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John Adams was born.
John Adams was born in Braintree, MA. His parents were Susanna Boylston and you guessed it, John Adams. This is important because John Adams was very important and without his birth, the USA might be very different. -
Adams enrolls at Harvard
This is important because it shows Adams was a very educated man. Without an education, he might have ended up working as a baker or a candlestick maker. -
Graduated from Harvard College
John Adams secured a scholarship and graduated from college at the age of 20. This is important because without an education, he never would have ecame a politician and our government might be very different. -
Adams begins to keep a diary
This is important because without his keeping a diary, we wouldn't know half of the things that we know bout him. -
Adams begins his law studies
This is important because without studying law, he never would have gotten involved in politics, much less been elected president. -
Adams gets married
John Adams marries Abigail Adams. This is important because otherwise, John Quincy Adams, a future president, would never have been born. -
John Quincy Adams is born.
John Quincy, Adams' first son, is born. This is important because he later became the sixth president of the United States, one of the most powerful people in the world. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
This event is important because it was the beginning of the American Revolution. Without America gaining independence, John Adams never would have became president and we would still be a colony of England. -
Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence
This is important because without the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the USA would never have became a country and we would not be here today. -
Articles of Confederation are ratified
This is important because the Articles of Confederation were the first form of government for the USA, even thought it was unsuccessful. The Articles did not give the government enough power, and so nothing ever got done. -
Massachussetts abolished slavery
This is important because it was the first state to abolish slavery. This was the beginning of the movement to abolish slavery. By the end of the year, the northern states would all have abolished slavery as well. -
Treaty of Paris is signed
On this day, the USA won the Revolutionary War and therefore gained its independence from Britain. This is important because the USA has become one of the world's most influental countries and is a superpower by today's standards. -
Adams becomes the first vice president
Adams is elected to be George Washington's vice president. This is important because it gave him a lot of influence over the early government of the united states, when they were still working out how to run the country. -
Washington and Adams are re-elected
This is important because it proves that they are popular among the American citizens and have been running the country. -
Adams is made second President of the United States
This is important because President is the most important position in the US government and they have lots of power. Since the USA was still working out its government, he was very important in determining what the USA would become. -
XYZ Affair
This was important because it was the first real obstacle in Adams' presidency. It showed that he was a competent president who could resolve issues. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts basically nullified the first amendment for immigrants, especially those from France. It was important because it caused many immigrants to wind up in a jail cell for simply speaking their mind. -
Adams runs for re-election but is beaten by Jefferson
Jefferson beats out Adams in the presidential election. This is important because Adams and Jefferson handled things very differently, and had Adams won, our government might be very differet. -
Louisiana Purchase
The USA bought 828,000 acres of land west of the Mississippi from France. This is important because it nearly doubled the size of the US, and without this the USA would still be very small. -
Jefferson is reelected in landslide victory
This is important because it shows that Jefferson was a popular president who made a real impact on the early United States. -
British blockade the French
British ships blockade the French, and over a thousand American merchant ships are captured by the British. This is important because it leads to the XYZ affair, Alien and Sedition acts, and the War of 1812. -
America declares war on Britain
America is angry with the British for capturing American ships. They declare war causing the event now known as the War of 1812. This is important because it affected the United States' economy and relationship with Britain. -
John Quincy is elected president
This is important because it shows just how big an influence that the Adams family made on American history. They had not one, but two presidents. -
John Adams dies
John Adams dies in his hometown, Quincy, Massachusetts. He lived a very long and important life. He was a vice president and a president, and without him, our country might be very different.
