Marianne Holdzkom – The Conversation

The men responsible for producing the Declaration of Independence, known as the Committee of Five, were, left to right: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, John Adams and Robert R. Livingston. Vintage etching circa late 19th century, digital restoration by Pictore via Getty Images

May 14, 2026

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson disagreed about the American Revolution’s meaning even as they lay dying

Marianne Holdzkom, Kennesaw State University

The founding generation in America was not of one mind. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson differed on crucial ideas, but exemplify the capacity for people to disagree and yet work for a common cause.

With one stroke of the pen, John Adams muzzled the press for the first time in U.S. history. Man_Half-tube/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty

March 12, 2025

Alien and Sedition Acts were reviled in their time, and John Adams was not sorry to see them go

Marianne Holdzkom, Kennesaw State University

John Adams signed the Sedition Act in an attempt to silence dissent. Some other Founding Fathers thought that muzzling the press would mean the end of the republic.

Contact Marianne for