Questions about Content:

1.What is John Adams's opinion of a youth devoting his time to sports?

2. Explain the expression "Stain upon your Character."

3. Beyond the relationship between child and parent, what relationship does John Adams consider "sacred."

Questions for Drawing Historical Connections:

4. Why is it important for a newly independent nation to acquire both recognition and loans from other nations?

5. JQA and his brother Charles are honored to be in Leiden, Netherlands, a city that played a special role in New England history. What is Leiden noted for?

Questions for Thought, Discussion, and Writing:

6. Do you agree with John Adams's opinion about physical activities for youth? How has society's view of sports changed since the eighteenth century?

7. When John Adams learns that proper books and a good tutor are very difficult to find in St. Petersburg, he begins to worry that allowing his son to travel to Russia was a mistake. From his letters of 1781 and 1782, what other concerns does he develop in JQA's absence?

8. Is good hand writing still an important skill to develop? Why or why not?