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First College in America is Established
Harvard University was the first college established in America. Those who went to Harvard were seen as very wise and prestigious (Unger 8). John Quincy Adams attended Harvard University. -
English Civil War
King Charles of England began the English Civil War by creating an army and moving it against Parliament. The issues of this war started over religion and royal power, and the start of the war was furthered when Parliament refused one of King Charles' requests. The war ended in 1647 with a Parliament victory, and King Charles was beheaded two years later (Oakes et al. 93). -
Pope's Revolt
Indians were upset about the Spanish invading their land. Therefore, on this day in history, the Indians seized Spanish horses and mules, blocked roads, and destroyed Spanish settlements. The Indians won, forcing the Spanish survivors back, out of New Mexico (Oakes et al. 119). -
La Salle Discovered the Mississippi River
In 1682, the French explorer La Salle discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River and rightfully claimed it for France. This brought on the British as a rival, for Great Britain already had colonies established in America (Oakes et al. 115). -
The French and Indian War
In this war, Britain worked along side Indians, while fighting against the French. Fighting over land and power, the French were winning for the first part of the war (Oakes et al. 167). However, about halfway through the war the tides shifted and the war ended with British victory and the Treaty of Paris in 1763 (Oakes et al. 171). -
The Boston Massacre
On this day in Boston, Massachusetts, a mob of colonists let their anger get out of hand. Their nagging of British troops led to the soldiers opening fire on the mob. The troops in total killed four men and wounded even more (Unger 11). -
The Boston Tea Party
Colonist decided to show British parliament that they were tired of their outrageous taxes. Rebelling against the tea tax, colonists dumped over 300 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. This amounted to close to $1 million. In response, British troops closed their ports and said it would not be reopened until they paid back the $1 million they wasted (Oakes et al. 11).
John Quincy Adams said following this incident that, "Boston became a walled and beleaguered town." (Oakes et al. 11) -
George Washington Forced the British out of Boston
As of this date, the American Revolution has already begun. George Washington, who led troops all throughout the war, had just successfully forced British troops out of Boston. This event caused Richard Henry Lee to say that the United States, "are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." (Unger 21). -
Congress Approved the Declaration of Independence
On this day in history, congress voted for and approved America's formal declaration for independence. This took place a little over a year after the commencement of the American Revolution. At the voting, majority was in agreement that the colonists needed to break free from Britain's control, and therefore there was not much disagreement on the passing of the Declaration of Independence. -
John Begins Life as a Foreign Diplomat
John Quincy Adams, a few days before his fourteenth birthday, began his life as a foreign diplomat. On this day in history, his journal reads: "This morning we packed up everything to go on a journey." John Quincy's service to his country was just beginning (Unger 46). -
Treaty of Peace is Signed Between United States and Britain
In this treaty of peace between the two countries, Britain agreed to recognize the United States of America as a free and independent nation. Those who attended the meeting included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and David Harley (Unger 54). -
John Boarded the "Courier de l'Amerique"
This event is not only significant in John Quincy's life, but in American history as well, for the Courier de l'Amerique was one of the first four passenger ships to sail from France to America. When the ship docked in New York, John Quincy was welcomed by his political friends (Unger 59). -
John Quincy Took His Entrance Examinations at Harvard
John Quincy was an exceptionally intelligent young man (19 at the time). After multiple people and faculty members of Harvard reviewed his examination, it was clear that he would fit in well academically at the university (Unger 66). -
Delegates Began Writing a New Constitution
Delegates from twelve states gathered in Philadelphia on this day in history to create a new constitution. The goal of the group was to create a new constitution that gave the federal government more control over the people (Unger 69). Not long after this convention commenced, they emerged with a new constitution that had to be ratified by nine states before it could go into effect. -
John Quincy Graduated From Harvard
John Quincy was so gifted academically, that he was able to enjoy his time at Harvard, making friends and staying out late, and yet still manage to graduate second in his class. In addition to John, his younger brothers Charles and Thomas both attended the university as well (Unger 67). -
George Washington Became the First President of the United States of America
The electoral college was put to the test on this day in history, when they elected George Washington to be our first president. Along with Washington, John Adams was then to be our first vice president (Unger 71). -
John Quincy Opened His First Law Office
After graduating from Harvard, John opened his own law office in Boston. Unfortunately, his office was not as successful as he had hoped it'd be. Three months into the job, he had only received a handful of clients, all whom were too poor to pay for the services (Unger 71). -
France Declared War
On this day, France declared war on not only Britain, but Holland, and Spain as well. After this declaration of war, France expected aid from the newly independent United States. This issue went to the cabinet where some, such as Jefferson, wanted to honor their alliance, while others, such as Hamilton, thought it too dangerous. George Washington agreed that this would be too risky, and therefore we did not aid the French in their time of need (Unger 75-78). -
George Washington's Farewell Address is Published
The first president of the United States of America had his farewell address published in the newspaper on September 19th, 1796. In this farewell address, not only did he state that he would not be running for president again, but he also gave American's some advice regarding the future of America (Unger 102). -
John Quincy Adams Married Louisa Johnson
Being the foreign diplomat that he was, it was only fitting that John Quincy get married abroad. The wedding was in London, with few attending. At the time of their wedding, John was 30, and Louisa 22 (Unger 105). -
John and Louisa's First Son is Born
John and Louisa's first son was named George Washington Adams. This child can be seen as a miracle, for Louisa had four miscarriages before she gave birth to their first son. After the birth, John wrote in his diary: "I have this day to offer my humble and devout thanks to almighty God for the birth of a son at half-past three o'clock in the afternoon," (Unger 120). -
Louisa Gives Birth to Her and John's Second Son
On the 27th anniversary of American independence, Louisa Adams gave birth to her second son. This child was named John Adams II, after his grandfather (Unger 123).
