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John Adams was born to John Adams Sr. & Susanna Boylston. His father was a farmer & a lieutenant in the matilla (Massachusetts national guard). He was born on the family farm in Massachusetts on 3/4/1797.
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Peter Adams John Adams brother was born. He would later in his life serve as an matilda caption.
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Elihu Adams John Adams youngest brother. Would later become a farmer & a soldier.
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In this time John Adams is a young lawyer & he is reading law under James Putnam. In this time he developed a habit of writing about events & impressions of men in his diary. This included James Otis Jr. challenge against the legality of the British writs of assistance which inspired him to the cause of the american colonies.
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Writs of assistance were not only search warrants without any limits, they also required local sheriffs, and even local citizens, to assist in breaking into colonists' houses. Otis gave the speech of his life but even then the court ruled against them. However, the case lit the fire that became the American Revolution. As a young lawyer, John Adams was observing the case in the packed courtroom & Adams later said that "Then and there the child Independence was born."
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Adams explored various aspects of political theory in seven essays written for Boston newspapers. He offered them anonymously, under a fake name called "Humphrey Ploughjogger", and in them ridiculed the selfish thirst for power he perceived among the Massachusetts colonial elite. Adams was initially less well known than his older cousin Samuel Adams, but his influence emerged from his work as a constitutional lawyer,
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Adams initially was not impressed with Abigail and her two sisters, writing that they were not "fond, nor frank, nor candid". In time, he grew close to Abigail and they were married on October 25, 1764, despite the opposition of Abigail's haughty mother. They shared a love of books and kindred personalities that proved honest in their praise and criticism of each other
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Adams made his legendary argument regarding jury decisions for the Boston Massacre in which he said "facts are stubborn things & whatever may be our wishes they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." "It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished."
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Even though the British were being jerks to the colonists Adams still wanted to keep ties with them.
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News of the opening hostilities with the British made Adams hope that independence would soon become a reality. Three days after the battle, he rode into a camp and, while reflecting positively on the high spirits of the men, was distressed by their lack of discipline. A month later, Adams returned for the Second Continental Congress as the leader of the Massachusetts delegation. He became convinced that Congress was moving in the proper direction – away from Great Britain.
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Adams nominated George Washington as commander in chief of the army assembled around Boston. Adams opposed various attempts, of trying to find peace between the colonies and Great Britain.
Ferling writes, By the fall of 1775 no one in Congress labored more ardently than Adams to hasten the day when America would be separate from Great Britain. -
Adams organized & chose a Committee of 5 charged with drafting a Declaration of Independence. He chose himself & four others. Jefferson thought Adams should write the document but he persuaded the others to choose Jefferson. Jefferson asked Why will you not? You ought to do it. Adams said I will not... reasons enough. Jefferson replied What can be your reasons? He said 1. you are a Virginian & a one ought to appear at the head. 2. I am suspected & unpopular. 3. You can write better than I can.
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During the congress, Adams sat on ninety committees, chairing twenty-five, an unmatched workload among the congressmen. As Benjamin Rush reported, he was acknowledged to be the first man in the House. In June, Adams became head of the Board of War and Ordnance, charged with keeping an accurate record of the officers in the army and their ranks, the disposition of troops throughout the colonies, and ammunition. He was referred to as a "one man war department," working up to eighteen-hours a day
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Before signing the declaration of independence Adams decided to establish trade in France.
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The nation's first presidential election was soon to take place. Because George Washington was widely expected to win the presidency, many felt that the vice presidency should go to a northerner. Although he made no public comments on the matter, Adams was the primary contender. The person with the most votes would be president and the second would become vice president. Washington became the nation's first president, and Adams became its first vice president.
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The election of 1796 was the first contested American presidential election. Twice, George Washington had been elected to office unanimously but, during his presidency, deep philosophical differences between the two leading figures in the administration – Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson – had caused a rift, leading to the founding of the Federalist and Republican parties.
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As the campaign progressed, fears grew among Hamilton and his supporters that Adams was too vain, opinionated, unpredictable and stubborn to follow their directions. Indeed, Adams felt largely left out of Washington's administration and did not consider himself a strong member of the Federalist Party.
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In the end, Adams won the presidency by a narrow margin, receiving 71 electoral votes to 68 for Jefferson, who became the vice president.
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He died on the 4th of July of 1826 which is the same day as Thomas Jefferson.
