Why Is John Adams Important

John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree Massachusetts. Braintree was renamed to Quincy to honor his son, John Quincy Adams. His wife, Abigail Adams, and him had five children. Still, like all living things, he had to die. The sad day happened on July 4, 1826, 90 years old, the same day that Thomas Jefferson died.

John Adams was a lawyer, president, author, statesman, and diplomat. What made him so important? John Adams had many achievements that are all impressive, all of which were accomplished in the early years of America. His best accomplishments were becoming the first Vice President and the second President of the United States. He is also known for establishing many of the basic ideas and laws that made up the U.S. Constitution. John Adams' major accomplishments make him a leader among the Founding Fathers and a central figure in early U.S. History.

The achievements of John Adams are amazing, considering that he was not in the military, but a lawyer.

His first widely published essays were about the attacks on the Stamp Act of 1765 and the legality of Britain to impose colonial taxation without representation. One of John Adams' accomplishments that was controversial at the time was his successful defense of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre of 1770. He considered the incident an unfair trial, since there was no real evidence of the

case.

John Adams signed the Continental Association on October 20, 1774. The Continental Association called for a complete ban on all trade between America and Great Britain of all goods, wares or merchandise. The Continental Association was in response to the Coercive Acts—or “Intolerable Acts” as they were known to the colonists–which were established by the British government to restore order in Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party. The intolerable acts are the taxes the British put on the colonists because the british thought that the colonists owed the money for helping them in the war, and for the British Empire. The Continental Association hoped that cutting off all trade with Great Britain would cause enough economic hardship that the Intolerable Acts would be repealed. It was one of the first acts of Congress behind which every colony firmly stood.

On July 4, 1776, John Adams signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence is the document with all of the American laws, rights, and needs. It explains the fundamental ideas that form the American nation. “All men are created free and equal and possess the same inherent, natural rights. Legitimate governments must therefore be based on the consent of the governed and must exist “to secure these rights.”

These documents are the key elements to our country. If these were not signed, we would still be living in colonies, getting taxed with everything, and get told what to do by the British Empire. The Declaration of Independence might have lead us to war, but the war lead us to freedom. If the Declaration of Independence did not get enough signatures, there would be no war, therefore no freedom. As they say, every vote counts.

John Adams quotes were inspiring and meaningful, even for the government. They all had facts and opinions, but put together perfectly. One of his quotes is “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve freedom! I hope you make a good use of it.” Some of his quotes even disagrees with people, like “The happiness of society is the end of government.”

All in all, John Adams was a good man, with many supporters and good ideas. His encouragement, actions,and bravery. He will be remembered for many generations.

Fun Facts:
NONE OF ADAMS’ FAMILY MEMBERS WERE PRESENT FOR HIS INAUGURATION.
ADAMS DID NOT ATTEND JEFFERSON’S INAUGURATION.
ADAMS’ LAST WORDS WERE “THOMAS JEFFERSON SURVIVES.”
HE DEFENDED TWO BRITISH SOLDIERS WHO WERE ACCUSED OF BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BOSTON MASSACRE
HE SLEPT IN THE SAME AS BEN FRANKLIN.
THE BRITISH WANTED HIM HANGED.
ADAMS WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO PROPOSE THE IDEA OF A U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY IN 1776.
HIS PERSONAL DIARY WAS READ ALOUD AND LAUGHED AT IN CONGRESS.
HE WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO LIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
HE COMPLAINED ABOUT CLEANING UP AFTER WILD PARTIES.
AS PRESIDENT, HE REFUSED PROTECTION OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE FOR OVER A YEAR.