The Letters Between Jefferson and Adams…the “Other” Adams, That Is (Zoom)
Winter (4 - 8.5 hours) | Registration opens 11/23/2026 12:00 AM EDT
Historians have had fun dissecting the correspondence from two crusty old former Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, from 1812 to the day of their deaths, July 4th, 1826. Often overlooked, however, are very revealing letters between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail Adams near the end of Jefferson’s first term. In this course we will concentrate on a series of letters between our third President and second First Lady that followed a four-year freeze in what had been a very warm relationship between them before Jefferson’s defeat of John Adams in the hotly contested election of 1800. Questions and discussion are always encouraged.
This course will be presented in a lecture format.
- There are no required books for this course.
James Bays
Jim Bays is a retired corporate attorney who has taught Osher courses at Dartmouth and in Texas on U.S. history in the late 18th century, including courses on Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Benedict Arnold; the transition from the Articles of Confederation to the U.S. Constitution and the Electoral College; and the landmark Supreme Court case of Marbury vs. Madison. He is a 1971 graduate of Dartmouth College and received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1974.