John Adams was born in Massachusetts in 1735. He was a hard worker and very smart, graduating Harvard at age 20. He then pursued a career in law. In 1764, he married Abigail, the parson’s daughter, and they had four children in the next eight years.
In 1774, John Adams was elected to represent Massachusetts at the first Continental Congress. While in the congress, Adams urged for George Washington to be made the commander in chief of the Continental Army and helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence. Adams frequently wrote letters to his wife since they were separated for months at a time while he was in congress. John Adams was then sent on diplomatic missions to Europe, which helped other countries recognize America’s independence. He brought his sons John Quincy and Charles on these trips, and the rest of his family later joined him as well. Upon his return to America, John Adams was the primary author of the state constitution of Massachusetts, and then became the first Vice President of the United States, serving under George Washington. After Washington served two terms, he refused to be reelected, so John Adams became the second President of the United States in 1797.
At the start of his presidency, John Adams was plunged into conflict with France, called the XYZ Affair. Diplomacy with France was cut off, and the people of America called for war. George Washington reluctantly agreed to be the commander in chief of the army once again, and it seemed like war was inevitable. However, France didn’t really want war; when they realized they couldn’t bully America, they backed down and tried to keep the peace. Americans became even angrier at this, and there was a public outcry for war with France. That was the last thing John Adams wanted, so he quietly sent a diplomatic mission to France and settled the dispute. The American people became angry with John Adams because of this peaceful end to the affair, but John Adams believed he had done the right thing.
In 1798, John Adams and his Federalist-controlled Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which greatly displeased the American public. Because of these acts, the Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson beat John Adams in the 1800 election. The Federalists were never a prominent political party again. John Adams was also the first President in the White House in Washington, D.C., the new capital city of America.
On July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson passed away. John Adams was a great man who accomplished some amazing things in his life, but he had a hard presidency because of several factors. He also made unpopular decisions, especially passing the Alien and Sedition Acts. Most unfortunate for him, however, was that he had to follow George Washington’s presidency. No one could do that. Ultimately, the best thing about John Adams is that he peaceably passed his presidency on to Thomas Jefferson in 1801. This was the first time in Western history that someone had peaceably passed their power to a political opponent. In doing so, John Adams preserved American democracy and his own honor.
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