Impact of Thomas Jefferson on John Adams based on David McCullough's Essay

Impact of Thomas Jefferson on John Adams based on David McCullough's bioigraphy - Essay Example Both men reveal an ongoing influence upon the other. In the later years, the author hints of a vilification of Jefferson to Adams in the mind of the popular press, yet the text itself implies otherwise, describing situations with a latent sympathy to the old comrades. Specifically, this paper will examine several key comparisons of the text which impart a moral description of Adams through ertain excesses of Jefferson. Jefferson is first introduced at the gathering of the Second Continental Congress, an opportunity the author uses to make a physical comparison with Adams, for where Adams was "stout, Jefferson was lean Where Adams was bald, Jefferson had a full head of thick coppery hair" (111). McCullough lists a number of other comparisons, of which the two most important ones were Adams hailing from Massachusetts while Jefferson came from a financially well-off Virginian aristocracy, thus, while both were extremely practiced in law, "Jefferson had never relished the practice of law as Adams had, nor felt the financial need to keep at it." (114). Jefferson is portrayed as speaking very little at this Congress, being deferential to Adams in almost all matters, although the gentlemen in general held a mutual respect and admiration for the other. Jefferson's assignment to write the Declaration of Independence is addressed by both men many years later. Jefferson recalls that he was asked and agreed, Adams claims that Jefferson tried to pass the work onto him (Adams), but that Adams refused for three reasons: 1) because that a Virginian representative should be involved in the forefront of the endeavor, 2) Adams saw himself as obnoxious and unpopular (a self-deprecation otherwise non-existent) and Jefferson the opposite, and 3) that Jefferson was the better writer. Despite Adams and the rest of the drafting committee, making minor changes, Adams promoting the skill of Jefferson's writing has proven to be a boon to successive American generations. When Jefferson was chosen as an ambassador to France in 1782 and sent to join Adams and Benjamin Franklin, who were already posted in Paris, Adams lauds the selection, claiming no one else compares to Jefferson character "in point of power or virtues." (318). This warmth is wholly absent from an earlier letter Jefferson had sent to James Madison, saying Adams's "vanity is a lineament in his character (and) his want of taste I had observed" (318). Despite some waffling, however, Jefferson does admit to Adams's integrity and usefulness in the position. To be fair, Jefferson was just leaving an unwelcome stint as governor of Virginia, a tenure culminating in his narrow escape from British invasion. Perhaps his vehemence in describing Adams is therefore related to an attempt to inflate his own worthiness, a latent desperation to receive the posting himself. For upon his arrival in Paris, Jefferson resumed very close relations with the entire Adams family. McCullough does point out a dis tinct difference in lifestyle here, for Jefferson, rather than assuming the modest lifestyle of the Adamses and living on the outskirts of the city, instead takes an apartment in the heart of the city and goes on wild shopping sprees. He lives in such a constant state of

How financial crisis affected businesses in the UK economy Literature review

How financial crisis affected businesses in the UK economy - Literature review Example Thus, British faced the worst financial crisis in a number of decades; with several business operations affected, there are still aftereffects that can be seen such as the large sum of national debt. Britain also faced falling housing prices which contributed to the capital city’s despair. The Prime Minister at that time, Gordon Brown, had given a bank bailout plan which was accredited and which created a template followed by US and countries across Europe later. However, the recession was seen as persistent by the economists. The British currency had also fallen in value outside the Eurozone. Britain managed to play a major role in order to coordinate and find an international response to the financial crisis. There were G-20 meetings in April 2009 that were hosted by London, and PM Brown drafted a well-aimed and ambitious plan to fix the international financial regulations. After these meetings, the British finance ministry had to announce more bad news that the country was not breaking even on banking interventions and would probably end up losing more than $87 billion (Rayner, 2008). The financial crisis thus wiped off the country’s major banks, investors, companies, and markets. It was one of the days during the crisis when the pound suffered the worst one-day fall since 1992 on Black Wednesday. This indicated the severe global recession that was going to hit Britain and last for a very long time. The stock market had also been starting to face the shockwaves of the American corporate meltdown. Economic experts had analyzed that Halifax Bank of Scotland, Britain’s biggest mortgage lender, had lost about 13% of its value and had high risks of being immensely affected by the global financial crisis (Rayner, 2008). The royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays also had a 9% decrease in their share prices. Thus the feat grew that other major investment banks would be affected severely following the