A biography of the extraordinary man who became the second president of the United States, this book traces John Adams' adventurous life and spirited rivalry with Thomas Jefferson, and encompasses both the American Revolution and the birth of the young republic. David McCullough describes the childhood, youth and coming of age of Adams, the fiercely driven Massachusetts farmer-lawyer whose marriage to Abigail is one of the great real-life love stories. He also tells the story of his lifelong rival Thomas Jefferson, the Virginia planter and slave-owner. Through their lives, McCullough explores the extraordinary factors that transformed 13 colonies into a united nation that eventually brought these two distinctly dissimilar men to the presidency.