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John Adams was born
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He eventually excelled at his studies and entered Harvard College at age fifteen. He graduated in 1755
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Adams launched his legal career in Boston
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Once Adams practice started to flourish, he began to court Abigail Smith, the daughter of a Congregational minister in nearby Weymouth. Adams Married Abigail Smith.
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Adams went to Philadelphia as one of the four delegates from Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress.
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Congress appointed Adams, together with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, among others, to prepare the Declaration of Independence.
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knowing that George Washington would be the first President, Adams sought the vice presidency. He was elected to that position in 1789
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John Adams is inaugurated as the second President of the United States in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson will serve as Vice President.
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Negotiating with France Adams appoints a three man commission, composed of Charles C. Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall, to negotiate a settlement with France.
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The Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is declared in full force by President Adams. It stipulates that federal courts shall not have the jurisdiction over litigation between individuals from one state against individuals from another state.
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Congress establishes the government for the new Mississippi Territory. The Spanish had ceded the territory to the United States in the 1795 Treaty of San Lorenzo. President Adams appoints native Winthrop Sergeant as governor and selects the town of Natchez to serve as its first capital.
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The first of four acts known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts is adopted. The Alien and Sedition acts aimed to curb criticism of administration policies and prevent internal subversion. The first act, stipulating requirements for naturalized citizenship, demanded residence in the United States for period of fourteen years and a declaration of intention for five years. Congress Approves the First Alien and Sedition Act
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Congress passes the Alien Act, granting President Adams the power to deport any alien he deemed potentially dangerous to the country's safety.
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Adams appoints George Washington to serve as commander in chief of the United States Army. All French treaties between the United States and France are declared null and void by vote in Congress, most notably the 1778 Treaty of Alliance.
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Congress adopts the Sedition Act, the fourth and last of the Alien and Sedition acts. The bill subjects any American citizen to a fine and/or imprisonment for obstructing the implementation of federal law, or for publishing malicious or false writings against Congress, the President, or the government.
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The fourth presidential election is held. Adams, the Federalist Party candidate, loses his bid for reelection. A tie in electoral votes between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr throws the election into the House of Representatives, with Jefferson emerging the winner.