades of retirement and domestic happiness, and concluded it with assurances of his regard and good wishes for his welfare. This letter did great honor to Mr. Adams. It discovered a magnanimity known only to great minds. Mr. Jefferson replied to this letter and reciprocated expressions of regard and esteem. These letters were followed by a correspondence of several years in which they mutually reviewed the scenes of business in which they had been engaged, and candidly acknowledged to each other all the errors of opinion and conduct into which they had fallen during the time they filled the same station in the service of their country. Many precious aphorisms, the result of observation, experience, and profound reflection, it is said, are contained in these letters. It is to be hoped the world will be favored with a sight of them. These gentlemen sunk into the grave nearly at the same time, full of years and rich in the gratitude and praises of their country (for they outlived the heterogeneous parties that were opposed to them), and to their numerous merits and honors posterity has added that they were rival friends.

With affectionate regard to your fireside, in which all my family join, I am, dear sir, your sincere old friend, BENJN: RUSH I don’t think Rush had an actual dream. He may have used the dream narrative as a clever device to prod his friend into reconciliation with Jefferson. On more than one prior occasion, Rush communicated his views to Adams via writing about them as dreams. For instance, Rush responded to a political question from Adams in a February 20, 1809 letter via a dream narrative. Adams responded on March 4, 1809 (the same day Jefferson’s second term ended) praising Rush’s wit and asked for a dream about Jefferson: Rush,—If I could dream as much wit as you, I think I should wish to go to sleep for the rest of my Life, retaining however one of Swifts Flappers to awake me once in 24 hours to dinner, for you know without a dinner one can neither dream nor sleep. Your Dreams descend from Jove, according to Homer. Though I enjoy your sleeping wit and acknowledge your unequalled Ingenuity in your dreams, I can not agree to your Moral.

I will not yet allow that the Cause of “Wisdom, Justice, order and stability in human Governments” is quite desperate. The old Maxim Nil desperandum de Republica is founded in eternal Truth and indispensable obligation. Jefferson expired and Madison came to Life, last night at twelve o’clock. Will you be so good as to take a Nap, and dream for my Instruction and edification a Character of Jefferson and his Administration? More substantial evidence for questioning whether Rush reported an actual dream is the existence of a draft of this letter which demonstrates that Rush considered another literary device for his prophecy. A footnote in Lyman Butterfield’s compilation of Rush’s letter explains: In the passage that follows, BR [Benjamin Rush] made his principal plea to Adams to make an effort toward reconciliation with Jefferson. That pains were taken in composing the plea is shown by an autograph draft of the letter, dated 16 Oct. in Hist. Soc. Penna., Gratz Coll.

In the draft BR originally wrote, and then crossed out, the following introduction to his dream history: “What would [you omitted] think of some future historian of the United States concluding one of his chapters with the following paragraph?” The greater verisimilitude of the revision adds much to the effectiveness of this remarkable letter. (Butterfield, L.H., The Letters of Benjamin Rush, Vol. II, 1793-1813, Princeton Univ. Press, 1951, p. 1023) Rush had at least two options to get across his message of reconciliation: a dream or an appeal to a future history book. He first wrote about the history book, then he chose a more creative device, one which he had already used in letters to Adams and which Adams had actually requested in March of that year. In any case, real dream or not, Adams liked the proposition and replied to Rush on October 25, 1809 , about the “dream” saying, A Dream again! I wish you would dream all day and all Night, for one of your Dreams puts me in spirits for a Month. I have no other objection to your Dream, but that it is not History.

It may be Prophecy. There has never been the smallest Interruption of the Personal Friendship between me and Mr. Jefferson that I know of. You should remember that Jefferson was but a Boy to me. I was at least ten years older than him in age and more than twenty years older than him in Politicks. I am bold to say I was his Preceptor in Politicks and taught him every Thing that has been good and solid in his whole Political Conduct. I served with him on many Committees in Congress in which we established some of the most important Regulations of the Army &c, &c, &c Jefferson and Franklin were united with me in a Commission to the King of France and fifteen other Commissions to treat with all the Powers of Europe and Africa. I resided with him in France above a year in 1784 and 1785 and met him every day at my House in Auteuil at Franklins House at Passy or at his House in Paris. In short we lived together in the most perfect Friendship and Harmony. Although in a less poetic manner, Rush also wrote Jefferson to suggest a resumption of friendship with Adams.

It took awhile (1812), but Adams and Jefferson did resume contact. As predicted by Rush, they carried on a vigorous correspondence until late in their lives regarding their personal and political views. Then 50 years after July 4, 1776, Jefferson and Adams “sunk into the grave nearly at the same time, full of years and rich in the gratitude and praises of their country…”* *Much of this post was adapted from a prior post on John Adams and the Holy Ghost letter and published on this blog May 31, 2011. Read more about Jefferson in Getting Jefferson Right by Michael Coulter and me. Three Presidents Die on July 4th: Just a Coincidence? Three Presidents Die on July 4th: Just a Coincidence? July 3, 2016 It is a fact of American history that three of the five Founding Father Presidents died on the Independence Day anniversary. But was it just a coincidence? Adams and Jefferson Back on July 4, 1831, James Monroe, the fifth President, died at the age of 73 at his son-in-law’s home in New York City.

Monroe had been ill for some time and newspapers had reported on Monroe’s illness before his passing. Local and national newspapers were also quick to report after Monroe’s death that they thought his July 4th passing was a “remarkable” coincidence, at the least, since Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826 – the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence . The oddness of the events wasn’t lost on the New York Evening Post in 1831, when the newspaper founded by Alexander Hamilton called it a “coincidence that has no parallel.” “Three of the four presidents who have left the scene of their usefulness and glory expired on the anniversary of the national birthday, a day which of all others, had it been permitted them to choose [they] would probably had selected for the termination of their careers,” the Post reported on July 5, 1831.

The Frederick, Maryland Town Herald marked Monroe’s passing on July 9, 1831 by also noting the “presidential coincidence.” “This have three of our revolutionary presidents departed this life on the anniversary of our independence; presenting the most remarkable tissue of coincidences that have marked the history of nations,” the newspaper said. Likewise, the New York Commercial Advertiser pondered the coincidence on July 5, 1831. “Thus of the six former presidents, by a coincidence for which it would be difficult to find a parallel in history, three of them have been called away in a good all age, on the same proud anniversary,” it said. And then the Boston Traveler wondered about the coincidence on July 8. “Again our national anniversary has been marked by one of those events, which it may be scarcely permitted to ascribe the chance.” New York’s Journal of Commerce noted the coincidence: “Thus three of four ex-presidents have died on the memorable Fourth of July and two of them on the same Fourth of July.

A coincidence so extraordinary is scarcely to be found in history.” We aren’t statisticians, but it is obvious that the death of three presidents, of the seven who had been elected, as of 1831, on the same day of the year was a long shot. There is an interesting blog post at the Boston University’s History Society that excerpts Margaret P. Battin’s research on the coincidental deaths of Adams and Jefferson . “Given the insufficient historical evidence available, we can’t know the truth about why Adams and Jefferson died on the same day,” Battin said. (She didn’t include Monroe in her study.) Battin evaluated the circumstances under six different criteria, ranging from mere coincidence and divine intervention, to the men’s willingness or desire to die on the anniversary day. “Given the insufficient historical evidence available, we can’t know the truth about why Adams and Jefferson died on the same day. But we can reflect on whether it would make a difference to us if one or another of these explanations turned out to be true,” she concluded.

“After all, the six possibilities these explanations raise are central to the very questions about death and dying that are so controversial today.” But back in 1826, Daniel Webster’s eulogy for Adams and Jefferson spoke to a point that many people believed: that something other than coincidence was involved. “The concurrence of their death on the anniversary of Independence has naturally awakened stronger emotions,” Webster said.

“It cannot but seem striking and extraordinary, that these two should live to see the fiftieth year from the date of that act, that they should complete that year, and that then, on the day which had fast linked forever their own fame with their country’s glory, the heavens should open to receive them both at once.” “As their lives themselves were the gifts of Providence, who is not willing to recognize in their happy termination, as well as in their long continuance, proofs that our country and its benefactors are objects of His care?” Independence Day Stories on Constitution Daily Thomas Jefferson and John Adams Stories of American Heroes - Brought to you from the "Home of Heroes" - Pueblo, Colorado July 4, 1826 Requiem for an American President The celebration of our Nation's 50th birthday was saddened this day in history by the death of our second president, John Adams. It was the eloquent Adams who had so persuasively defended Thomas Jefferson's DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE before the Continental Congress in 1776, ultimately leading to the birth of this new Nation. It may have been the last time Adams and Jefferson agreed on anything.

Jefferson's Declaration was born on June 7, 1776 when Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee laid before the Congress a resolution calling for the 13 colonies to be "free and independent states, absolved of all allegiance to the British crown." Moderates argued against the historic resolution, pointing out that the middle colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware were undecided about complete separation of the colonies from crown rule. By day's end there was little consensus, but members of the delegation appointed a five-man committee to draft a declaration of independence for consideration at the July 1st meeting. The task of drafting the declaration should have fallen to elder statesman Benjamin Franklin, but his illness precluded a timely completion of the task. The task then should have fallen to Adams, who argued instead that Jefferson should write it. Jefferson at first attempted to defer to Adams until, in frustration, the Massachusetts delegate grudgingly stated, "You are 10 times the writer I am." Thus Jefferson prepared the draft with suggestions for revisions coming from both Franklin and Adams. The finished document was presented to the Second Continental Congress on June 28th. A poor speaker, Jefferson's written work impressed the Assembly, despite some reservations.

The more eloquent Adams vigorously defended the work, which was adopted on July 2nd. That evening Adams wrote his thoughts on the new declaration to his wife, stating in part: "The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival." Actually Adams was two days off. Editing of the document continued until it was formally approved by 12 of the 13 colonies on July 4th. (The New York delegation abstained from the vote, but approved the Declaration five days later.) On August 2nd the 53 delegates present signed the document, and the 3 absent members subsequently added their names. Among the 56 signers were both of the men most responsible for the Declaration's existence, Adams and Thomas Jefferson. From that point forward the clashes between Adams and Jefferson were widely known. During Adam's two terms as vice president under George Washington, more than one conflict arose between him and Secretary of State Jefferson. As a Federalist, Adams found his political views quite at odds with the man who would become the leader of the rival Democratic-Republicans.

When Washington left the Presidency the battle for a successor was bitterly fought between Vice President Adams and Secretary Jefferson. Adams defeated Jefferson by a 3 vote margin (71-68 electoral votes), becoming our second president. That bitter campaign was renewed in 1800 when Jefferson defeated Adams to become our third President. So intense was their rivalry that, on the day of Jefferson's inauguration Adams was carriage-bound out of the new Capitol City when the new president assumed office. (The recent death of his son in New York provided a convenient excuse not to attend the inauguration of the incoming president.) Jefferson served two terms as President after defeating the incumbent Adams, then retired to his home in Monticello. Meanwhile from his retirement farm in Quincy, Massachusetts Adams began to write long and elaborate letters to his old adversary. A grudging admiration for each other may have developed in their later years. Nonetheless, Adams always proclaimed that, though Jefferson was 7 years younger than himself... "I will out live Jefferson." On his death bed on Independence Day, 1826 John Adams uttered his last words.

They were "Thomas Jefferson survives." It is rumored that upon Adam's death the messenger dispatched to carry the news to Jefferson's Virginia home actually passed a messenger dispatched from THAT site to Adam's home, also bearing sad tidings. Just a few hours earlier Thomas Jefferson had passed away .both architects of the document that gave birth to this new Nation dead, 50 years to the day from the birth of the country they founded. Footnote: In 1831 James Monroe, our Nation's 5th President, also died on the 4th of July. In 1850 our 12th President, Zachary Taylor participated in July 4th activities at the Washington monument. It was a blistery day and the president became quite ill. He died five days later on July 9th.

Question: John Adams and which other American president died on the Fourth of July 1826?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson