Jubilee of the Constitution

In 1839, in a speech to the New York Historical Society on the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington, John Quincy Adams, then representing Massachusetts’s 12th district in Congress, drew from the biblical tradition of the Jubilee to combine an ideological history of the formation of the United States with a stylized biography of our first President under the Constitution.

Covering the events, figures, and prevailing philosophies of the European and American continents from the time of the English Civil Wars through the French Revolution and beyond, Adams educes the principles of the Declaration of Independence, recounts the early weaknesses and first crises of our fledgling republic, and lauds Washington and his Constitution as the salvation for a nation on the verge of dissolution.

In particular, Adams examines the history and formative defects of the Articles of Confederation with a critical eye, and traces the unraveling of their fragile union while recounting the hopeful formation of a new one.

At the same time, The Jubilee of the Constitution chronicles much of the largely untold history of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including such important events as the Citizen Genêt Affair, the Jay Treaty, the discovery of the Columbia River, and the Nullification Crisis, and elucidates the differing American perspectives on the revolving door of bloodshed and power in France during the 1790s.

This newly typeset reprint from American Vision features over 50 critical and historical footnotes, and features a new introduction from author and speaker Joel McDurmon.

Other books in The American Original Series: On Money and Finance (2010);  The United States Elevated to Glory and Honor (2011); and God's Law and Government in America (2015).

About General Editor Joel McDurmon: With works on apologetics, theology, and history, including Jesus v. Jerusalem and God Versus Socialism, Joel McDurmon (M.Div.), is a staff writer and researcher at American Vision. A popular lecturer at conferences across the nation, Joel maintains a weekly column at AmericanVision.org and preaches regularly at Christ Church in Branch Cove, Alabama. Joel and his family reside in Dallas, Georgia.