John Adams, George Washington, essays

John Adams, George Washington, essays 1. The principle motivation in getting involved with the independence movement for John Adams was his ambition. However, he also had a very strong sense of virtue and he saw America as the center of virtuous being. He saw the taxation being imposed on Americans as morally wrong and was personally insulted by the appointment of men to high official positions based on their willingness to bow to and fawn over the crown. With a movement toward independence, Adams could satisfy his own ambition by moving his concerns and abilities out of the small province of Massachusetts into the larger arena of the continental government. Pairing his ambition with the ambition of the entire continent was satisfying and productive to Adams and this, among other things, motivated him to continue his support for American independence. The principle motivation for George Washington for the independence movement was personal honor and gain. Washington understood that by serving as the head of the Continental Army during the movement, he could gain tremendous honor as long as he could defeat the forces of the British. Eventually, Washington began to pair his honor with the honor of the entire nation, just like Adams ambition. The continual gain of national honor would satisfy Washingtons need for personal honor as well as serving his personal interest. The principle motivation for Jefferson in the movement for American independence was his belief in freedom for mankind. Given, his definition of mankind was limited, but he believed that mankind should be free from all oppression and strive to better itself in every way possible. Morgan hints that the personal gain for Jefferson from the movement was his own freedom from oppression. Through the fight for independence, Jefferson was freeing himself from the oppressive laws of England, the oppressive laws of his forefathers, and oppressive limitation of how well he could voice his ideas. The mov...