The Education of Henry Adams

The Education of Henry Adams is an autobiography of American historian Henry Adams. A member of the Adams political family and descendant of two US presidents, Adams wrote the book in 1905 to reconcile himself to the turn of the century, which was shaping up to be vastly different from the life he knew as a child. The book also provides a pointed critique of educational philosophy and practice of the 19th century. After winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1919, the book placed first on the Modern Library’s list of the top 100 English-language nonfiction books of the 20th century.

The book begins with the birth of Henry Adams in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 16, 1838. After referring briefly to his presidential heritage, Adams presents glimpses of his childhood, his winters spent in Boston and his summers in Quincy. Upon his entrance into adolescence, Adams begins to take issue with class distinction as some of the realities of slavery are brought to his attention.

After completing his preparatory studies at the Latin School of E.S. Dixwell, Boston, in 1854, Adams begins attending Harvard, though he speaks ill of both experiences. He feels a contempt for Harvard coursework, while also blaming himself for failing to progress intellectually.



Completing his time at Harvard, the author sets sail for Europe in 1858, intent on studying civil law in Berlin. He quickly discovers, however, that his knowledge of the German language is insufficient. Adams then begins attending classes at Friedrichs-Wilhelm-Werdersches Gymnasium. Formal education, he says, is even worse in Germany than in the United States.

When the semester at the Gymnasium ends, Adams and three of his friends from Harvard begin an 18-month trek through Europe. After a failed stint attempting to study law in Dresden, the group heads for Florence, Italy, to visit Adams’s older sister.

In October of 1860, Adams makes his way back to Quincy. He once again tries and fails to study law, but soon moves to Washington, D.C., to act as private secretary for his father, a member of the House of Representatives. Adams also takes up the position of anonymous Washington correspondent for Boston’s Daily Advertiser. The main political topic of the time was the potential secession of the Southern states.



On March 20, 1861, Henry’s father is appointed Minister to England, and Adams is to serve as his private secretary. Arriving in Liverpool, Adams and his father find, somewhat surprisingly, that due to monetary reasons, there is pronounced support for the Confederacy in England. Unbeknownst to his father, Adams arranges to be The New York Times London correspondent and publishes 32 unsigned letters between 1861 and 1862.

Adams and some of his family members elect to stay in Italy for the winter of 1864–1865. When Adams returns to England, he takes an interest in the scientific methodology of the time, which foretells of his eventual attempts to use the scientific method in the field of history. Two men are of particular importance at this phase for Adams: naturalist Charles Darwin, who had recently published On the Origin of Species, and geologist Sir Charles Lyell, who backed Darwin’s claims in his works Antiquity of Man and Principles of Geology. Though slightly unconvinced about evolution, Adams was heavily swayed by the scientific method.

In 1868, the Adams family arrives back in the States after spending seven years overseas. Adams is now 30, and he quickly heads to Washington to pursue a career as a freelance journalist. Adams has some achievement as a writer, getting published in the Edinburgh Review, The North American Review, and the Nation.



As Ulysses S. Grant becomes president, Adams gains an interest in the government’s role in the economy, especially regarding “greenback” currency. Adams favors a laissez-faire government and hopes that Grant will reinstate the Constitution’s power and do away with “greenback” currency because it is not based on gold. The author explains that he is troubled that the Constitution no longer retains any efficacy due to actions taken by the Lincoln administration. While members of the Adams family oppose slavery, they do believe in the unconstitutionality of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Eventually, Adams becomes a professor of history at Harvard as well as editor of the North American Review. Feeling as though he is not up to the task of teaching due to his lack of expertise, Adams begins experimenting with new forms of teaching.

The author takes the reader forward more than 20 years, during which he marries Marian “Clover” Hooper, continues to teach, is widely published, and experiences the suicide of his wife. During this time, he publishes one of his most significant works, History of the United States of America during the Administrations of Jefferson and Madison.



Returning to Paris, Adams starts to contemplate Christianity in the middle ages and its relation to 20th-century mechanical energy, which produces electricity. This concept will fascinate him for the rest of his life. He continues attempting to view history through the lens of science, composing Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres, with the concepts of unity and multiplicity in mind. The author begins using the term vis nova (new force) in his description of the advancement of science but also the position of the United States on the international stage.

Adams views the entire history of humanity from the perspective of “progress” and “forces,” where progress is “the development and economy of forces,” and “force” is something producing work. The 19th century sees a great increase in scientific discovery, and the future, says Adams, will demand a different sort of intellect.

At the end of the book, Adams is returning from Europe once again and is excited by the energy of New York City as he approaches. He suffers a stroke and dies on March 27, 1918.