John Adams and the American Press

This interesting study of the early American press and President John Adams first discusses the fourth estate’s treatment of President George Washington. The newspapers of the day, alien in both form and content to today’s publications, are also covered. The confrontational relationship between Adams and editors is examined, focusing on the President’s personality, the “honeymoon” at the beginning of his administration, the increasing politicization of editorial scrutiny, and the role of the press in Adams’ close electoral defeat by Thomas Jefferson. Using Adams’ voluminous correspondence, an analysis of his own views of press coverage concludes the work.

Writer and lecturer Walt Brown lives in Hillsdale, New Jersey. He has also written detective novels, a series of ebooks on John F. Kennedy and appears regularly as a political commentator.

Walt Brown
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 223
Bibliographic Info: references, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014 [1995]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9353-1
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
1. The Federal Era I: Passion and Invective, 1789–1797 9
2. The Federal Era II: Passion and Invective, 1797–1801 24
3. The Federal Era III: Scissors, Paste, and Ink 39
4. George Washington and the American Press 50
5. John Adams: Character and Public Career 61
6. Adams and the American Press I: Honeymoon 79
7. Adams and the American Press II: Crisis 88
8. Adams and the American Press III: Realignment 111
9. Adams and the American Press IV: Denouement 122
10. John Adams: Afterthoughts on the Press 136

Abbreviations List 149
References 151
Bibliography 193
Index 207

“Fills a long-standing void…valuable”—Choice.