John Adams

This article is about the 2nd president of the United States from 1789 to 1801. For the 6th president of the United States from 1825 to 1829, see John Quincy Adams. For other uses, see John Adams (disambiguation).

John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, lawyer, and writer who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before becoming president, he was the first vice president under President 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 3, 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 Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America (now Quincy)
Died	July 4, 1826(1826-07-04) (aged 90) Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	United First Parish Church
Political party	Pro-Administration (before 1795) Federalist (1795–c. 1808) Democratic-Republican (from c. 1808)[4]
Spouse(s)	Abigail Smith ​ ​ (m. 1764; died 1818)​
Children	6, including Abigail, John Quincy, Charles, and Thomas
Parents	John Adams Sr. Susanna Boylston
Education	Harvard College (AB, AM)
Occupation	politician lawyer
Signature

Adams was a leader of the American Revolutionry War, which caused the United States to gain independence from Great Britain. During the war, he served the U.S. government as a senior diplomat in Europe.

Early life

Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the son of Lieutenant Colonel John Adams, Sr. (1691-1761), and Susanna Boylston (1708-1797) and was the cousin of the philosopher and fellow Founding Father Samuel Adams.

John Adams went to Harvard College. He married Abigail Adams in 1764.

American Revolutionary War

Adams wanted the Thirteen Colonies to be free from Great Britain. However, he 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 Declaration of Independence. During the American Revolutionary War, Adams helped make peace with Great Britain. He served in France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain as an ambassador in the 1780s.

Vice president

Adams was the first vice president under President 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, the Federalist Party, which supported Washington, but like Washington, he thought himself above any particular party. Adams beat Jefferson, who was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.

Candidates for president and vice president then did not run together like today. Since Jefferson got the second-highest number of votes, he became vice president.

President

During his term, Adams 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, which they felt took away their freedom of speech. Adams was lost re-election for president to Jefferson in 1800. The Federalist Party was less popular than when Adams was elected.

One of Adams's last acts as president was to make John Marshall as Chief Justice of the United States. That jept the Federalist Party in an important role.

Of the first five U.S. presidents, Adams was the only one who never owned slaves. He was also the only one to be from New England.

Death

Adams died on July 4, 1826 of heart failure, as the same day that Jefferson died. It was was also exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. At 90, Adams was the longest lived president of the United States until Ronald Reagan surpassed him in October 2001.

Adams was also the longest-lived vice president until Levi P. Morton surpassed him in 1915 and later by John Nance Garner in 1959.