Adams, John
Born: October 30, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts
Died: July 4, 1826, in Quincy, Massachusetts
Vocations: Writer, Orator
Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Philadelphia County

Keywords: Abigail Adams; Boston Massacre; Continental Congress; Declaration of Independence; Federalist; President of the Untied States; Thomas Jefferson

Abstract: Born in Massachusetts on October 30, 1735, President John Adams spent the majority of his life as a founding father and public servant. A Harvard graduate and lawyer, Adams wrote prolifically during his life, not only to further the revolution but also in his correspondence with his wife Abigail. Adams served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress, and in this capacity helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Adams served as a diplomat during the war and as Vice President for both of George Washington’s terms before being elected himself in 1796. However, in 1800, Adams lost his reelection campaign to his political rival and friend Thomas Jefferson and retired from public life. Adams continued to write until his death on July 4, 1826.

Biography:

On October 30, 1735, John Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. Due to the considerable wealth of his mother’s family, Adams was able to attend Harvard, graduating in 1755. While at Harvard, Adams kept a diary in which he began to explore his personal style and thought, notably on human nature, writing to himself, “If he has the Spirit of a Man, he will be ready to bite his own Flesh.” Subsequently, Adams became a skilled and respected lawyer and married Abigail Smith on October 25, 1764. The couple had five children together, including John Quincy Adams who, like his father, went on to be President of the United States. Abigail and John were not only husband and wife, but “intellectual equals,” as demonstrated by their constant correspondence when separated by Adams’ career and national events.

As tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain heightened, Adams emerged as a true patriot and a revolutionary through his writings. In 1765, Adams published Braintree Instructions and Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, both of which articulated the growing popular discontent within the colonies. In 1770, Adams returned to the courtroom to successfully defend the British soldiers involved in the “Boston Massacre.” Afterwards, Adams wrote Novanglus (1774-1775), in which he argued that “two supreme and independent authorities cannot exist in the same state any more than two supreme beings in one universe; And, therefore, I contend, that our provincial legislatures are the only supreme authorities in our colonies.”

Along with his cousin Samuel, Adams was selected to be a Massachusetts delegate to both the First and Second Continental Congresses, where he became a leading member through his effective oratory and convincing arguments for “the natural rights of humankind.” Adams, as he so often did, wrote Abigail to lift his spirits during this trying time, confessing that, “The Business I have had upon my Mind has been as great and important as can be intrusted to Man.” This was because Adams, along with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, was involved with the drafting of The Declaration of Independence, perhaps the most notable work to which Adams contributed. Upon hearing of the acceptance of the Declaration, Adams wrote to Abigail with confidence stating, “I have reasons to believe that no colony, which shall assume government under the people, will give it up.” However, also in 1776, Adams published Thoughts on Government, in which he described his aspirations for a united, constitutional government and asserted that “these colonies, under such forms of government, and in such a union, would be unconquerable by all the monarchies of Europe.” This work heavily influenced several state constitutions, notably that of Massachusetts, to which Adams also contributed.

During the Revolutionary War, Adams served his nation as Ambassador to the Dutch Republic and was given the task of opening negotiations with Great Britain. Eventually, Adams, along with John Jay and again Benjamin Franklin, negotiated an end to the war, as the Treaty of Paris was signed and America had won its independence. Adams’ experience as a diplomat was extended after the war’s end, as he served as the first U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain from 1785-1788. While overseas, Adams also maintained close correspondence with Abigail, as well as Thomas Jefferson, particularly in regards to the debate over the Constitution. Although his position meant that Adams could not directly participate in the drafting or ratification of the Constitution in this crucial new debate, Adams did weigh in on the document by publishing Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America from London. In this lengthy work, Adams emphasized the superiority of constitutional democracies over monarchies, stating that, “All nations, under all governments, must have parties; the great secret is to controul them: there are but two ways, either by a monarchy and standing army, or by a balance in the constitution.”

In 1788, Adams returned to the United States and was elected its first Vice President, a position he would fill for two terms under President George Washington. However, Adams did not find the position particularly appealing, writing to Abigail that, “My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” Yet, in 1796, Adams succeeded Washington and was elected the Second President of the United States.

During this uncertain time in the nation’s history, Adams was a Federalist at the height of Federalist popularity, but yet made it clear in his Inaugural Address that he saw himself as a public servant. Adams closed the address by pledging to “support the Constitution of the United States, [and] to lay myself under the most solemn obligations to support it to the utmost of my power.” Adams faced conflict with France, which began with the XYZ Affair, when French officials refused to receive U.S. representatives without a bribe, but was successfully avoided through negotiations. If avoiding war with France was Adams’ highpoint in office, his approval of the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798, which labeled the opposition press guilty of high crimes, was the lowpoint and a major issue in the campaign of 1800. Adams was the first President to reside in the White House, moving to Washington D.C. on November 1, 1800. Upon arriving, he finished a letter to Abigail by saying, “Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”

Unfortunately for Adams, 1800 was also the year he was defeated by his political rival Thomas Jefferson in his bid for re-election. Afterwards, Adams returned home to Abigail and his family in Quincy and retired from public life. However, Adams continued to be a prolific writer, defending his policies, beliefs and service. Adams also attacked former political enemies for their political positions, yet wrote, “I forgive all my enemies and hope that they may find mercy in heaven.” Before his death on July 4, 1826, Adams’ last words were of his largest political rival, but personal friend, “Thomas Jefferson survives.” Ironically, Jefferson had actually died only a few hours prior to Adams on the same day.

Works:

Addresses

• John Adams’ Inaugural Address. Philadelphia, PA: Mar. 4, 1797.

Political Writings

• “Novanglus.” Teaching American History. 1775. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=787>.
• “Declaration of Independence.” United States History. 1776. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/>.
• “John Adams, Thoughts on Government.” Constitutional Society.1776. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://www.constitution.org/jadams/thoughts.htm>.
• “Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1779. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://www.mass.gov/legis/const.htm>.
• “Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America.” Constitutional Society. 1787. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://www.constitution.org/jadams/john_adams.htm>.

Sources:

• Allison, John M. Adams and Jefferson. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1966.
• “Biography of John Adams.” The White House. 2005. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ja2.html>.
• Breamer, Howard F. John Adams: 1735-1826. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications, 1967.
• Butterfield, L.H. The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1975.
• Butterfield, L.H. The Earliest Diary of John Adams. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1966.
• “Encyclopedia: Adams, John.” The History Channel. 2005. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://www.historychannel.com/thcsearch/ thc_resourcedetail.do?encyc_id=200222>.
• “John Adams: A Life in Brief.” The American President. 2003. 29 Dec. 2005. <http://www.americanpresident.org/history/johnadams/>.
• Zall, Paul M. Adams on Adams. Lexington, KY: U of Kentucky U, 2004.

For More Information:

• Bowen, Catherine D. John Adams and the American Revolution. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1949.
• Diggins, John P. John Adams. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2003.
• Ferling, John. John Adams: A Bibliography. London: Greenwood Press, 1994.
• McCullough, David. John Adams. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001.
• Shaw, Peter. The Character of John Adams. Chapel Hill, NC: U of North Carolina P, 1976.

This biography was prepared by Mark S. Lancaster, Fall 2005.