ch 6: how/why was the jefferson and adams friendship rekindled?

They lived long enough to rekindle their friendship through a rich correspondence, two elder statesmen musing on their lives, their experiences, and the heady events of their times in a written conversation that continued for over a decade. Between 1812 and 1826 Adams and Jefferson exchanged over 150 letters bearing remarkable testimony to their hearts and minds as they reflected on the past, present, and future. Not surprisingly, they often touched on political topics, debating their political differences and ideals, and thinking back on shared allies and enemies and the legacies of their victories and defeats. But their range reached much wider, encompassing topics as diverse as political philosophy, religion, linguistics, and the natural sciences. Their letters have the tone and feel of an ongoing dialogue, the loquacious Adams writing almost twice as many letters as the more reticent Jefferson, but both men clearly reveling in the exchange.