Americans conveniently forget that the revolution did not unite the country. Americans were divided into three camps: those who wanted independence, those loyal to the crown, and those who just wanted to be left alone to farm and run their shops.

Loyalty made sense because the rebels were up against the greatest military force in the world at that time. As the village idiot of Washington recently said, if you take on the government you are going to need F-16s and maybe some nukes.

And the smallpox epidemic had only just begun.

But Adams had faith in God and country. He knew Americans would prevail and enduring those hardships would keep us together.