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John Adams is born
John Adams, a member of the Federalist party, was born in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts, now Quincy, Massachusetts. He grew up on his family's farm with his mother, Susanna Boylston, his father, John Adams Sr., and his two brothers, Peter and Elihu. He was very close to nature and spent much of his time hunting or farming. He also enjoyed walking, writing, fishing, discussing history, latin, religion and law. Also, he was raised as a Congregationalist but later became a Unitarian. -
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The Life of John Adams
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A Harvard Graduate
Adams graduated from Harvard University in 1755, but the exact date is unknown. Previous to earning his law degree, he attended a Latin school where he excelled. At 15, he passed the exam to get into Harvard and graduated at age 20. His father was responsible for his education because he wanted his son to have a better career than he had (his father was a farmer). -
John and Abigail's Marriage
John and Abigail Adams met when he was 27 years old. They married and had five kids: Nabby, John Quincy, Susanna, Charles, and Thomas. Susanna died at the age of two, and Charles later died of alcoholism. Abigail was one of his closest advisors and often reminded him to "remember the women," when creating the laws/policies. His family was also opposed to slavery and they never owned any slaves. As far as pets, Adams owned a horse named Cleopatra, while his wife had two dogs, Juno and Satan. -
Adams becomes Vice President
Previous to being the 2nd president of the United States, Adams was Vice President to George Washington from April 21, 1789 to March 4, 1797. In addition, he was America's ambassador and minister in Britain, and also a member of the Continental Congress. This experience in politics and helped him to win his own presidential election. As far as his leadership style, he was very impulsive and often vehement. He resorted to aggression when necessary and looked to his cabinet for advice. -
Adams vs. Jefferson, election of 1796
The election between Adams and Jefferson that took place in 1796 was very close. Adams recieved 71 electoral votes while Jefferson recieved 68. A difference of three votes was the deciding factor of who would become president. Back then, candidates didn't really "campaign" for the spot of president, but because Adams was a federalist, we can assume that he supported actions taken by the previous president, George Washington. -
Adams Becomes President
John Adams was inaugurated on March 4, 1797. He was 62 years old and he served for one term from 1797-1801. At the time, the U.S. capital was located in Washington D.C. Prior to being president, he had a job as a lawyer, His most famous case was when he defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. In addition, he also served as the Vice President while George Washington was President. He had a luxurious life because he made $25,000 a year. -
Adams' Cabinet
Adam's cabinet consisted of Thomas Jefferson as his vice president, Timothy Pickering as his Secretary of State who was replaced by John Marshall, Oliver Wolcott JR. was his Secretary of the Treasury, but was replaced by Samuel Dexter, Attorney General was Charles Lee, and the Secretary of the Navy was Benjamin Stoddert. During his presidency, Adams was criticized by many people. However, as time passed, people realized that his cabinet may have been more at fault than him for certain things. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair started on May 16, 1797 while France was at war with Britain. President John Adams sent three diplomats over to France to ask them to stop siezing american ships. However, the three diplomats from France demanded a bribe of $250,000 before they would negotiate. The diplomats refused, "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute." As a result, tension increased, and an unofficial war began known as the Quasi War. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were laws passed by John Adams pertaining to foreigners in the U.S. The first act, the Naturalization Act, extended the amount of required time before citizenship from 5 years to 14 years. Next, the Alien Act allowed deportation of aliens dangerous to the peace and safety of the U.S. Then, the Alien Enemies Act allowed arrest, imprisonment, or deportation of aliens under enemy power. Finally, the Sedition Act prevented malicious writing against the government. -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were protests led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison against the Alien and Sedition Acts. They thought the acts were unconstitutional and infringed upon their first amendment rights. However, they knew the Federalists controlling the government wouldn't listen to them, so they appealed to the states. Only Virginia and Kentucky followed the protest, while the others didn't. Even so, this set the precedent that the states had power too. -
Library of Congress is established
One major event that occured during Adams' presidency, was the establishment of the library of Congress in 1800. Adams had just signed a bill that moved the government seat from Philadelphia to the new capital in Washington D.C. The legislation described a reference library for Congress use only.The library was built and housed in the new capital until 1814 when invading british troops set fire to it. At this point, Jefferson offered his personal library to replace it. It still exists today. -
Election/Revolution of 1800
The election of 1800 was also known as the revloution of 1800. It was where Thomas Jefferson defeated former president John Adams. They called it the revolution of 1800 because when the election happened Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr had the same amount of votes for president. Alexander Hamilton in the end helped make Thomas Jefferson our president of the United States. Having lost the election, Adams moved back to Braintree, Massachusetts and lived out the rest of his life there. -
Death of John Adams
John Adams died on July 4, 1826 at the age of 91. The cause of death was old age. His last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives." However, Thomas Jefferson had died a few hours earlier without Adams knowing. Based on his age when he died, we can assume he was in very good health for that time period. Adams was buried at the United First Parish Church in Quincy, Masschusetts.
