Sorry, HBO. John Adams Wasn't That Much of a Hero.

First, he vexed the French by suggesting that he should immediately tell the British of his arrival. The French were unready for peace talks in 1780, and Congress had not instructed him to begin a one-man diplomatic offensive. But no matter: Adams was Adams, and ready to act.

Adams made a second faux pas when he began pressing for additional French naval support for the U.S. part of what was now a global war between France and Britain. Again, he had no instructions to that effect. Moreover, dealing with France was Franklin's job, not his. But no matter: Adams was Adams, and ready to act.

It was behavior such as this that led Franklin, with misgivings, to support Vergennes's request that Adams be recalled. But Adams had too many supporters for that to happen, and when they let him know that Franklin wanted him out, Adams decided that his erstwhile friend -- and his fledgling country's greatest asset in Europe -- was also his personal enemy. His relationship with Franklin was severely damaged if not completely poisoned, and the fallout dogged U.S. diplomacy for years. It also fueled Adams's persecution complex ever after.

So there was indeed an Adams problem, and much of it was of his own making. Perhaps that is what makes him the most human and least godly of all the founders -- the one we still find it hardest to reckon with.

rakove@stanford.edu

Jack Rakove is a professor of history, American studies and political science at Stanford University. His books include "Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution."