Latest news with #MassachusettsConstitution
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Amherst awarded state grant to protect drinking water supply
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – The Town of Amherst has secured a $218,820 state grant aimed at safeguarding its drinking water supply through the acquisition of critical watershed land in neighboring Pelham. The funding is part of a larger initiative by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, which recently announced over $1 million in grants to support drinking water protection efforts in five Massachusetts municipalities. The grants are distributed through the Drinking Water Supply Protection (DWSP) Grant Program, administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Amherst plans to use its share of the funding to acquire more than 50 acres of wooded land in Pelham, adjacent to existing Watershed Protection Land managed by the town. The targeted area lies within Zone A, a high-priority surface water protection zone that contributes directly to the Pelham Reservoir System, which supplies roughly one-third of Amherst's public drinking water. Elizabeth Willson, Environmental Scientist for the Amherst Department of Public Works, emphasized the significance of the acquisition. 'We're very excited to receive this DWSP state grant, which will help us add an important piece of the puzzle to our protection of the Pelham Reservoir system watershed,' she said. Town Manager Paul Bockelman also praised the grant as a vital investment in the community's future. 'I thank the State and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for this grant, which is a critical step forward in protecting our community's most valuable resource—our drinking water,' he said. 'By securing this land, we are proactively ensuring the safety, quality, and sustainability of our water supply for generations to come.' The DWSP grant program, established in 2004, enables municipalities, water departments, and fire districts to purchase land or secure conservation easements for the express purpose of drinking water protection. Properties acquired under the program are permanently protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, ensuring the land remains dedicated to conservation and water resource protection. The grant to Amherst reinforces the town's long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable infrastructure as it continues WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston's White Stadium legal battle continues as plaintiffs appeal judge's dismissal
The legal battle over the renovation of the historic White Stadium in Boston's Franklin Park will continue as a group of residents opposed to the project appeal a judge's decision to throw out their lawsuit. Franklin Park Defenders, the group of plaintiffs that includes the nonprofit Emerald Necklace Conservancy (ENC), said late last week they plan to appeal the April decision that the land surrounding White Stadium was not protected under the Massachusetts Constitution. They had argued that renovating the city-owned property for use in part by a new professional women's soccer team would illegally change it from park and recreation land to private commercial use. 'It's our mission to protect and support our public parks for future generations – even when it's hard,' conservancy President Karen Mauney-Brodek said in a statement. 'This proposal for Franklin Park is the biggest change to public land in Boston and the Emerald Necklace in at least half a century, and it hasn't received the thorough legal vetting the public deserves. ... We're committed to partnering with the city, and anyone else, to make a fully public renovated White Stadium a reality.' Since its construction in the 1940s, the aging venue has fallen into disrepair because the school district has been unable to keep up with maintenance costs. The interior of one of the two grandstands was locked off to the public after it was destroyed by a fire decades ago. It was never rebuilt and has since been demolished in preparation for constructing the new stadium. The city has partnered with Boston Unity Soccer Partners, the owners of a new professional women's soccer team to be known as Boston Legacy FC, to renovate the stadium at an estimated cost of at least $200 million. The city's portion, an estimated $90 million, will cover the renovation of the east grandstand for use by Boston Public Schools (BPS) students. The soccer team will cover the remainder and lease the venue for up to 20 games and 20 practices per year. Outside of game and practice times, the facility will be open for Boston Public Schools, city and public use. Opponents of the project have claimed that the renovation, which is already underway, would take away access to a public asset and would be an inappropriate use of city funds. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy and a group of individual Boston residents initially filed the lawsuit in early 2024, but received an early loss as a judge declined to pause the project as the case played out. During a three-day trial in March, the plaintiffs argued that the 14-acre parcel of land containing the stadium was protected by a constitutional provision known as Article 97. The rule requires a two-thirds majority vote of the state Legislature for any publicly owned parkland to be used for any other purpose. However, to be covered, the city of Boston would have had to explicitly record it as a park. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Matthew Nestor ruled that the property was not parkland and had instead treated it as a school building since the stadium was initially constructed. 'There is simply inadequate evidence that the everyday use of the property evinces an unequivocal intent to dedicate the property as public parkland,' he wrote. When announcing the appeal, the plaintiffs said Nestor had not addressed several of their legal arguments, including the effects the project would have on the surrounding Franklin Park, the legality of selling alcohol on school-owned property and their claims of violations of the trust that owns the land. Not all members of the surrounding community oppose the project. After the Franklin Park Defenders announced their appeal, another group of residents denounced the decision to prolong the case, calling it 'an irresponsible tantrum backed by deep pockets.' 'Rather than acting as a true champion for the community, ENC leadership has chosen obstruction over collaboration, using its position to disparage anyone who supports the stadium's revitalization — including BPS students and families who want nothing more than a safe, vibrant place to play and compete," said Dot Fennell and Beth Santos, two BPS mothers who have led a grassroots group of supporters of the project. 'Boston Public School kids need partners, not lawsuits. ENC should drop this baseless fight and put its millions where its mission is — into the park, not the courtroom.' A spokesperson for the city said that city officials had met with the ENC board after Nestor's ruling to 'pursue a collaborative approach' in the future and were 'disappointed and frustrated' by the appeal. 'We will not be deterred from delivering the decades-delayed White Stadium renovation that generations of BPS students and park users deserve, and which is now finally underway,' the spokesperson said. 'The renovated athletic complex will be open for student and public use at least 15 hours per day, more than 345 days per year, delivered at half the price for taxpayers because of our partnership with Boston Legacy, a professional women's soccer team ... Given the expense to Boston taxpayers of continuing to defend against ENC's already-rejected claims, the city will carefully consider the future of its relationship with ENC to better protect residents and our parks.' A spokesperson for Boston Legacy told the Boston Herald that the team was likewise disappointed, but remained 'focused on advancing the work that is well underway as we prepare for the 2026 NWSL season.' Boston celebrates White Stadium victory as construction moves forward Judge rejects lawsuit over White Stadium project, says land isn't protected Boston professional women's soccer team announces new name Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What John Adams and his family can teach America today, according to this presidential historian
In late March, Kurt Graham gave the Howard R. Driggs Memorial Lecture at Southern Utah University, telling students about his own personal Mount Rushmore, which would feature presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Harry S. Truman and George W. Bush. 'I didn't pick these presidents because I think they're the best presidents we've ever had,' Graham said, adding, 'Although you can make a case for some of them, they're certainly not the worst presidents we ever had.' He picked them, Graham likes to joke, 'by sheer accident of my career.' He has, at one time or another, been the director of each man's presidential library, a vocation he did not envision when he was studying English as an undergrad at Brigham Young University. It has been an unexpected journey for the Wyoming native who's crisscrossed the country multiple times for work in service to history, and the Founding Fathers' ideals. After directing the Church History Museum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, and then the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, Graham spent nearly a decade in charge of Harry Truman's library in Kansas City, Missouri. He later went on to serve as the interim director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, Texas, and then, last year, relocated to New England after becoming the founding president of the Adams Presidential Center in Quincy, Massachusetts. It's a landmark role, stewarding the memory of one America's most influential Founding Fathers, and also that of Adams' son, the sixth president of the United States. The timing could not be better, either, as the work coincides with preparations for the United States' 250th anniversary next year. 'There is nothing like the American founding. The revolution is unlike any other event in the history of the world, because it didn't just change the lines on a map, it changed the whole society. … All of a sudden, 'all men are created equal.' That's insane. That is absurd,' Graham told me. 'If that's not exceptional, what is it?' Boston traffic is notoriously bad, and Graham twice offered to meet outside of Quincy, the town where John Adams wrote the Massachusetts Constitution and where he lived with his wife, Abigail, in a house they named 'Peace field.' When I declined, he gave me advice on parking in the dense town center to make the process a little easier. We met for lunch at a Japanese restaurant a block away from the Hancock Adams Common, a promenade linking the town's historical sites and lined with statues of the Founding Fathers. He is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, and at 58, exudes the presence of an executive or statesman with a distinguished salt-and-pepper gray spreading around his temples. A youthful smile is quick to appear and is quite disarming. But it's his professorial characteristics and his passion for presidential history that are the lasting impressions. Graham grew up in Cowley, Wyoming, a town with fewer than 900 residents, close to the Montana border. His father was in the Navy, and so the family moved around, but they called Wyoming home. While neither of Graham's parents went to college, they were both smart and made sure their two boys would get a quality education. 'A monarch can rule over a corrupt people, but a republic can't. You can't have a corrupt citizenry and have a virtuous republic.' Kurt Graham A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Graham went to Brigham Young University, where after his undergraduate degree, he stayed to do graduate work in American studies. Afterward, he earned a Ph.D. at Brown University, studying under one of the greatest scholars of American history, Gordon Wood. Wood's focus is on the founders and the Revolutionary War period. He also happens to be the historian referenced in the film 'Good Will Hunting' when the character Matt Damon plays belittles a smug Harvard student in a Cambridge bar, saying, 'You're gonna be in here regurgitating Gordon Wood, talking about ... the pre-Revolutionary utopia.' One of the many things Wood is known for is illuminating James Madison's notion of the 'disinterested man.' In an essay in 'Toward a More Perfect Union: Six Essays on the Constitution,' Wood parsed out the debate between the Federalists, who wanted a larger federal government, and the Anti-Federalists, who were opposed. Madison, a Federalist, struggled with what he took to be petty priorities of the Virginia Legislature, believing that the people needed to elect 'disinterested' men to help govern toward the higher ideals of a democratic government. '(The founders) called it 'disinterestedness' ... not someone who was uninterested, it was someone who is impartial,' Graham said. 'A republican citizen, a leader, is someone who can rise above the fray and make a decision for the public good even if it's against your own self-interest … it's for the good of the whole society.' Graham said that the founders banked on that sense of civic decency and virtue in the way they designed the government. 'A monarch can rule over a corrupt people, but a republic can't,' he said. 'You can't have a corrupt citizenry and have a virtuous republic.' Which is part of the reason why he believes that the Adams Presidential Center is such a timely effort. 'No matter what your persuasion is, no matter what you're thinking, nor whatever candidate you wish you could vote for, the thoughtful, careful, informed approach that the founders took is what's missing,' he said. 'The more we can remind ourselves that we are and want to be like the Adams, the Washingtons, the Jeffersons and Madisons of the world, that is important.' The Adamses, Graham said, are the only family within the founding generation whose legacy was not tainted by slavery. John and Abigail Adams fully believed that 'all men are created equal,' and John Quincy was so dedicated to abolitionism that he died arguing against slavery on the floor of Congress. 'We're really trying to focus on those values and the motives that the Adams had, because their sense of patriotism, duty and morality led them to public service,' Graham said. It's a rare opportunity for Graham as the center is being built from the ground up and is the first honoring the Adams family and, as such, is something of a blank canvas. Graham is ushering in a new point of access for scholars and history buffs, and — perhaps most importantly — educators and students of all ages. 'Anyone who loves their country is a patriot. Believe it or not, people who think differently than you, who vote differently than you, who have completely different ideas about the way we should conduct our public policy — they're patriots." Kurt Graham The center will remind everyday folks of the Adams family's role in defining the thing that Graham thinks actually makes America exceptional: taking the radical idea of republicanism, which declared that men could govern themselves, and creating out of it an original and functional form of government. 'We've always been proud of the fact that in America we show that we are capable of governing ourselves,' Graham said. 'Will that always be true? I don't think we can take that for granted, and I think that Adams' warnings are incredibly timely.' 'Remember Democracy never lasts long,' wrote John Adams in 1814. 'It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself.' The primary focus of the center, which does not yet have a location, is to both develop and share educational programming — everything from teacher training and youth leadership seminars to school-bound curriculum materials and lecture series. Events have already begun, with some in Massachusetts and more currently being organized. The center will also be the home of the Educating for American Democracy initiative, a consortium dedicated to strengthening and funding civics education. 'We wanted to use (the Adams family's) example of leadership, sacrifice, public service, and citizenship to inspire the next generation,' said retired Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Graham's boss, as the chairman of the Adams Presidential Center board of directors. 'For young people, we really want to help them on their journey toward critical thinking, citizenship and finding a way to serve something greater than themselves, whether it's in public service or just community service.' Graham's recent lecture in Cedar City was a meditation on the ideals of character, patriotism and public service. He highlighted the character of each man on his personal Rushmore: Bush, ever the problem solver, whose legacy is wrapped up in 9/11 even though his other accomplishments include an international program combatting AIDS; Truman's decisiveness toward Israel, ending a war by any means necessary and desegregating the military; John Quincy Adams and his lifelong diplomacy toward equality and sovereignty (he was the primary author of the Monroe Doctrine); and John Adams' fight for freedom, and the first peaceful transition of power. Graham defines patriotism in sharp contrast to nationalism. 'Patriotism, by its very definition, is diverse, it's inclusive, nobody has a lock on it. Anyone who loves their country is a patriot,' he said. 'Believe it or not, people who think differently than you, who vote differently than you, who have completely different ideas about the way we should conduct our public policy — they're patriots.' 'If there's a formula here, it's that patriotism plus character equals public service,' Graham said. That notion of public service and what it takes is important to Dunford, too. The general believes that the Adams Presidential Center can help Americans better understand their role as a citizen. 'Having finished 42 years of active duty in public service, my own view is that from time to time we become a bit complacent about our democracy, we take what we have for granted and we spend a lot of time focusing on the problems of the day,' Dunford said. 'Sometimes we don't look back and reflect on the journey that we're on. We are in pursuit of a more perfect union.' Graham published his Ph.D. thesis on the first federal judiciary as his first book, 'To Bring Law Home.' (He's currently writing another one, about the 'Jefferson Bible,' a version of the Bible in which Jefferson removed all of the miracles that had been recorded in scripture.) When he took his first museum-related job at the Buffalo Bill Center, leaving a teaching position at California State University, San Bernardino, it was a risk to leave academia and return to his home state, but he's never regretted the decision, and has had the support of his wife and five children, who range in age from 12 to 30. This current post feels something like a homecoming. 'Certainly, I identify readily and fully as a Westerner,' he said. But he also feels deeply connected to New England — especially Quincy, Massachusetts, which he refers to as the 'intellectual epicenter of the American Revolution.' (He pronounces Quincy properly, like a local — kwin-ZEE, not kwin-see.) Since the 2024 election, Graham has avoided broadcast news. Partisanship and polarization make him tense. It's not that he doesn't love his country or have a stake in national issues — he is passionate about local matters and local news. It's just that he thinks there are deeper subjects to consider than what is trending. 'I feel like my own health and my own attitude about the world is better when I think about how things were controversial and difficult before,' said Graham. 'But, I don't know, I find living in the 1790s kind of refreshing. 'They had knock-down, drag-outs, but they were substantive in how they sought to solve those problems,' Graham said. 'I'm not sure we are.' Adams and Jefferson, who debated and disagreed with one another, not only stayed friends, but came to their debates from a place of thoughtfulness, he noted. They were in conversation with each other, but also in conversation with the likes of 'Cicero, Rousseau, Aristotle, Locke and Hume.' Their perspectives, so dedicated to education, bred understanding, decency and a common concern that Graham thinks is supremely important for successful democracies. 'There was this big conversation, and big questions with big consequences being asked, and they wanted to engage in that.' As does Graham. The Adams Center is envisioned as an outlet that will help foster history and civics education, and rekindle these bigger conversations about virtue, liberty, knowledge and duty bringing them back to the forefront of American minds. A people lucky and hard-working enough to self-govern — again, what makes America exceptional. The American founding, Graham reiterates, is 'unique, it's sui generis, they created something out of nothing — if you will, something new under the sun. And yet, we just take that for granted.' He's hoping his new mission will change that. Graham did not set out to do this line of work — he says he's 'quit a lot of good jobs to get here' — but he does know one way he can participate in the centuries-old notion of civic duty. 'I've just come to the personal conclusion,' he said, 'that my contribution to my country is to build the Adams Presidential Center.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mass. gave the U.S. its Constitution. Why it matters more than ever
Good Monday morning, all. If you were up early and found yourself in Lexington over the weekend, you might have mistakenly thought you'd fallen into a tear in the space-time continuum, what with all the folks in Revolutionary War cosplay, and all. The reenactment of the battle that sparked America's fight for independence is an annual occurrence on Lexington's Battle Green. And this year, with the nation's 250th birthday looming, it comes freighted with some additional meaning. And with this Monday being Patriots' Day here in the Bay State (and Marathon Monday!), it seemed like a good idea to review another of Massachusetts' key contributions to the founding of the Republic. Namely, that the Bay State's Constitution, drafted in 1780 by Quincy's own John Adams, was the template for the U.S. Constitution, written seven years later, by James Madison. For that refresher, MassLive turned to Jerold Duquette, a Central Connecticut State University professor, who tracks Massachusetts politics. Here are 3 things to know about the Bay State's founding document, and why we wouldn't be the country we are now without it. Duquette, the co-editor of 'The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism,' took a few minutes to share his thoughts last week. This conversation has been lightly edited for content and clarity. Q: It's Patriots' Day in Massachusetts. What's the one big thing we need to know about the Massachusetts Constitution? Duqette: 'Given what we're now experiencing in [the] state and nation ... the most significant thing about the Massachusetts Constitution that should be heralded from the top of Beacon Hill is the very clear existence of legislative supremacy, both … in theory and in practice .... legislative supremacy was invented in Massachusetts. The framers of the Massachusetts Constitution had spent a century-and-a-half as legislators beating the s**t out of royal governors.' Q: Why does that matter? A: 'In Washington today, we're seeing the [poison] fruits of legislative supremacy, [it] having been dashed incrementally. Basically, for our last 100 years, Congress has gradually, sometimes not so gradually, surrendered power to the executive. And now we have an executive running all over the Constitution and a [legislative branch] doing nothing.' Q: If you're looking for through-lines between the Massachusetts and U.S. constitutions, what are the most obvious drop-and-drags? A: 'The most important things, I would contend, are these two concepts, which are legislative supremacy and separation of powers." 'Now, not a lot of people want to talk about legislative supremacy ... it's kind of tricky, right? If you're talking about legislative supremacy, I'm talking about a concept of principle. And I'm certainly talking about how it has worked out in Massachusetts.' 'But what you hear lawyers and even constitutional law professors sometimes say is that the Constitution of Massachusetts, as well as the Constitution of the United States, envisioned separation of powers [and] coequal branches.' 'However, they're always careful to say that only one of the branches is really completely independent and is preeminent — or the first among equals — and that is the legislature. I call that legislative supremacy." 'Lots of American historians and constitutional experts in the 20th century did as well, but it's clearly not the case in the United States. Right? The American Constitution has, in fact, no longer has legislative supremacy, because the Congress and the courts have essentially ceded authority to the president.' Q: What do you think the framers would make of this creep of the unitary executive, which has been a bipartisan phenomenon? A: 'They would be terrified ... There were two ... big fears. Well, maybe it's the same fear, but it's two sides of the coin. 'They were very much afraid of the average person. In a sense, they were afraid of any kind of direct democracy. But they were also afraid of the kind of person who would be able to exploit the opinions of those masses, and that would be the demagogue. They were afraid of demagogic leaders being able to inflame the passion. So, mob rule is a fear of the people. But it's also a fear of the people who would strike fear in the people.' 'You don't really have to be a scholar to recognize that we have a demagogic president who is taking full advantage of the power of public opinion .... Executives are very, very comfortable now claiming an electoral mandate. That's not really something the framers would ever have wanted. They would not have wanted any president ... to be claiming that they are the people's president.' Q: What should people be reflecting on today? What will you be reflecting on during Patriots Day? A: 'I think I'll be reflecting on the dangers of the unitary executive theory, and how we're seeing it at the national level. You know that danger is imminent.' As if we needed further confirmation that driving in Massachusetts is, indeed, a bloodsport, this new data from the folks at should do the trick. First, the good news: Car accident rates declined in every state except Vermont and New York from 2023 to 2024. Those states had a 2% and 10% increase, respectively, according to the industry website's analysis. But before Bay State drivers stop leaning on their horns long enough to take a bow, here's some sobering perspective: Massachusetts had the highest crash rate (6.07%) of all 50 states, according to that same analysis. Insurify analysts calculated the accident rate based on the number of accidents and the total number of drivers in each state. If it's any consolation, nearly all of our fellow New England drivers are also menaces on the road. New Hampshire had the second-highest crash rate at 5.81%, followed by Rhode Island, which finished third at 5.63%. Maine finished fourth at 5.38%. And while Bay Staters like to mock Connecticut, the Nutmeg State finished 29th, at 4.22%, according to the Insurify analysis. 'People are struggling, and too many of the folks in charge are out of touch or out of reach. I've seen what it's like when rent eats half your paycheck. When schools go underfunded year after year. When entire neighborhoods feel like they're being pushed out. And I know I'm not alone — that's the Boston too many of us are living in." The call is coming from inside City Hall. Kerry Augustin, 26, a receptionist for Boston's Age Strong Commission, jumped into the crowded field of candidates who are looking to challenge incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu. US-Canada relations tested as border library faces new restrictions | John L. Micek Layoffs begin amid 'budget crisis' at Harvard's Chan School of Public Health Western New England Law prof fighting Trump's ban on trans people from military Kerry Augustin, City Hall employee, joins Boston mayoral race Mass. House Speaker Mariano resists calls for indicted Cape Cod rep. to resign Trump admin cancels $90 million in disaster prevention aid for 18 Mass. communities Why Harvard was willing to risk $9B to fight Trump Springfield Democrats huddle on May 10 at Springfield Central High School (and virtually) to pick their slate of delegates to this year's Democratic State Convention. Democrats from the City of Firsts have home-field advantage for the party conclave, which is being held at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. on Sept 13. The May 10 event gets rolling at 10:30 a.m., with registration closing at 10:45 a.m. The caucus will also feature speeches by local elected officials and party leaders. Japanese Breakfast, the nom de rock for singer-songwriter Michelle Zauner, plays the MGM Music Hall in Boston on May 7 (Tickets and more info here). The band has an outstanding new record out, 'For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women),' that builds on an already impressive discography. From that LP, here's 'Orlando in Love.' From name and likeness rights to the transfer window, the big-money business of college football has seen some equally big changes over the last few years. Another biggie: The rise of the college football general manager. Sam Khan Jr., writing for The Athletic, explains why you need a GM if you intend to be a serious player. One caveat though: This change has been underway for years. Here's the germane part: Across college football, employing a general manager has become table stakes for programs that are serious about talent acquisition. A GM's role can vary, but in most cases, that person oversees all aspects of roster construction: high school recruiting, the transfer portal, name, image and likeness compensation and — once the House v. NCAA settlement is approved — a revenue-sharing Some programs have prioritized hires with NFL experience to help navigate an offseason that looks more professionalized by the day, especially with contract negotiations and NFL-style holdouts playing out in increasingly public forums. In 2025, the GM has become one of the most important athletic department hires a school can make. But college football GMs aren't an overnight invention. They're a movement nearly 20 years in the making, with the largest roots tracing to some of the sport's most storied programs. Major rule changes accelerated general managers' evolution from back-office grunts to one of the most influential people in the building. And their profile is only rising. One more caveat: The full story is subscription-only. That's it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@ Have a good week, friends. US-Canada relations tested as border library faces new restrictions | John L. Micek 3 UMass poll numbers that could worry Republicans. And 1 for Democrats | John L. Micek Mass. Gov. Healey has a GOP challenger. 3 big questions we're asking | Bay State Briefing
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
John Adams Memorial: It's Time
Throughout my life, I have learned that we each get but one true choice: what we are willing to give our lives for. Alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others, I chose to dedicate myself to the fight for civil rights. This journey was, in part, guided by one of Americas earliest champions of liberty - John Adams, a man who shaped not only his own time but laid the foundations for justice that resonate today. Adams once predicted, "Monuments will never be erected to me." He could not have foreseen how deeply his ideals would inspire those who came after him. The Adams Memorial Foundation has taken on the mission of ensuring that John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams, Louisa Catherine Adams, and their descendants are given their rightful place among the monuments of Washington, D.C. A memorial to the Adams family will serve as an invitation to all Americans to reflect on the principles we uphold. The Adams family will once again stand as a beacon, amidst polarization and mistrust, to remind us of the everlasting importance of integrity, personal responsibility, and public service. Let us build this monument, not only to honor the past but to encourage future generations to uphold the ideals that the Adams family so courageously defended. John Adams, my favorite president, is often overlooked among the pantheon of Founding Fathers, but his impact on American ideals of freedom and democracy is profound. Adams believed passionately that all men are created equal, a truth forever enshrined in our founding documents. It was Adams who persuaded the Continental Congress to select Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, an act that embedded the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in our nations core beliefs. Adams work in drafting the Massachusetts Constitution, which remains the oldest functioning written constitution in the world, served as a model for our own U.S. Constitution, establishing the bedrock that has guided us through generations. The Adams familys commitment to these principles did not end with John Adams. His son, John Quincy Adams, carried his fathers torch into an era marked by one of our nations most painful divides: slavery. John Quincys work as a diplomat, senator, and sixth president of the United States reflected his dedication to the betterment of our country. After he lost his reelection bid for the presidency, he ran for Congress and was sworn into the House of Representatives on Dec. 5, 1831. He fought tirelessly against the expansion of slavery and for the right of all people to live free and with dignity. In 1841, long after he had left the presidency and while he was serving in Congress, John Quincy made a historic stand when he argued before the Supreme Court on behalf of the Amistad captives, a group of Africans who had been kidnapped and illegally sold into slavery. This "impossible" and "unwinnable" case became a defining moment in our nations legal history and a powerful victory for abolitionists. John Quincy argued that the Amistad captives had acted in self-defense, fighting for their own freedom as Americans had done decades earlier. His defense secured their release and set a precedent for the struggle against slavery in America. But the case didnt just free the captives - it ignited a broader movement. The American Missionary Association, inspired by the efforts of the Amistad Committee that financed the Amistad defense, grew into a powerful abolitionist organization. Later, it became instrumental in founding many of the nations first historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Howard University, where I am proud to have graduated. The commitment of the Adams family to freedom and righteousness is a legacy that still holds profound relevance. In a time when division threatens our shared bonds as Americans, we need reminders of what ties us together. The Adamses were pioneers in civil service, integrity, and accountability. They remind us that our duty to this country is not just a privilege, but a profound responsibility. They exemplified the courage to make difficult choices in the pursuit of a better America. As John Adams wrote to his beloved Abigail during the darkest days of the Revolutionary War, "… through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory." His optimism in the face of adversity, his belief in the triumph of posterity over momentary hardship, and his unwavering commitment to the ideals of a just and lasting republic is a message that continues to carry great importance. It is time we honored that sacrifice with a memorial to him and his family. Andrew Young served as United States ambassador to the United Nations from 1977-79, and as mayor of Atlanta from 1982-90.
