John Adams (U.S. president)
John Adams (b. on October 30, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts) was the second president of the United States. He served from 1797 until 1801 and died on July 4, 1826, at the age of 90.[1]
Adams was a member of the Federalist Party. His vice president was Thomas Jefferson.
Adams was a Founding Father of the United States and was one of two future presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence (Jefferson being the second).[2] Adams traveled to Europe in 1779 to negotiate the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War and acknowledged the United States as independent from Great Britain.[3] During his presidency, Adams avoided declaring war with France following the XYZ Affair and signed the Alien and Sedition Acts into law.[1]
Prior to serving as president, Adams served as the first vice president of the United States. Before that, he served as a diplomat, an assemblyman, and a lawyer.[1]
Biography
Timeline of life events
Below is an abbreviated outline of Adams' professional and political career:[1][4]
- 1735: Born in Quincy, Massachusetts
- 1755: Received bachelor's degree from Harvard University
- 1758: Received master's degree from Harvard University and admitted to the Massachusetts bar
- 1765: Opposed the Stamp Act of 1765, declaring it invalid
- 1770: Elected to the Massachusetts Assembly
- 1774: Represented Massachusetts at the First Continental Congress
- 1776: Helped write and signed the Declaration of Independence
- 1779: Traveled to Europe as an American diplomat
- 1783: Negotiated the Treaty of Paris
- 1785: Became the U.S. minister to England
- 1789: Received the second-most electoral votes in the first presidential election and was elected vice president to George Washington
- 1792: Re-elected vice president of the United States
- 1796: Elected president of the United States
- 1798: XYZ Affair and the signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts
- 1800: Lost re-election to Thomas Jefferson
- 1826: Died in Quincy, Massachusetts
Before the presidency
Adams was born in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts, on October 30, 1735, to farmer, deacon, and town councilman John Adams Sr. and his wife Susanna Boylston Adams. Adams began attending Harvard University when he was 16 years old. He graduated in 1755 with a bachelor's degree and began working with attorney James Putnam. In 1758, he received his master's degree from Harvard University and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar.[1]
In 1765, Adams opposed the Stamp Act of 1765 and responded to it with "Essay on the Canon of Feudal Law," which was published by the Boston Gazette in four parts, and by arguing against it to the governor of Massachusetts and his council. Adams became known for his participation in the patriot cause, and in 1770 was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly. He was a delegate for both the First and Second Continental Congress, and in 1776 Adams helped draft and debate the Declaration of Independence, which was approved on July 4. During the American Revolution, he became the head of the Board of War and Ordinance in 1777.[1][4]
From 1779 to 1788, Adams served as an American diplomat in Europe. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the American Revolution and acknowledged the United States' independence from Great Britain. He then served as the U.S. minister to England from 1785 to 1788, before returning to the United States as a presidential candidate. In the presidential elections of 1789 and 1792, Adams received the second-most electoral votes, which designated him as George Washington's vice president. After Washington declared he would not seek re-election in 1796, Adams won election to the presidency with 71 out of 276 electoral votes. With 68 electoral votes, his runner-up, Thomas Jefferson, became his vice president.[1][4]
Presidency
The XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War with France took place during Adams' presidency. In 1798, the United States sent three diplomats to France to negotiate with the French foreign minister regarding American merchant ships seized by the French. When the diplomats arrived, intermediaries for the French foreign minister stated that the minister would require what amounted to a bribe in order to see them. The three diplomats sent news of this request to Adams, who prepared for war. Upon request from leaders of the Democratic-Republican Party, Adams released the letters to Congress, replacing the French intermediaries' names with "X," "Y," and "Z." This incident began the Quasi-War, in which the United States and France both participated in some maritime aggression, but neither formally declared war on the other. The countries entered into peace negotiations and in 1800 restored peace through the Convention of 1800 or the Treaty of Mortefontaine.[5]
During the Quasi-War, in 1798, Adams signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts. The law increased residency requirements to become a U.S. citizen from five years to 14, allowed the president to detain or deport foreigners who were suspected of being hazardous to the safety and peace of the country, and limited speech that was negative towards the government. According to the National Archives and Records Administration, the act was in response to criticism of Adams' presidency, especially his decision not to enter into war with France, and was an attempt to blunt members of the Democratic-Republican Party's effectiveness. Instead, the signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts led to backlash against Adams and helped Jefferson win the election in 1800.[6][7]
Adams sought re-election in 1800. He was defeated by Democratic-Republican candidates Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, who each received 73 electoral votes to Adams' 65. Because of the tie, the House of Representatives was called upon to choose the next president, leading to Jefferson being sworn-in in 1801.
Post-presidency
After his presidency, Adams retired to his farm in Quincy, Massachusetts. He died at 90 years of age on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence.[1][4]
Personal
Adams married Abigail Smith on October 25, 1764, at the age of 29. Together they had six children, Abigail, John Quincy, Susanna, Charles, Thomas Boylston, and Elizabeth. Adams was the first president to reside in the White House.[1][4]
Elections
1800 presidential election
In 1800, Adams lost his bid for re-election. Because both Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received the same number of electoral votes, the House of Representatives decided who would occupy the presidency. Jefferson won election when he received 10 House votes, Burr received four House votes, and two House votes were blank.[8]
| U.S. presidential election, 1800 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Electoral votes | |||
| Democratic-Republican |  Thomas Jefferson |
73 | |||
| Democratic-Republican | Aaron Burr | 73 | |||
| Federalist | John Adams | 65 | |||
| Federalist | Charles Cotesworth Pinckney | 64 | |||
| Federalist | John Jay | 1 | |||
| Total Votes | 276 | ||||
| Election results via: 1800 Presidential Election Results | |||||
1796 presidential election
In 1796, Adams defeated Democratic-Republican candidates Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and George Clinton, Anti-Federalist candidate Aaron Burr, fellow Federalist candidates Thomas Pinckney, Oliver Ellsworth, James Iredell, and George Washington (who was not seeking re-election), Independent candidate John Henry, and Independent-Federalist candidates John Jay, Samuel Johnston, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Jefferson, who had the second-most electoral votes, was elected vice president. This was the first presidential election to feature candidates from political parties.
| U.S. presidential election, 1796 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Electoral votes | |||
| Federalist | John Adams |
71 | |||
| Democratic-Republican | Thomas Jefferson | 68 | |||
| Federalist | Thomas Pinckney | 59 | |||
| Anti-Federalist | Aaron Burr | 30 | |||
| Democratic-Republican | Samuel Adams | 15 | |||
| Federalist | Oliver Ellsworth | 11 | |||
| Democratic-Republican | George Clinton | 7 | |||
| Independent-Federalist | John Jay | 5 | |||
| Federalist | James Iredell | 3 | |||
| Federalist | George Washington | 2 | |||
| Independent | John Henry | 2 | |||
| Independent-Federalist | Samuel Johnston | 2 | |||
| Independent-Federalist | Charles Cotesworth Pinckney | 1 | |||
| Total Votes | 276 | ||||
| Election results via: Britannica, "United States presidential election of 1796," accessed July 6, 2018 | |||||
1792 presidential election
Adams once again received the second-most electoral votes and was re-elected as George Washington's vice president.
| U.S. presidential election, 1792 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Electoral votes | |||
| None | George Washington Incumbent |
132 | |||
| None | John Adams | 77 | |||
| None | George Clinton | 50 | |||
| None | Thomas Jefferson | 4 | |||
| None | Aaron Burr | 1 | |||
| Total Votes | 264 | ||||
| Election results via: United States Office of the Federal Register - 1792 official election results | |||||
1789 presidential election
Adams received the second-most electoral votes and was elected as George Washington's vice president and the first vice president of the United States.
| U.S. presidential election, 1789 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Electoral votes | |||
| None | George Washington |
69 | |||
| None | John Adams | 34 | |||
| None | John Jay | 9 | |||
| None | R.H. Harrison | 6 | |||
| None | John Rutledge | 6 | |||
| None | John Hancock | 4 | |||
| None | George Clinton | 3 | |||
| None | Samuel Huntington | 2 | |||
| None | John Milton | 2 | |||
| None | James Armstrong | 1 | |||
| None | Benjamin Lincoln | 1 | |||
| None | Edward Telfair | 1 | |||
| Total Votes | 138 | ||||
| Election results via: United States Office of the Federal Register - 1789 official election results | |||||
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[9] Following are transcripts from Adams' State of the Union addresses.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Biography.com, "John Adams," accessed July 12, 2018
- ↑ National Archives, "Declaration of Independence: A Transcription," accessed July 13, 2018
- ↑ History, "Treaty of Paris," accessed July 13, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 White House, "John Adams," accessed July 13, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Department of State: Office of the Historian, "The XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War with France, 1798–1800," accessed July 13, 2018
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Primary Documents in American History: Alien and Sedition Acts," accessed July 13, 2018
- ↑ OurDocuments.gov, "Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)," accessed July 19, 2018
- ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "1800 Presidential Election Results, accessed July 12, 2018
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Washington |
President of the United States 1797-1801 |
Succeeded by Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) |
| |||||||
