John Adams Personality

In 1797, there were two American battles raging–one internal and one external. On the home front, the government was widely split between the two partisanships at the time: the Federalists, who wanted a stronger centralized government, and the Democratic-Republicans, who wanted a weaker government where states had more power. Internationally, the French Coalition Wars roared between the French and the British. Enter John Adams, President-elect and former Vice President under all-mighty hero George Washington. Adams’s appearance was not one of a desired president: he spoke with a lisp, was significantly below average in stature, and his hands often shook with palsy. Unbeknownst to those in attendance at his Inauguration on March 4, 1797, his

next four years in office would be full of governmental strife and international tensions. Under the leadership of Adams’s shaky hands would the United States navigate through treacherous and unfamiliar times. At the best of times, such as after the XYZ Affair, Adams’s popularity would skyrocket. At the worst of times, such as after Fries Rebellion and installation of the Alien and Sedition Acts, Adams’s approval would plummet. Adams’s presidency, characterized by the XYZ Affair, Alien and Sedition Acts, and Fries Rebellion, forged a legacy remembered by his morality and rationality.

Adams crucial leadership during the XYZ Affair boosted his popularity and displayed his morality. Once the French and British went to war, the United States’s relationship with the French became strained. Although declaring neutrality, the Americans shipped goods and maintained a solid relationship with the English in part of the Jay Treaty. This preferential treatment angered the French and in 1796 the French retaliated against American ships and refusing to meet with the American Minister to France, Charles Pinckney. In response to French attacks on American ships, Adams sent delegates to Paris to try and meet with French Directory officials in an effort to get the Jay Treaty signed by France. The French Foreign Minister at the time, Charles Talleyrand, refused to meet with American diplomats until a set of conditions were met: “the Directory would need to refute Adams' anti-French sentiment in the May 16 speech to

Congress, [the United States] must give Talleyrand 1,200,000 livres, France would not be held liable for damages done by French privateers, and the U.S. must guarantee a large French loan.” Talleyrand then declared that if these terms were not met, there could be war. Despite the pressure from fellow Federalists, Adams did not openly declare war, though he did insist on keeping the French in check with a firm hand and started to muster United States troops and prepare for a possible conflict. Going against the wishes of his party, Adams utilized rationality and put recognized that the desires of his nation were greater than that of his political party. As the situation escalated, the House of Representatives wanted the public releasing of Adams’s correspondence with Talleyrand and American diplomats. Knowing that his steadfastness with the French would boost his popularity with Americans, Adams released all of the communications on April 3, 1798, except he inserted the letters X, Y, and Z in lieu of French names. The steadfastness of Adams under the political pressure of going against the wishes of his political party display his level-headedness and rationality because the possible war with the French would have been quite costly and there would have been a real possibility that the United States would not be able to recover.
Adams’s lack of direction during the installation of the Alien and Sedition Acts display his paucity of attention to detail.

In 1798, after the XYZ Affair, Federalists recognized the opportunity they had to utilize the negative French and immigrant sentiments and many Americans had and use that to their benefit. Because the Democratic-Republicans were typically pro-French and most of the immigrant voters voted for them, the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in an effort to reduce the popularity of their rival party. Of the four acts passed, only one was approved with bipartisan approval. The Naturalization Act lengthened the time immigrants must be in the United States to be considered citizens, and this delayed many of the pro-Democratic-Republican immigrants from being able to vote. The Alien Enemies Act allows Adams to expel immigrants from the United States during times of war. The only act to approve with bipartisan approval, the Alien Act, “allowed for the detention of enemy aliens in time of war without trial or counsel.” The Sedition Act, the one that infringed upon the Bill of Rights established seven years before, “outlawed conspiracy to prevent the enforcement of federal laws and punished subversive speech—with fines and imprisonment.”3 Specifically targeting Democratic-Republican newspapers, “Twenty-five [Democratic-Republican] editors were indicted under the act, and ten were convicted by Federalist judges who did not attempt to hide their

prejudice.”2 While these acts effectively shut down the Democratic-Republicans, it made Federalists lose supporters due to their abuse of authority. While Adams did sign the Alien and Sedition acts, it is important to note that he never openly advocated or criticized them.
Adams displayed rationality, steadfastness, and understanding during Fries Rebellion. With outstanding debts caused by prepping the United States for a war with France that was never fought, Congress levied the Direct House Tax of 1798 in an effort to raise two million dollars. This direct tariff increased taxation on houses, land, and slaves. Many states opposed it, but its most outspoken opponent was Pennsylvania. Because Pennsylvania had very few slaves, they felt that the amount they were being taxed was unfair and that it should be based upon total population by state. Enter John Fries, a former Continental Army Company Commander and Auctioneer. In southeastern Pennsylvania, he started to organize regular meetings in order to formulate a public response to the tax. Eventually his organized meetings and public opposition to the tax spread throughout Pennsylvania. His followers and other opposers to the tax began to attack tax officials. In early 1800 though, the U.S Marshals arrested Fries and sentenced him to death. Despite heavy opposition by his fellow Federalists who demanded harsh actions of federal force, Adams pardoned all rebels who were involved in the rebellion and repealed the tax. By realizing the mistake of his government and repealing the tax, Adams showed rationality by admitting his faults. By sticking with his own independent opinion and not punishing the rebels , Adams displayed steadfast in his belief in what was right. Adams showed understanding for the rebels by granting amnesty to them and repealing the tax because of how it was unfair.