Classifying John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

In 1972, James David Barber published The Presidential Character: Predicting Performance in the White House. He single handedly altered presidential scholarship with its publishing. Instead of classifying presidents based on traditional criteria, Barber proposed a dramatically new classification system which looked at activity level (active or passive) and sense of enjoyment in the job (positive or negative). The resulting combinations were active-positive (deemed the most favorable), active-negative (the most dangerous), passive-negative (withdrawn), and passive positive (compliant) (Dean, 2004).

Each typology has certain presidents usually associated with them. The active-positive presidents are usually exemplified by Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John Kennedy (Webber, 2004). The active-negatives are usually John Adams, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. The passive-positives: James Madison or William Taft, and finally, the passive-negatives: George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower.

John Adams, the country's second president, often finds himself undisputed in the active-negative category. Barber noted that this type was hardworking, compulsive, had little sense of accomplishment, desired power, worried (sometimes to the point of paranoia), and got no enjoyment from their work. This is consistent with the descriptions of Adams provided by John Ferling in his book Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800. Thomas Jefferson himself called Adams "vain," and "irritable" (Ferling, 2004, p. 18). Ferling also documents reports that Adams "unabashedly hoped that someday he might gain renown" and that he "longed to stand out not just for his intellect but for his progressive way of seeing things" (p. 19). In order to do this, he was noted for his tireless work to get ahead. At the same time, Adams seems to have gained little enjoyment from his work. Instead, he kept plotting, planning, and working on the next problem. Like a typical active-negative, Adams always "wanted to know if [he was] 'winning or losing, gaining or falling behind'" (Dean, 2004).

Thomas Jefferson, unlike Adams, is disputed on Barber's grid. Some scholars label him active-positive, some passive-negative, and others active-negative (Constant, 1996; Dean, 2004). Active-positive presidents, according to Barber's typology, have high energy levels, enjoy their work, enjoy leading, are rational, and want to achieve results. Passive-negatives, on the other hand, have low energy, do little in politics, tend to withdraw, take on positions out of a sense of duty, and have little or no self-esteem. The active-positive is the same category to which Adams belongs.

Scholars have made the case for all three types when it comes to Jefferson. Those who claim he is an active-positive point to his energy, his enthusiasm for change, his eloquence, and his high self-esteem. Those who advocate the passive-negative type point out how he often became withdrawn, and how he often did not seek office (but did not out of a sense of obligation and duty to his country) (Ferling, 2004). Finally, those who claim he is just like Adams point out that because he worked hard and essentially hated it, that he is the quintessential active-positive.

I tend to think that Jefferson does not exemplify one particular type. While he does seem to have a very high activity level, he has elements of the both the positive and negative spheres when it comes to job enjoyment. For example, Jefferson did appear to have a high self-esteem at some points during his life. He was an accomplished writer, a well respected statesman, and he knew it. He was also hopeful and desired change for the colonies and the newly formed America. Jefferson, while abhorrent of conflict, was willing to clearly state his beliefs in a platform. These qualities all speak to the positive type. On the other hand, one cannot ignore that Jefferson was notably reluctant to take office (Ferling, 2004). He felt a clear sense of obligation, which is characteristic of the negative type. Jefferson could also be withdrawn at points, and was even suicidal at one point in his career (Ferling, 2004). These are additional indicators of the negative type.

So what then, is Jefferson? In the grid, he clearly lies in the active realm, probably right along the dividing line for positive and negative. Jefferson is just one of many presidents that highlight a potential flaw in Barber's typology - some people are just not that clear cut and easy to classify. Jefferson happens to be a bit more complicated that Barber's grid can account for.

References:

Dean, J. (2004). Predicting Presidential Performance. Retrieved February 6, 2006, from http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20040521.html

Webber, D. (2004) Presidential analysis reveals character. Retrieved February 6, 2006, from http://www.showmenews.com/2004/Sep/20040922Comm002.asp

Ferling, J. (2004). Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800. New York: Oxford University Press

Constant, R. T. (1996). Thomas Jefferson Predicted. Retrieved February 6, 2006, from http://constantsite.com/essays/history/ThomasJeffersonPredicted.pdf