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 1929, see John Quincy Adams. For other uses, see John Adams (disambiguation).
John Adams | |
|---|---|
Portrait c. 1800–1815 | |
| In office March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | |
| Vice President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | George Washington |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Jefferson |
| In office April 21, 1789 – March 4, 1797 | |
| President | George Washington |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Jefferson |
| In office April 1, 1785 – February 20, 1788[1] | |
| Appointed by | Congress of the Confederation |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Pinckney |
| In office April 19, 1782 – March 30, 1788[1] | |
| Appointed by | Congress of the Confederation |
| Succeeded by | Charles W. F. Dumas (acting) |
| In office November 28, 1777[2][3] – March 8, 1779 | |
| Preceded by | Silas Deane |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Franklin |
| In office October 13, 1775 – October 28, 1779 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Francis Lewis (Continental Board of Admiralty) |
| In office October 1775 – February 1777 | |
| Appointed by | Provincial Congress |
| Preceded by | Peter Oliver |
| Succeeded by | William Cushing |
| In office September 5, 1774 – November 28, 1777 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Holten |
| Born | October 30, 1735 [O.S. October 19, 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 | |
| Spouse(s) | Abigail Smith (m. ; died ) |
| Children | 6, including Abigail, John Quincy, Charles, and Thomas |
| Parents | |
| Education | Harvard College (AB, AM) |
| Occupation | |
| Signature | |
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an Americanstatesman, attorney, diplomat, writer. He served as the 2nd president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before becoming president, he was the 1st vice president under George Washington from 1789 to 1797. He was also the one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Adams was a leader of the American Revolution that gained independence from Great Britain. During the Revolutionary War, he served the U.S. government as a senior diplomat in Europe.
Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the son of Lt. Col. John Adams, Sr. (1691-1761) and Susanna Boylston (1708-1797), and he was the cousin of the philosopher and fellow Founding FatherSamuel Adams. He went to Harvard College. He married Abigail Adams in 1764.
Adams wanted the Thirteen Colonies to be free from Great Britain. However, Adams 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 United States Declaration of Independence. During the American Revolutionary War, Adams helped make peace with Great Britain. He served in France, the Netherlands and England as an ambassador in the 1780s.
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Adams was the first vice president under 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, but like George Washington, he thought himself above any particular party. He ran for president on the Federalist ticket. He beat Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party. President candidates and vice president candidates did not run together like they do today. Since Jefferson got the second-highest number of votes, he became vice president.
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During his term, he 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 because they felt it took away their freedom of speech. Adams was not re-elected president and lost to Thomas Jefferson. The Federalist Party was not as popular as it was when Adams was elected. One of his last acts as president was to make John Marshall the Chief Justice of the United States. This made sure that the Federalist Party would still be important.
Of the first five U.S. presidents, Adams was the only one who did not own slaves. He was also the only one to be from New England.
Adams died on July 4, 1826 of heart failure. This was the same day that Thomas Jefferson died, and was also exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. At 90, John Adams was the longest lived president of the United States until Ronald Reagan surpassed him in October 2001. John Adams was also a longest lived Vice President of the United States until Levi P. Morton surpassed him in 1915 and later by John Nance Garner in 1959.