John Adams was a troubled soul his entire life. He was regularly anxious, jealous, self-righteous, outraged, and often downright angry that he was never given his just due for a lifetime of selfless devotion to his community and his nation. Much of this angst was self-inflicted, living under a code that he inherited from his Puritan father, one that he adhered to with a religious fervor that overrode all other behavioral instincts. … America was the greatest beneficiary of his selfless perseverance in service to his nation. And, make no mistake about it, other than George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, John Adams was the most important of the Founding Fathers in bringing about the new nation called the United States of America. Adams wasn’t just present at the founding; he was a critical catalyst in the drive for independence. … His own independence was central to his character, his success, and his lack of popularity. He reveled in making the tough calls, from defending British soldiers in pre-revolutionary Boston to choosing peace over the popular cries for war as the nation’s second president, regardless of what anyone else thought. He craved approbation, but not at the expense of virtue. This philosophy was the bane of his existence, yet also the fuel to his greatness, which was indeed extraordinary, including “Independence forever.” Independence, courtesy of Mr. Independent.