John's father was a famous deacon, whom many in the town constantly sought for advice (32). John looked up to his father. In regards to his mother, he was simply in love with her, and this strong bond will be continued after her death with his own wife. The amount of research that went into this work must have been remarkable. To be able to un-earth the secrets of a family in the 18th century and show how they aided in the development in such a powerful figure is fascinating. .
Growing up, John Adams was an extremely intellectual person. He was constantly reading from the classics and pursued the study of Latin. His father wanted him to continue the family line, but John had other ideas. John wanted to go to college. He attended a prestigious Massachusetts University known as Harvard. He worked extremely hard in college and did well (35). After graduation, he became a teacher in the town of Worcester, Mass. This job did not last long. "Adams felt himself "irresistibly impelled" to the law" (39). He yearned to be a lawyer. This was also around the time of the French and Indian war and politics and history were the hot topics of the day. Adams was compelled into these discussions. He was determined to influence society. McCullough points out that John's passion for knowledge and success was planted in his head during his college years.
Adams, although highly determined, never really did much. He had all these aspirations and dreams, but he didn't think they would amount to anything. "I have no books, no time, no friends. I must therefore be content to live and die an ignorant, obscure fellow" (41). He was extremely critical of himself and McCullough made sure to point that out. Adams was a modest person, and McCullough attempts to give him credit where credit was due. Unfortunately, it took the death of his father for Adams to take a stand. On May 25, 1761 Deacon John died, and John Adams was mortified (52).