About the "John Adams Unbound" Exhibit
“John Adams Unbound” explores Adams’s personal library – a collection of 3,500 books willed by Adams to the people of Massachusetts and deposited in the Boston Public Library in 1894. This remarkable collection of books provides first-hand insight into how John Adams shaped American history and how he was shaped through his lifelong dedication to reading and books. Through photo-reproductions of these annotated volumes, viewers will witness one of our founding fathers wrestling with intellectual and political ideas at every stage in his long life – as a boy, university student, Boston lawyer, revolutionary, diplomat, President and citizen of the early American republic. The exhibit will explore how the tough unyielding John Adams became our second president, how he saved the country from an unnecessary war, and whose marriage to Abigail Adams proves to be one the most amazing love stories in American History.
John Adams Unbound has been organized by the Boston Public Library and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. This traveling exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: great ideas brought to life.
Find descriptions of related programs on the library calendar of events or on allwatertown.net for a listing of special programs for the 7-week exhibit.