John Adams vs Thomas Paine: Rival Plans for the Early Republic

How Paine’s Common Sense and Adams’s Thoughts on Government Shaped Our Modern Political Institutions
Initially admiring Thomas Paine’s efforts for independence, John Adams nevertheless was rattled by the political philosophy of Common Sense and responded to it by publishing his Thoughts on Government to counteract Paine’s proposals, which Adams said were far too “democratical.” Although John Adams is given credit for his substantive contributions to American constitutionalism, especially h...