In the fall of 1796, George Washington announced his retirement, sparking terror and excitement across the country. Could the new nation survive without Washington at the healm? John Adams, one of the most qualified statesman in American history, emerged victorious after a nail-biting election. Unfortunately for Adams, the problems that plagued the fledging United States were greater than he first feared. With virtually no guidance from Washington, Adams faced seemingly insurmountable odds as he was forced to navigate pandemics, political violence, attacks from foreign powers, threats to freedom of speech and the press, and a hostile cabinet that betrayed him time and time again. About the Author: DR. LINDSAY M. CHERVINSKY is a presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Previously, she was a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, a historian at the White House Historical Association, and a fellow at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress. Lindsay is the author of the award winning book The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution and co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Dr. Chervinsky has been published in the Washington Post, TIME, USA Today, CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, The Daily Beast, and many others; she is a regular resource for outlets like CBS News, Face the Nation, CNN, The BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, and CBC News. #johnadams #lindsaychervinsky