“Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap—let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in primers, spelling books, and in almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice.”
Summary
Abigail Adams recorded that when her husband and Thomas Jefferson visited Shakespeare’s birthplace, Jefferson fell upon the ground and kissed it and John Adams cut a chip from Shakespeare’s chair. Jefferson and Adams both revered Shakespeare, as did Abigail, and they all understood how necessary it was for a free people to revere what deserves reverence. As this story shows, they also understood that true reverence needs to be complemented by good humored irreverence.
Resources
- Letter from Abigail Adams to her grandson George Washington Adams, 7 August 1815
- Jefferson’s Gravestone
- University of Missouri Jefferson Garden
- The American Story Episode 9: The Great Author of America
- The American Story Episode 41: Our Greatest Poet
- “Poet of the New World” by Chris Flannery in the Claremont Review of Books
Credits
- Narrator: Chris Flannery
- Audio Producer: Derek Wood
- Music Supervisor: Blake Huxell
