Letter, John Adams to Thomas Jefferson describing the cordial greeting he received from King George III as the first American minister to Great Britain, 3 June 1785

Reproduction number: A51 (color slide; page 1); A52 (color slide; page 2)
In this 3 June 1785 letter, written in his secretary's hand, John Adams (1735-1826), Revolutionary patriot and later president of the United States, described to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), then American minister to France, his presentation to King George III (1738-1820) as the first United States minister to Great Britain. Adams had been nervous about the historic meeting between the representative of the victorious rebels and their former "oppressor." He had purchased a new coat for the occasion and had labored on the speech he was expected to deliver, anxious to set a tone of reconciliation between the two nations. With great relief and satisfaction, he reported to Jefferson that he had been received with kindness and respect beyond what he had anticipated.