John Adams Early President

John Adams

Are you interested in the early presidents of America? Because John Adams was one of them! John Adams was born on October 30, 1735 in Quincy, (known as Braintree at the time) he grew up on the family farm and was named after his father, who was a deacon for the church. John was the first of two other siblings, Peter and Elihu. As a child John enjoyed outdoor activities and often skipped school to go out to fish and hunt. But John’s parents worried that he was wasting his intellect since he was a very smart fellow, so one day his father asked him what he wanted to do for his job, John wanted to be a farmer, so then his father took him out and worked him all day in the field like any adult. When they came back covered in dirt and

covered in sores his father asked him if he still wanted to be a farmer, John replied, yes I liked it very well, this was a showcase of stubbornness that John held throughout his life.

John was taught how to read and attended a series of schools while he was a boy. While John’s favorite subject was math and he excelled at school, he still didn’t care much for it. Since his father had dreams of John graduating Harvard, he made a deal with John that if he tried at school he would be let into the school of Joseph Marsh, who ran a more challenging school. So John soon started improving at his school work and joined Harvard in 1751. He graduated in 1775 with a Bachelor’s degree in art. He also graduated fifteen out of twenty four classes and at the time of his graduation promised he would study law. After he graduated, he became a schoolmaster in Massachusetts, but he wanted to make his mark on the world and being a schoolmaster felt like it wasn’t stimulating his brain enough.

Soon, John Adams started studying law under James Putnam. While he was learning law he was still a schoolmaster, but only during the day, during the night he studied law. Soon he began his law career in 1758 and eventually became one of Boston’s most prominent attorneys. John Adams also took part in the American Revolution by challenging Britain's authority in colonial America. He soon came to view that the British taxations were nothing more than oppression. He soon started to think that Britain didn’t think about the colonists’ point of view. After this new found idea of Britain’s oppression he spoke out against the various taxations and events that were taking place such as the Townshend Acts and the Stamp Act.

Though he disagreed with the British he still defended the soldiers that fired upon the crowd in the Boston Massacre.

He defended them because he believed they should receive a fair trial. John Adams also attended the Continental Congress in 1775. While he was there he nominated George Washington to serve as commander and later nominate Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. Adams took office in 1797 and his presidency was quickly filled up with foreign affairs. Because Britain and France were at war it made it harder for America to trade. While George Washington was in office he was able to keep neutrality, but by the time Adams made it into office he needed to make a choice. So Adams sent some delegates to France to try to create a peace treaty the French demanded a large bribe from America. After that attempt at making a peace treaty John Adams decided to just leave them alone. After John Adams presidency, he lived in Quincy with his wife writing books and letters, but before he died he got to see his son become the sixth president of the United States of America. But when he died (1826) he muttered his last words “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” But what he didn’t know is that Thomas Jefferson died earlier that morning.

In the end, John Adams lived a very productive life and he strived for America’s independence and freedom. Throughout his life he defended the soldiers at the Boston Massacre and was the second president of the United States of America.

He didn’t believe that democracy last for very long as demonstrated in this quote: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” He lived to be ninety one years old, he had six children and he loved the outdoors.

Bibliography

Bowen, Catherine Drinker, Burleigh, Anne Husted, Ellis, Joseph J. Langguth, A.J.Smith, Page, Shaw, Peter. “American History.”
“Biography of John Adams.”
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Whitehouse. “Whitehouse.”
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Miller Center. “Miller Center”
“John Adams: Life in Brief.”
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