Adams, John(b. October 30, 1735; d. July 4, 1826)
Second president of the United States 1797–1801).
In the years between his birth in 1735 and death in 1826 John Adams became a member of an elite group of men who became universally praised as America's Founding Fathers—a title he richly deserved. And while Jefferson may have had a more subtle intellect, Franklin more popular appeal and Washington more stature, few could argue that any one person did more for the cause of American independence than John Adams. In addition to this contribution, he personified the ideals of republican virtue that have left a lasting imprint on American society, culture and identity.
Simple Beginnings
John Adams came from humble origins. Unlike Washington and Jefferson who came from wealth and had amassed vast land holdings by the time of the Revolutionary War, Adams was born into a more simple life. His father was a farmer and pastor in Braintree, Massachusetts, about ten miles south of Boston. A quick study who was reading the Greek classics at a young age, Adams gravitated to law, eventually graduating from Harvard and setting up a profitable law practice in the Boston area.
It was as a leading local lawyer that Adams first gained wide prominence. In 1770, with relations between England and the colonies deteriorating, Adams took the unpopular step of defending British soldiers accused of firing on and killing a number of Americans in what became known as the Boston Massacre. Adams was able to clear all these soldiers of the most serious charges. And whereas he was criticized in some quarters for taking the case, his own writing against unfair British policies and his conviction that the rule of law had to prevail, even against the enemy, showed that Adams was an honest man of strong principles.
When the first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774, Adams was sent as a delegate from Massachusetts. In 1775 he was instrumental in having George Washington named as the Commander in Chief of the fledgling Continental Army. By 1776 Adams had established himself as one of the preeminent leaders of the Independence movement. His Thoughts on Government was one of the most influential pamphlets produced during the era. While Thomas Paine's Common Sense was the literary shot heard round the colonies, Adams's reasoned document focused on the practical matter of what would happen after independence. Adams probed fundamental questions of sovereignty—what type of government would be formed and how would it operate.
When the Second Continental Congress met in June 1776 Adams was on a multitude of committees, not the least of which was that charged to draw up the Declaration of Independence. And while Jefferson rightly became known as the father of the Declaration, he had no more passionate advocate in Congress than Adams. Years later Jefferson would call Adams the "colossus of independence."
Diplomacy and Leadership
With independence far from certain, Adams was sent to France in the hopes of securing an alliance and the badly needed armaments and aid that would come with it. Along with Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, Adams was able to secure the French support that ensured the success of the Revolution.
After his tenure in France, Adams served in the Netherlands and became the first American minister to England. With the Constitution written in his absence, Adams finally returned home in 1788 and was chosen to be vice president under Washington. In 1797 Adams became the second president of the United States, beating Thomas Jefferson.
Adams was a Federalist, and his one term was far less distinguished than his contribution during the Revolution, in part because of ongoing quarrels with Jefferson and other Democratic Republicans. The political squabbling of the newly-formed parties reached a fever pitch with the so-called XYZ Affair. With France and Britain at war, Adams fought to keep the young democracy neutral. But when France began demanding tribute, a wave of anti-France fervor swept the country. The crisis sparked a few naval engagements before cooler heads prevailed and both sides quietly backed down.
The first resident of the White House, Adams made way for rival Thomas Jefferson in 1801 and retired to Braintree with his beloved wife Abigail. In the years that followed, Jefferson and Adams mended fences and produced a voluminous series of letters that gives unique insight into the founding of the nation.
Adams lived to see his son, John Quincy Adams, become the sixth president in 1825. In 1826 Adams died, his last words being "Thomas Jefferson survives." Little did he know that his friend and fellow Founding Father had died just hours earlier. The date: July 4, 1826—exactly fifty years from the first Independence Day.
