John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer. He served as the 2nd president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before becoming president, he was the 1st vice president under George Washington from 1789 to 1797. He was also the one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
John Adams | |
|---|---|
 Portrait c. 1800–1815 | |
| 2nd President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | |
| Vice President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | George Washington |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Jefferson |
| 1st Vice President of the United States | |
| In office April 21, 1789 – March 4, 1797 | |
| President | George Washington |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Jefferson |
| 1st United States Minister to Great Britain | |
| In office April 1, 1785 – February 20, 1788[1] | |
| Appointed by | Congress of the Confederation |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Pinckney |
| 1st United States Minister to the Netherlands | |
| In office April 19, 1782 – March 30, 1788[1] | |
| Appointed by | Congress of the Confederation |
| Succeeded by | Charles W. F. Dumas (acting) |
| United States Envoy to France | |
| In office November 28, 1777[2][3] – March 8, 1779 | |
| Preceded by | Silas Deane |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Franklin |
| Chairman of the Marine Committee | |
| In office October 13, 1775 – October 28, 1779 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Francis Lewis (Continental Board of Admiralty) |
| 12th Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature | |
| In office October 1775 – February 1777 | |
| Appointed by | Provincial Congress |
| Preceded by | Peter Oliver |
| Succeeded by | William Cushing |
| Delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress | |
| In office September 5, 1774 – November 28, 1777 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Holten |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 30, 1735 [O.S. October 19, 1735] Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America (now Quincy) |
| Died | July 4, 1826 (aged 90) Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | United First Parish Church |
| Political party |
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 6, including Abigail, John Quincy, Charles, and Thomas |
| Parents | |
| Education | Harvard College (AB, AM) |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
Adams was a leader of the American Revolution that gained independence from Great Britain. During the Revolutionary War, he served the U.S. government as a senior diplomat in Europe.
Early life
changeAdams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the son of Lt. Col. John Adams, Sr. (1691-1761) and Susanna Boylston (1708-1797), and he was the cousin of the philosopher and fellow Founding Father Samuel Adams. He went to Harvard College. He married Abigail Adams in 1764.
American Revolutionary War years
changeAdams wanted the Thirteen Colonies to be free from Great Britain. However, Adams was fair and thought every person should be treated fairly. Even though he did not want British soldiers in Boston, he was the lawyer who defended the British soldiers who were involved in the Boston Massacre.[5]
Adams was a representative from Massachusetts during the Second Continental Congress. He helped Thomas Jefferson write the United States Declaration of Independence. During the American Revolutionary War, Adams helped make peace with Great Britain. He served in France, the Netherlands and England as an ambassador in the 1780s.
Vice President
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Adams was the first vice president under George Washington. After Washington chose not to run again, Adams won the 1796 election. Adams is thought to have been the first president to belong to a political party, but like George Washington, he thought himself above any particular party. He ran for president on the Federalist ticket. He beat Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party. President candidates and vice president candidates did not run together like they do today. Since Jefferson got the second-highest number of votes, he became vice president.
President
changeDuring his term, he resolved a conflict against France peacefully. He also passed the Alien and Sedition Acts which made it illegal to say bad things about the government. Many people did not like those acts because they felt it took away their freedom of speech. Adams was not re-elected president and lost to Thomas Jefferson. The Federalist Party was not as popular as it was when Adams was elected. One of his last acts as president was to make John Marshall the Chief Justice of the United States. This made sure that the Federalist Party would still be important.
Of the first five U.S. presidents, Adams was the only one who did not own slaves. He was also the only one to be from New England.
Death
changeAdams died on July 4, 1826 of heart failure. This was the same day that Thomas Jefferson died, and was also exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. At 90, John Adams was the longest lived president of the United States until Ronald Reagan surpassed him in October 2001. John Adams was also a longest lived Vice President of the United States until Levi P. Morton surpassed him in 1915 and later by John Nance Garner in 1959.
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "John Adams (1735–1826)". United States Department of State: Office of the Historian. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ↑ "To John Adams from Daniel Roberdeau, 28 November 1777". Adams Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
I congratulate you or rather my Country in the choice of you this day as a Commissioner to France for the united States, in lieu of Mr. Dean who is recalled.
- ↑ United States. Continental Congress; Ford, Worthington Chauncey; Hunt, Gaillard; Fitzpatrick, John Clement; Hill, Roscoe R.; Harris, Kenneth E.; Tilley, Steven D.; Library of Congress. Manuscript Division (1904). Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789. University of California Libraries. Washington: U.S. Govt. print off. p. 975. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
Congress proceeded to the election of a commissioner to the Court of France in the room of S. Deane, Esqr. and, the ballots being taken, John Adams, a delegate in Congress from Massachusetts bay, was elected.
- ↑ McCullough 2001, p. 599.
- ↑ "Key Figures in the Boston Massacre Trial". law.umkc.edu. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
Other websites
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- John Adams' White House biography Archived 2009-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
- John Adams -Citizendium