
Between Liberty and Stability
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the Enduring Difficulty of Building and Maintaining a Regime
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
Published on 16. April 2026
Book
Hardback
240 pages
979-8-7651-8902-3 (ISBN)
Description
John Adams's and Thomas Jefferson's political careers spanned the most formidable times of the early republic. They worked together to draft the Declaration of Independence only to become bitter political rivals, serving as the candidates of the first American political parties and competing in the first competitive presidential election. Most accounts of their relationship tend to focus on their political rivalry and the politics of the Federalists and Republicans. Between Liberty and Stability: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the Enduring Difficulty of Building and Maintaining a Regime shows how their decades-long intellectual relationship shaped their political aims and informed their distinct understanding of how to establish a functional liberal political order. Beyond their politics are important philosophic discussions of human nature, constitutionalism, and statesmanship that can help readers today to understand and reevaluate many of the contemporary commitments that are commonly associated with a liberal political order.
Reviews / Votes
Our nation's semiquincentennial marks another significant occasion: the 200th anniversary of the deaths of the John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1826. In Between Liberty and Stability, Bruce Hunt and Robert Ross offer a timely reassessment of Adams' and Jefferson's parallel lives, philosophic reflections, and enduring political legacies. -- Justin B. Dyer, Rex W. Tillerson Chair and Dean of the School of Civic Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin, USA Hunt and Ross invite us to view Adams and Jefferson less as competing partisans and more as complimentary founders who tried to establish a durable, balanced political order. Between Liberty and Stability makes a formidable case that trying to conform Adams and Jefferson to ancient or modern categories distracts from the way in which they borrowed from both ancient and modern thought. -- Bill Reddinger, Regent University, USAMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
n/a
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
496 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-7651-8902-3 (9798765189023)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Bruce A. Hunt | Robert E. Ross
Between Liberty and Stability
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the Enduring Difficulty of Building and Maintaining a Regime
E-Book
02/2026
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€100.99
Available for download

Bruce A. Hunt | Robert E. Ross
Between Liberty and Stability
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the Enduring Difficulty of Building and Maintaining a Regime
E-Book
02/2026
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€100.99
Available for download
Persons
Bruce A. Hunt, Jr. is adjunct instructor at the University of Houston, USA.
Robert E. Ross is associate professor of political science at Utah State University, USA.
Robert E. Ross is associate professor of political science at Utah State University, USA.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Debate over American Liberty
Chapter 2: Human Nature in Locke's Political Philosophy
Chapter 3: Liberty and Constitutional Design
Chapter 4: Liberty, Aristocracy, and Statesmanship
Chapter 5: Liberty and Civil Religion
Chapter 6: Liberty and Censorship
Chapter 7: Liberty and Punishment
Conclusion
Bibliography
About the Authors
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Debate over American Liberty
Chapter 2: Human Nature in Locke's Political Philosophy
Chapter 3: Liberty and Constitutional Design
Chapter 4: Liberty, Aristocracy, and Statesmanship
Chapter 5: Liberty and Civil Religion
Chapter 6: Liberty and Censorship
Chapter 7: Liberty and Punishment
Conclusion
Bibliography
About the Authors