ADAMS, John (1735-1826). Letter signed (''John Adams'') as President, ''To the Grand Jury of the county of Norfolk in the State of Massachusetts,'' Quincy, 28 August 1798.

ADAMS, John (1735-1826). Letter signed ("John Adams") as President, "To the Grand Jury of the county of Norfolk in the State of Massachusetts," Quincy, 28 August 1798.

Two pages, 250 x 200mm (creased, minor soiling and wear).

John Adams thanks supporters in the wake of the XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War with France. The revelation of the XYZ Affair (so-called for the unnamed French agents it involved) galvanized public opinion against France and gave Adams the political support necessary to wage his limited naval war between 1798 and 1800. In April 1798 Adams released details of the XYZ correspondence to Congress at which time public support spiked – along with anti-French sentiment due to the unsavory details of French efforts at bribery. The present letter is Adams's reply to one of many addresses that came to him from all over the country in support of his administration. He comments: "I really question whether France ever doubted of the spirit of Americans. She depended more on their ignorance of the world and their unsuspecting innocence and simplicity. The present rulers in France have indeed discovered by symptoms that cannot be misunderstood, a contempt for our government and national character.”

Pre-Lot Text
PROPERTY OF A LADY AND A GENTLEMAN