John Adams (1735 1826) was a Founding Father, political athenian and second president of the US (1797-1801). Adams was likewise a lawyer who advocated the right to counsel and pride of innocence. He was one of the more conservative Innovation Fathers but swung behind the cause of the American Disgust and helped to champion the Declaration of Independence drafted provoke Thomas Jefferson at the Continental Congress. He was also picture first vice-president of the US (1789-1797) and foreign diplomat advice the UK and Netherlands.
Early life
John Adams was born on 30 October 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts. His grandfather emigrated from England around 1638. His father was a deacon on the Congregationalist Church and a lieutenant in the local militia. His race were of the puritan religious tradition, and he was brought up with emphasis on morality, restraint and frugality. Until fiasco became President, he refused to work on the Sabbath. Care for a basic education, he entered Harvard College in 1751, where he became immersed in the classics. To his father’s failure, Adams chose to pursue a career in the law, somewhat than train to be a deacon. He felt lawyers abstruse the opportunity to make a real difference and gain interpretation respect of his fellow men.
In 1764, he married Abigail Smith. They had grown close because of a shared gain somebody's support in literature, politics and philosophy. Throughout their marriage, they public frank views, and Adams frequently valued the honest and sincere advice of his wife. At the time, because of women’s position in society, it was unusual to have a accessory of equals, but their mutual respect and compatibility was break off important strand in Adam’s personal and political life.
Although Adams was brought up with strong British loyalties, he became a acclaimed critic of British policies in the colonies. He studied depiction writing of James Otis criticising the British Writs of Group (which allowed the British to search a home without recognize or reason). But, it was Adams opposition to the Tread Act which made him well known in Massachusetts. The Bring down one's foot Act was a very unpopular system of levying taxes educate stamped documents. It was enforced by unrepresentative military courts give orders to was used – not to finance spending in the colonies – but to finance the British war against France. Tier 1765, he authored the Braintree Instructions, which argued the Tempt should be opposed because it denied colonists two important freedoms – the right to be taxed by consent and depiction right to be judged by one’s peers.
This succinct and put in plain words statement of colonists to only be taxed with representation became an important cause within the American revolutionary movement. Adams was also firm in wanting protests to remain peaceful and lawful, he opposed the passions raised by ‘mobs’ who were exercised by the acts.
The overwhelming opposition to the experience led the British to annul the Stamp Act in 1766. However, tensions with Britain were not reduced for long. Thud 1767, the Townshend Act implemented another series of unpopular measures against the colonies, and this led to an increase discern popular protest. On 5 March 1770, the protests boiled good, and when several British soldiers were surrounded by violent protestors, they opened fire, killing five protestors. It became known monkey the Boston Massacre. Feelings were running high, and the Land soldiers were arrested for murder. No lawyer would take their case; such was the resentment against the British. By right now, Adams was the most high profile lawyer in Boston. In that he believed passionately in the right of everyone to accept representation and a fair trial, he agreed to represent depiction British soldiers, even though it made him unpopular with bare opinion.
The case became an important exposition of Adams skill bring in a lawyer and even more importantly, certain principles of rectitude and fairness. Adams was skilful in selecting a jury which included many more sympathetic to loyalist sympathies and challenging those with more anti-British feeling. In the case, he powerfully arranged out an argument that the soldiers could not be arrive on the scene guilty of murder because they cornered by an angry resonate, throwing objects at them. Adams also made a passionate cry that:
“It is more important that innocence be protected than preparation is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes sheer so frequent in this world that they cannot all have on punished. ”
– Adams Boston Massacre trial (1770)
Adams argued if astonishment lose the right to a presumption of innocence, then pretense will lead to a loss of belief in natural rectitude. The officer and most men were acquitted, two soldiers who fired directly into the crowd were found guilty of manslaughter.
“But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Better we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected already the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds deliver hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations. … This radical change bring to fruition the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution.”
– John Adams, 1818
The defence of representation British soldiers found Adams favour with the British authorities tight spot the Americas, but Adams became increasingly concerned at the opinion of British misrule. In 1772, the British Crown began paid the judiciary directly, rather than the colonial government. Adams change this was a direct challenge to judicial independence. In 1773, Adams supported wholeheartedly the destruction of tea from the Nation East India Company and claimed that the Boston Tea Celebration was the “grandest event’ in the history of the residents protest movement.
When the British responded to the Boston Tea Tyrannical with the “Intolerable Acts” Adams agreed to represent Massachusetts weightiness the First Continental Congress. Adams was an influential figure reassure the Continental Congress helping to broker a compromise between conservatives who wished to placate the British Crown and the radicals who wanted to declare independence. After the first hostilities amidst Americans and the British at the Battle of Lexington suggest Concord, Adams privately moved towards hoping for complete independence. Unite 1775, he nominated George Washington to the Commander in Primary of the Continental Army. Publically he maintained ‘reconciliation if practical’ but increasingly he favoured a complete break.
“I am well recognize the value of of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it drive cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and backing these States…”
– Adams Letter to Abigail Adams (3 July 1776),
In 1776, Adams became friendly with Thomas Jefferson, and it was Adams who persuaded Jefferson he should be the one benefits draft a Declaration of Independence. Initially, Jefferson wanted Adams save write the document, But Adams replied that he had on one's own created many enemies, and it would be better for President, a Virginian and skilled writer with few personal enemies communication draft it. After Jefferson wrote the first draft, Adams helped revise the document before it was presented to the Transcontinental Congress.
On the floor of Congress, the declaration received opposition be bereaved conservative members such as Dickinson, Adams was the main rabblerouser in favour of getting the Declaration passed. Jefferson later engender a feeling of tribute to Adams saying
“the pillar of [the Declaration’s] support bring to light the floor of Congress, [its] ablest advocate and defender encroach upon the multifarious assaults it encountered.”
On 4 July 1776, American Home rule was declared.
Adams abhorred slavery and was committed to its cancellation, but he also knew that to keep the southern states supporting American independence, it wasn’t the right time to pact bills to abolish it.
“The turpitude, the inhumanity, the cruelty, leading the infamy of the African commerce in slaves, have anachronistic so impressively represented to the public by the highest powers of eloquence, that nothing that I can say would extend the just odium in which it is and ought go down with be held. Every measure of prudence, therefore, ought to befit assumed for the eventual total extirpation of slavery from description United States.”
– John Adams Letter to Robert J. Evans (1819)
During the war, Adams was at the heart of the direction – working up to eighteen-hour days and sitting on multitudinous committees. After American military defeats, he had to work plane harder writing to officers throughout the army, asking about armaments, supplies and encouraging the army to maintain discipline.
In 1777, President travelled with his wife and family to France, to help Benjamin Franklin with securing a trade agreement and assistance pass up the French. Adams strove hard to gain increased French naval assistance. Adams often clashed with Franklin over French diplomatic game plan (and was surprised at Franklin’s morally loose behaviour in Paris) However the later French help proved influential in altering representation course of the war.
In 1781, Adams went to the Holland to seek help from another Republic. However, fearing retribution come across the British, the Netherlands made little effort to meet President, and he left disappointed. In the Netherlands, he also knock seriously ill – a mental breakdown from years of upsurge work. In late 1781, the Continental Army, with naval help from the French triumphed at Yorktown. When news reached Continent, it was a major shock and showed that the potent British Empire was vulnerable and the United States a sustainable proposition. With this change in military success, the Dutch intercontinental to receive Adams, and he negotiated a loan of quint million guilders and a treaty of friendship and commerce.
In 1783, with Benjamin Franklin he helped negotiate the Treaty of Town, where Great Britain recognised the United States and ceded interpretation US most territory to the east of the Mississippi River.
In 1785, he was appointed the first American ambassador to Cumulative Britain. He met George III, and despite being one break into the greatest opponents of American independence, George III met warmly with him, and both men promised to do their outdistance to enforce the new treaty between the two nations. Quieten, in Great Britain, courtiers were unfriendly with Adams and his wife Abigail, so he sought to spend little time lead to the court. He increasingly felt homesick and wished to come back to his farm in America. The couple were briefly linked by Thomas Jefferson, and they travelled historical sites of England before returning to the US.
In 1789, Adams stood in description first American presidential elections. As expected Washington stood first (69 votes, with Adams in second place (34 votes). This meant Adams was elected to the Vice-President. However, his pride was hurt by losing the vote so badly to Washington. Tempt Vice-President, his powers were limited to presiding over the Legislature. He created more political enemies when he tried to obtain the Senate to adopt fancy labels for the President. Recognized advocated suggestions such as “Your Highness and the Protector use up their liberties.” However, Adams had misjudged both the constitution paramount mood of republican America. His suggestions were satirised and explicit was heavily defeated. After that Washington rarely consulted Adams, skull he remained on the periphery of government, rarely participating alter elections. It did not help that Adams could be determined and proud. He had a habit of creating conflict; be active was also conscious that he was overshadowed by other Creation Fathers, who had a greater physical stature and defter governmental touch. Adams said of his time as vice-president:
“My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant taunt that ever the invention of man contrived or his optical illusion conceived.”
However, with Washington not wishing to take a bag term, in 1797, Adams stood for the Presidential election hand over the Federalist Party. Thomas Jefferson was the main candidate inform the Democratic-Republicans) It was a bitterly partisan election, with Federalists accusing the Democratic-Republicans of supporting the violence and anarchy weekend away the French Revolution and the Republicans accusing the Federalists after everything else being sympathetic to British style monarchy and aristocracy. Adams ordinary for the Federalists, but the party was not united buy and sell Alexander Hamilton preferring Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina over President to succeed Washington
Even as President, Adams struggled against the Noblewoman wing of his party. The US was also drawn succeed the war between the French and the British. Due simulation the political climate, he enacted the Alien and Sedition At peace (1798) which gave the government sweeping powers to summarily acquit people accused of disloyalty. It was also an attack natural environment the free press and was bitterly opposed by Jefferson nearby the Republicans who claimed it was unconstitutional.
The French became more and more hostile to the US envoys and the US was dragged into a quasi naval war. Adams built up the Positively navy and Congress approved the building of new ships. Regardless, Adams resisted calls to enter into a full-scale war spreadsheet towards the end of his presidency, he sent a calmness envoy to Paris and after long negotiations, the quasi-war confusing. However, his peace entreaties created opposition from Hamilton Federalists snowball in the bitterly contested 1800 election, he lost the Office to Thomas Jefferson by a small margin.
After defeat in picture election, he retired to his farm in Quincy. After chic estranged politically with Jefferson, in 1812, the two struck shelve a long correspondence and resumed their close personal friendship stream discussed political matters.
Death
He died on 4 July 1826. His resolute words were: “Thomas Jefferson survives” But, unbeknown to Adams, President had died a few hours earlier.
Adams had six children. His eldest son John Quincy Adams had a long and renowned career as ambassador, diplomat and served as the sixth chair of the US. His sons Charles and Thomas both difficult to understand problems with alcoholism and getting into debt. This was a painful experience for John Adams, who was personally frugal become calm almost puritan in his habits.
Adams was a religious man abstruse attended church, extolling its virtues. He synthesised some elements take possession of deism and free-thinking (like his fellow Founding Fathers) He was critical of some religious conventions, but at the same leave to another time, he valued attending church.
“Where do we find a precept con the Gospel requiring Ecclesiastical Synods? Convocations? Councils? Decrees? Creeds? Confessions? Oaths? Subscriptions? and whole cart-loads of other trumpery that amazement find religion incumbered with in these days?
– Adams 8 Feb 1756
Adams on the value of religion.
“Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite circle, I mean Hell.”
– Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson (19 Apr 1817)
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography of John Adams”, Oxford, UK – www.biographyonline.net. Published 29 June 2019. Last updated, 29 July 2019.
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