158 Facts About President John Adams

John Adams was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801.

President John Adams was twice elected vice president, serving from 1789 to 1797 in a prestigious role with little power.

President John Adams was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with many important contemporaries, including his wife and adviser Abigail President John Adams as well as his friend and rival Thomas Jefferson.

Lawyer and political activist prior to the Revolution, President John Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence.

President John Adams defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre.

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President John Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a leader of the revolution.

President John Adams assisted Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

President John Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the United States constitution, as did his essay Thoughts on Government.

President John Adams was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party.

President John Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the Army and Navy in the undeclared naval war with France.

President John Adams eventually resumed his friendship with Jefferson by initiating a correspondence that lasted fourteen years.

President John Adams was born on the family farm in Braintree, Massachusetts.

President John Adams's mother was from a leading medical family of present-day Brookline, Massachusetts.

President John Adams's father was a deacon in the Congregational Church, a farmer, a cordwainer, and a lieutenant in the militia.

President John Adams often praised his father and recalled their close relationship.

President John Adams then attended Braintree Latin School under Joseph Cleverly, where studies included Latin, rhetoric, logic, and arithmetic.

President John Adams decided to become a lawyer to further those ends, writing his father that he found among lawyers "noble and gallant achievements" but, among the clergy, the "pretended sanctity of some absolute dunces".

President John Adams had reservations about his self-described "trumpery" and failure to share the "happiness of [his] fellow men".

President John Adams did not go to war but, "I longed more ardently to be a Soldier than I ever did to be a Lawyer".

In 1756, President John Adams began reading law under James Putnam, a leading lawyer in Worcester.

President John Adams developed an early habit of writing about events and impressions of men in his diary; this included James Otis Jr.

In 1763, President John Adams explored various aspects of political theory in seven essays written for Boston newspapers.

President John Adams offered them anonymously, under the pen name "Humphrey Ploughjogger", and in them ridiculed the selfish thirst for power he perceived among the Massachusetts colonial elite.

President John Adams was initially less well known than his older cousin Samuel President John Adams, but his influence emerged from his work as a constitutional lawyer, his analysis of history, and his dedication to republicanism.

President John Adams often found his own irascible nature a constraint in his political career.

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President John Adams initially was not impressed with Abigail and her two sisters, writing that they were not "fond, nor frank, nor candid".

President John Adams's writings are devoid of his feelings about the sons' fates.

President John Adams rose to prominence leading widespread opposition to the Stamp Act of 1765.

President John Adams authored the "Braintree Instructions" in 1765, in the form of a letter sent to the representatives of Braintree in the Massachusetts legislature.

When no other attorneys would come to their defense, President John Adams was impelled to do so despite the risk to his reputation – he believed no person should be denied the right to counsel and a fair trial.

In 1771, President John Adams moved his family to Braintree but kept his office in Boston.

President John Adams purchased a large brick house on Queen Street, not far from his office.

President John Adams, who had been among the more conservative of the Founders, persistently held that while British actions against the colonies had been wrong and misguided, open insurrection was unwarranted and peaceful petition with the ultimate view of remaining part of Great Britain was a better alternative.

President John Adams's ideas began to change around 1772, as the British Crown assumed payment of the salaries of Governor Thomas Hutchinson and his judges instead of the Massachusetts legislature.

President John Adams wrote in the Gazette that these measures would destroy judicial independence and place the colonial government in closer subjugation to the Crown.

President John Adams applauded the destruction of the tea, calling it the "grandest Event" in the history of the colonial protest movement, and writing in his diary that the dutied tea's destruction was an "absolutely and indispensably" necessary action.

Shortly after he arrived in Philadelphia, President John Adams was placed on the 23-member Grand Committee tasked with drafting a letter of grievances to King George III.

President John Adams sought the repeal of objectionable policies, but at this early stage he continued to see benefits in maintaining the ties with Britain.

President John Adams moved cautiously at first, noting that the Congress was divided between Loyalists, those favoring independence, and those hesitant to take any position.

President John Adams became convinced that Congress was moving in the proper direction – away from Great Britain.

Publicly, President John Adams supported "reconciliation if practicable, " but privately agreed with Benjamin Franklin's confidential observation that independence was inevitable.

President John Adams kept busy on the floor of the Congress, helping push through a plan to outfit armed ships to launch raids on enemy vessels.

President John Adams drafted the preamble to the Lee resolution of colleague Richard Henry Lee.

President John Adams developed a rapport with Delegate Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, who had been slower to support independence but by early 1776 agreed that it was necessary.

President John Adams chose himself, Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R Livingston and Roger Sherman.

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Jefferson thought President John Adams should write the document, but President John Adams persuaded the committee to choose Jefferson.

President John Adams was referred to as a "one man war department, " working up to eighteen-hour days and mastering the details of raising, equipping and fielding an army under civilian control.

President John Adams kept extensive correspondences with a wide range of Continental Army officers concerning supplies, munitions, and tactics.

President John Adams emphasized to them the role of discipline in keeping an army orderly.

President John Adams authored the "Plan of Treaties, " laying out the Congress's requirements for a treaty with France.

President John Adams was worn out by the rigor of his duties and longed to return home.

President John Adams's finances were unsteady, and the money that he received as a delegate failed even to cover his own necessary expenses.

President John Adams advocated in Congress that independence was necessary to establish trade, and conversely, trade was essential for the attainment of independence; he specifically urged negotiation of a commercial treaty with France.

President John Adams was annoyed by the other two commissioners: Lee, whom he thought paranoid and cynical, and the popular and influential Franklin, whom he found lethargic and overly deferential and accommodating to the French.

President John Adams assumed a less visible role but helped manage the delegation's finances and record-keeping.

In late 1779, President John Adams was appointed as the sole minister charged with negotiations to establish a commercial treaty with Britain and end the war.

Constant disagreement between Lee and Franklin eventually resulted in President John Adams assuming the role of tie-breaker in almost all votes on commission business.

President John Adams increased his usefulness by mastering the French language.

President John Adams closely supervised his sons' education while writing to Abigail about once every ten days.

In contrast to Franklin, President John Adams viewed the Franco-American alliance pessimistically.

France, President John Adams believed, needed to commit itself more fully to the alliance.

One of the few other existing republics at the time, President John Adams thought it might be sympathetic to the American cause.

President John Adams was originally optimistic and greatly enjoyed the city, but soon became disappointed.

President John Adams's efforts stalled, and he took his cause to the people, successfully capitalizing on popular pro-American sentiment to push the States General towards recognizing the U S Several provinces began recognizing American independence.

The house that President John Adams bought during this stay in the Netherlands became the first American embassy on foreign soil.

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President John Adams was surprised at how much the Americans could extract.

President John Adams was appointed the first American ambassador to Great Britain in 1785.

President John Adams considered Sewall one of the war's casualties, and Sewall critiqued him as an ambassador:.

President John Adams's abilities are undoubtedly equal to the mechanical parts of his business as ambassador, but this is not enough.

President John Adams then asked Jay to be relieved; in 1788, he took his leave of George III, who engaged Adams in polite and formal conversation, promising to uphold his end of the treaty once America did the same.

President John Adams then went to The Hague to take formal leave of his ambassadorship there and to secure refinancing from the Dutch, allowing the United States to meet obligations on earlier loans.

President John Adams received 34 electoral college votes in the election, second place behind Washington, who was a unanimous choice with 69 votes.

President John Adams finished well ahead of all others except Washington, but was still offended by Washington receiving more than twice as many votes.

Early in his term, Adams became deeply involved in a lengthy Senate controversy over the official titles for the president and executive officers of the new government.

President John Adams said that the distinctions were necessary because the highest office of the United States must be marked with "dignity and splendor" to command respect.

President John Adams was widely derided for his combative nature and stubbornness, especially as he actively debated and lectured the senators.

Privately, President John Adams conceded that his vice presidency had begun poorly and that perhaps he had been out of the country too long to know the sentiment of the people.

President John Adams supported Washington's policies against opposition from anti-Federalists and Republicans.

President John Adams cast 31 tie-breaking votes, all in support of the administration, and more than any other vice president.

President John Adams voted against a bill sponsored by Maclay that would have required Senate consent for the removal of executive branch officials who had been confirmed by the Senate.

President John Adams attended few cabinet meetings, and the President sought his counsel infrequently.

President John Adams never questioned Washington's courage or patriotism, but Washington did join Franklin and others as the object of President John Adams's ire or envy.

The British had been raiding American trading vessels, and President John Adams Jay was sent to London to negotiate an end to hostilities.

President John Adams was accused of surrendering American honor to a tyrannical monarchy and of turning his back on the French Republic.

John Adams predicted in a letter to Abigail that ratification would deeply divide the nation.

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President John Adams stated that he wanted to stay out of what he called the "silly and wicked game" of electioneering.

Indeed, President John Adams did not consider himself a strong member of the Federalist Party.

President John Adams coerced South Carolina Federalist electors, pledged to vote for "favorite son" Pinckney, to scatter their second votes among candidates other than Adams.

President John Adams spent much of his term at his Massachusetts home Peacefield, preferring the quietness of domestic life to business at the capital.

President John Adams ignored the political patronage and office-seekers which other officeholders utilized.

President John Adams maintained the economic programs of Hamilton, who regularly consulted with key cabinet members, especially the powerful Treasury Secretary, Oliver Wolcott Jr.

President John Adams was in other respects quite independent of his cabinet, often making decisions despite opposition from it.

Shortly after President John Adams was inaugurated, Hamilton sent him a detailed letter filled with policy suggestions for the new administration.

When President John Adams entered office, he decided to continue Washington's policy of staying out of the war.

President John Adams announced that he would send a peace commission to France but simultaneously called for a military buildup to counter any potential French threat.

President John Adams was depicted as an eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and the "emblems of defense" in the other.

President John Adams, not wanting to incite violent impulses among the populace, announced that the mission had failed without providing details.

President John Adams sent a message to Congress asking for a renewal of the nation's defenses.

President John Adams reached the height of his popularity as many in the country called for full-scale war against the French.

President John Adams had not promoted any of these acts, but was urged to sign them by his wife and cabinet.

President John Adams resisted Secretary of State Timothy Pickering's attempts to deport aliens, although many left on their own, largely in response to the hostile environment.

Still, the acts President John Adams signed into law energized and unified the Republican Party while doing little to unite the Federalists.

President John Adams knew that America would be unable to win a major conflict, both because of its internal divisions and because France at the time was dominating the fight in most of Europe.

President John Adams pursued a strategy whereby America harassed French ships in an effort sufficient to stem the French assaults on American interests.

President John Adams was pressured by Federalists to appoint Hamilton, who had served as Washington's aide-de-camp during the Revolution, to command the army.

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President John Adams sent Secretary of War James McHenry to Mount Vernon to convince Washington to accept the post.

President John Adams had intended to appoint Republicans Burr and Frederick Muhlenberg to make the army appear bipartisan.

President John Adams relented and agreed to submit to the Senate the names of Hamilton, Pinckney, and Knox, in that order, although final decisions of rank would be reserved to President John Adams.

President John Adams firmly intended to give to Hamilton the lowest possible rank, while Washington and many other Federalists insisted that the order in which the names had been submitted to the Senate must determine seniority.

President John Adams knew of the backlash that he would receive from Federalists should he continue his course, and he capitulated, despite bitter resentment.

President John Adams exerted effective control over the War Department, taking over supplies for the army.

Meanwhile, President John Adams built up the Navy, adding six fast, powerful frigates, most notably the USS Constitution.

President John Adams again questioned their loyalty but did not remove them.

Shortly after, Hamilton, in a breach of military protocol, arrived uninvited at the city to speak with the President John Adams, urging him not to send the peace commissioners but instead to ally with Britain to restore the Bourbons to France.

The cabinet unanimously advised President John Adams to refuse, but he instead granted the pardon, using as justification the argument that the men had instigated a mere riot as opposed to a rebellion.

President John Adams made his first official visit to the nation's new seat of government in early June 1800.

Some, including Pickering, accused Adams of colluding with Jefferson so that he would end up either president or vice president.

Regardless, Adams believed that the choice should be someone "in the full vigor of middle age" who could counter what might be a long line of successive Republican presidents.

President John Adams maintained a carefully reasoned nationalistic interpretation of the Constitution and established the judicial branch as the equal of the executive and legislative branches.

President John Adams filled the vacancies created in this statute by appointing a series of judges, whom his opponents called the "Midnight Judges, " just days before his term expired.

President John Adams resumed farming at Peacefield in the town of Quincy and began work on an autobiography.

President John Adams regularly worked around the farm but mostly left manual labor to hired hands.

The only major political incident involving the elder President John Adams during the Jefferson years was a dispute with Mercy Otis Warren in 1806.

President John Adams Quincy resigned from the Senate in 1808 after the Federalist-controlled State Senate refused to nominate him for a second term.

President John Adams published a three-year marathon of letters in the Boston Patriot newspaper, refuting line-by-line Hamilton's 1800 pamphlet.

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President John Adams supported James Madison for reelection to the presidency in 1812.

In early 1801, President John Adams sent Thomas Jefferson a brief note after returning to Quincy wishing him a happy and prosperous presidency.

Early on, President John Adams repeatedly tried to turn the correspondence to a discussion of their actions in the political arena.

President John Adams accepted this, and the correspondence turned to other matters, particularly philosophy and their daily habits.

At 90, Adams was the longest-lived US president until Ronald Reagan surpassed him in 2001.

President John Adams advised that the form of government should be chosen to attain the desired ends – the happiness and virtue of the greatest number of people.

President John Adams claimed that John Dickinson's fear of republicanism was responsible for his refusal to support independence, and wrote that opposition from Southern planters was rooted in fear that their aristocratic slaveholding status would be endangered by it.

President John Adams served on a committee of three, including Samuel Adams and James Bowdoin, to draft the constitution.

President John Adams was a strong believer in good education as one of the pillars of the Enlightenment.

President John Adams believed that people "in a State of Ignorance" were more easily enslaved while those "enlightened with knowledge" would be better able to protect their liberties.

President John Adams suggested that "the rich, the well-born and the able" should be set apart from other men in a senate – that would prevent them from dominating the lower house.

President John Adams's Defence is described as an articulation of the theory of mixed government.

President John Adams contended that social classes exist in every political society, and that a good government must accept that reality.

President John Adams was thought to have overlooked this evolution and revealed his continued attachment to the older version of politics.

President John Adams believed that human beings were naturally desirous of furthering their own ambitions, and a single democratically elected house, if left unchecked, would be subject to this error, and therefore needed to be checked by an upper house and an executive.

President John Adams wrote that a strong executive would defend the people's liberties against "aristocrats" attempting to take it away.

President John Adams first saw the new United States Constitution in late 1787.

President John Adams generally tried to keep the issue out of national politics, because of the anticipated Southern response during a time when unity was needed to achieve independence.

President John Adams's conclusion was that the great danger was that an oligarchy of the wealthy would take hold to the detriment of equality.

President John Adams was raised in the Congregational church but it was factionalized.

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President John Adams's family was descended from Puritans of the previous century.

President John Adams did praise the historical Puritans as "bearers of freedom, a cause that still had a holy urgency".

Everett concludes that "President John Adams strove for a religion based on a common sense sort of reasonableness" and maintained that religion must change and evolve toward perfection.

President John Adams did believe in miracles, providence, and, to a certain extent, the Bible as revelation.

President John Adams blamed institutional Christianity and established churches In Britain and France for causing much suffering but insisted that religion was necessary for society.

President John Adams was often described as "prickly", but his tenacity was fed by decisions made in the face of universal opposition.

President John Adams's resolve to advance peace with France while maintaining a posture of defense reduced his popularity and contributed to his defeat for reelection.

President John Adams's signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts is almost always condemned.

President John Adams was eventually subject to criticism from states' rights advocates.

President John Adams was sustained in his attempted usurpations by all the New England states and by a powerful public sentiment in each of the Middle States.

President John Adams praises Adams for his willingness to acknowledge his deficiencies and for striving to overcome them.

President John Adams is commemorated as the namesake of various counties, buildings, and other items.

One example is the John Adams Building of the Library of Congress, an institution whose existence Adams had signed into law.