In his November 13, 1815 letter to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams delivers a fierce meditation on tyranny, history, and vindication. He declares that despotism—whether by one, few, or many—is always “equally arbitrary, cruel, and bloody.” Adams laments how power corrupts memory, destroying records to reshape truth. Though he praises the eighteenth century for advancing knowledge and virtue, he fears the nineteenth will extinguish its light as reactionary forces rise in Europe. Responding to criticism of his 1790 warning about the French Revolution, Adams defends his foresight, claiming time has proven his “sure words of prophecy” tragically accurate.
