John Adams

John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree, MA, to John Adams Sr. and his wife Susanna Adams, nee Boylston. His ancestry can be traced to Devonshire, England, where his Great-Great-Grandfather Henry Adams lived. Through his paternal side, he was related to John Alden and Pricilla Mullins, who were passengers on the Mayflower. Adam’s father was a shoemaker and a farmer who managed to have a moderate income and was not a blueblood, as many would think. His mother was descended from the Boylstons of Brookline, MA. Both were from Puritan families.

            As a young boy, he started to keep diaries, and it is through these diaries that we know so much about the mind of Adams. He wrote in one entry, “OH! That I could wear out of my mind every mean and base affection, conquer my natural pride and conceit.”[1] He was very aware that he was a prideful and conceited man, and these characteristics would be used by his enemies in later years. He would even tell people who admonished him that he was right and there were wrong. This was usually the case. Dr. Benjamin Rush would later note, “He saw the whole of a subject at a single glance, and by a happy union of powers of reasoning and persuasion often succeeded in carrying measures which were at first sight of an unpopular nature.”[2] But he learned at an early age when to step into the background and let others take credit for a particular project or piece. His father would teach him at home until he attended Dame Belcher’s school.

He then went to Harvard on a scholarship to study the ministry, but was not interested in the profession. Upon his graduation from Harvard, he entered the teaching profession but did not like it. He wrote, “instructing a large number of runtlings incapable of lisping A, B, C, and troubling the master”[3] was more than he could handle. So instead of teaching, he decided to become a lawyer and began studying in James Putnam’s office in 1756. He was presented for admission to the bar on November 6, 1758, and began to practice immediately. He first practiced in Braintree and then moved to Boston in 1766 to open a practice. During the first 10 years of his professional life, he would serve as a selectman, assessor, and overseer of Braintree’s poor.

On October 25, 1764, Adams married Abigail Smith, who was his third cousin, beginning one of the longest and most fruitful partnerships in American history. She was about 5 feet tall and weighed at most 100 pounds during her lifetime. She loved politics and had a profound understanding of people, but most of all, she found Adams enormously humorous. One example of her helping him in diplomatic situations occurred after the 1800 election, when they hosted President-Elect Jefferson and members of the Senate and House. During this dinner, he kept turning to her and asking who this person or that person was. She knew who they all were and told him.[4] Abigail was devoted to Adams and was his constant advisor. She managed the farm and all his money while he was away working to help establish the new country. Because of this, John Adams was one of the few signers who did not die insolvent or with a significantly diminished fortune. All of his accounts were paid in full when he passed. Today, we know a great deal about their marriage because of all the letters they wrote to each other, which included some of the most engaging prose written between two people.

John and Abigail had five children and stayed married for 54 years until she died in 1819. Their daughter Abigail, known as Nabby, was born in 1765 and died in 1813 of breast cancer. She married Colonel William Stephens Smith, a man chosen by her father. The marriage was a disaster, and she, with her mother, would consider divorce at one point. She had wanted to marry a gentleman named Royal Taylor, whom her father found unacceptable. In 1811, she would undergo a mastectomy in her bedroom to try to beat cancer. In those days, there was no anesthetic, and she was awake throughout the entire procedure, which lasted only 25 minutes.[5] Their first son, John Quincy, was born in 1767. He would later become the sixth President of the United States. With his election, Abigail was the only wife and mother of a President until 2001, when former First Lady Barbara Bush would also assume that mantle. John Quincy married Louisa Catherine, and they had four children: Louisa, who passed away in infancy, George, who committed suicide,[6] John II,[7] and Charles Francis, his youngest, who would live until an old age and be the most successful of John Quincy’s children. John Quincy died in 1846 on the House floor after suffering a fatal stroke. Adams's next child, Susannah, was born in 1768 and died in 1770. His son Charles was born in 1770 and passed away in 1800. He would be a disappointment to John Adams. He was sensitive and much closer to his mother, but was forced to go to Harvard, where an alcohol dependence began. While at Harvard, he was involved in a scandal, where he and some other boys ran across the campus nude. Charles would marry and have three children, with one dying in infancy. Sometime in 1799, Adams refused to have anything more to do with Charles because of inappropriate behavior. Charles would not be buried in the family plot, but somewhere in New York City.[8] Their youngest child, who lived, was Thomas Boyleston, who was born in 1772. He was also an alcoholic as well as shy. A gentle man, he was ill-suited for the life in law and politics that was forced on him. He was a failure in the profession and moved back to his parents’ home with his wife and seven children. None of his children would go on to marry. He takes over the care of the Adams’s land, but is considered a mean and somewhat brutal person, probably because of his alcoholism. He would die in his parents’ attic in 1813 and was buried in the family plot. Their youngest daughter, Elizabeth, was stillborn in 1777.

In 1765, he began to write a series of articles and essays for the Boston Gazette. The topic of his pieces would be public affairs. Like many of our other Founders, the Stamp Act drew his attention towards the unfair practices of Parliament. He wrote the Braintree Resolutions protesting the Stamp Act because the colonists had not agreed to it. Also, he was influenced by his older cousin, Samuel Adams, who took him under his wing. However, he does not agree with all of Samuel Adams’ methods, such as rioting. To be fair, some of the rioting that occurred was opposed by Samuel Adams because he knew it would not achieve the outcome he desired. During this time, he would become friends with another influential lawyer and activist, James Otis, who would mentor another signer, William Hooper.

As a writer with the Boston Gazette, he used the pseudonym Humphrey Ploughjogger. This was not unusual, as many of our Founders would use pseudonyms when they wrote, because some of the people they criticized were their friends or political/business associates they might like personally but disagree with politically. This practice of using pseudonyms would continue for some time. Adams’s writings would be inconsistent during this period, rather than random. They would finally be put together and published as Dissertation on the Cannon and Feudal Law.

In 1768, Adams was elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature and would serve until 1774. 1768 was a busy year for Adams, as he represented John Hancock in his smuggling case involving the Liberty, a ship Hancock owned. He would also be involved in the Corbet case, which concerned impressment and manslaughter. By 1770, his reputation had grown to the point that he could represent the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre without suffering in his practice. His co-counsel was Josiah Quincy, and the prosecutor was Robert Treat Paine, a future fellow signer. No one else was interested in representing the soldiers because they were so hated in Boston at this time. He represents Captain Thomas Preston and six other soldiers, who are charged with manslaughter. Adams and Josiah Quincy to obtain acquittals for all but 2 of the soldiers. Adams did not represent those soldiers. Those two soldiers are found guilty of two charges, dismissed by the Army, and branded on the hand.

By 1774, he was chosen as a delegate to the First Continental Congress by the Provincial Assembly. On his way to Philadelphia, he visits Hartford, New Haven, Milford, and Stratford, Connecticut, then continues through New York City and Princeton before arriving in Philadelphia. This was his first time outside of New England. The Congress met on September 9, 1774, but only 12 colonies were present, as Georgia felt its rights had not been infringed. There are no official records of the proceedings, but as usual, Adams takes notes during the session. In October 1774, he signed the Articles of Association, the major work accomplished at this first meeting. During this time, he persuades other delegates to organize Sons of Liberty groups in their colonies before they return home.

In 1775, he returned to the Second Continental Congress as a delegate from Massachusetts and remained until 1777. During the 1775 session, he nominates George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army; his cousin, Samuel Adams, seconds the nomination. He was frequently ill during the session, but this was not unusual for the delegates, and he works from 7 am to 11 pm.[9] During December of 1775, he requested leave to spend Christmas with his family in Braintree, Massachusetts. The day after Christmas, he visited the Army in Cambridge before returning to Philadelphia. The trip to Philadelphia will take 18 days on horseback, and he makes several stops along the way.

By February 9, 1776, he was back at work in Congress. He would write Thoughts on Government, which was intended as an answer to Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. During this session, he consistently advocated for independence alongside his cousin and Richard Henry Lee. By June of 1776, Lee’s Resolution for Independence was introduced but delayed for 3 weeks, giving indecisive colonies time to reconsider and to give their delegates permission to vote on the matter. While waiting for the final vote on independence, he would be appointed chair of the Board of War and Independence on June 17, 1776. He would be on a total of 90 committees during his tenure in Congress, chairing at least 20 of them. He was appointed to the Declaration of Independence committee but made little to no contribution to the document's actual writing. Years later, he would say he chose Jefferson to write the Declaration, but Jefferson would dispute that, saying the whole committee chose him to draft it.[10] Adams notes that he said to Jefferson that people think he (Adams) is obnoxious and he was unpopular, and that Jefferson, as a Virginian, should write the document.

While many wanted independence from Great Britain, many in Congress opposed it. John Dickinson gave a one-hour speech about his opposition on July 1, 1776. Adams had previously met with his cousin and Lee to review their plan to get the resolution passed and then answer Dickinson’s speech with one of his own, by reviewing all the causes making independence inevitable and the advantages it would pose.[11] During his reply, the three New Jersey delegates arrive. They had been delayed by a severe thunderstorm and asked that he repeat what he had said. At first, he refused, but repeated his speech. He spoke for another hour, and (it was said that) Joseph Hewes of North Carolina, who had initially opposed independence, “started suddenly upright, and lifting both his hands to Heaven, as if he had been in a trance, cried out, ‘It is done! And I will abide by it.”[12] On July 2, he continues to support and defend its passage. He wrote to Abigail, thinking this was the day that would be forever celebrated with parades, fireworks, barbecues, and other festivities. Unfortunately, he was wrong about the date but right about how it would be celebrated. He would sign the Declaration on August 2, 1776.

In 1777, he left Congress after being appointed Minister to France. He takes his son, John Quincy, with him, and as they leave Boston on February 13, 1778, traveling on a frigate called the Boston. This was the first time either of them had been on a ship, and it was a dangerous trip. The British are all over the place, waiting to capture whoever goes to France to gain support for the war. They run into a storm and have to fight their way to France. Had he been caught, he would have been taken to England and hanged.[13] They arrived in Paris on April 4, 1778, but it was too late, as a treaty had already been signed and Franklin had been named the Ambassador. He does stay on to help arrange and systematize American business accounts. He was too much of a Puritan and disliked the French decadence. He was very unpopular and only served for 1 year before being recalled in the spring of 1779.

In late 1779, he was sent back to France, as part of a commission, to negotiate a peace settlement. The Treaty of Paris would be signed on September 3, 1783, ending the American Revolution. During this period, he will also secure Holland's recognition of the United States. He returns to Massachusetts and helps write the state constitution in 1780.

From 1785 to 1788, he was the first American Minister to Great Britain and served until his recall. He attempted to sign a treaty with Great Britain but was unsuccessful, as Britain believed the United States would fail anyway due to the chaos caused by an ineffective Confederation government. During the latter half of his service, the Constitutional Convention was underway, and he was unable to attend. Upon his return to the United States in 1788, he was elected to the last Confederation Congress but did not attend. He was then elected the first Vice President of the United States in 1789 and again in 1792. He calls this position “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”[14] His service as Vice President seems to be remembered best for complete idiocy, during which he spent an enormous amount of time trying to figure out titles.

In 1796, he was elected President of the United States after beating Jefferson by only 3 votes. This was before the 11^th Amendment to the Constitution, and Jefferson, who by this time was in the opposition party, was his Vice President.[15]  His presidency is marked by three major events: the XYZ Affair, the recognition of Haiti, and the Alien and Sedition Acts. Another major event was the XYZ Affair, which he managed brilliantly and was hailed in the press, but that would soon die down because of the Alien and Sedition Acts. But the Haitian Revolution would bring a different flavor to the Presidency due to it being the first time the United States would recognize a country, led by blacks, even though slavery existed in this country at the time. President Adams was fully supportive of the revolution, and he received Toussaint Louverture’s envoy, Joseph Brunel, a white man married to a black woman. This recognition of Haiti was done to advance trade relations. Aside from these three events, his presidency was rather mediocre, and he ended up alienating many people.

The Alien and Sedition Acts were the first attempts by the government to muzzle immigrants and political opponents. Due to the chaos in France during its revolution, there was fear that it would spread back to this country. Other Federalists had convinced him that this legislation was a wonderful way to silence Democrat-Republicans, who were denouncing the Federalists in the press. This would be one of many instances that deepened the divide between him and Thomas Jefferson.

 The 1800 Presidential election would be the nastiest in American history. Which is hard to believe considering recent elections, it involved demagoguery and was so vicious it would sever the friendship between Adams and Jefferson for twelve years. The final tally for the election would be 72 votes for Jefferson and 65 votes for Adams. Adams would leave Washington on March 4, 1800, before Jefferson's inauguration, as he was so bitter about the election. But before he leaves office, a fire breaks out on January 20, 1801, in the Treasury Building, which is located next door to the White House. He joins the bucket brigade to help put out the fire. Unlike politicians today, he does not do it for the possible good press he may receive. He does it because it is the right thing to do and what any American should do.[16] In addition, on March 3, 1801, he made a series of midnight judicial appointments to ensure Federalist influence for years to come. Madison, the incoming Secretary of State, refused to deliver these appointments, and the resulting case was Marbury v. Madison. This election was the most important in American history because, even though it was vicious and contentious, it was also the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another. Never before in history had one political party taken over from another without some type of physical fighting. It would be the model for future elections.

President Adams returns home to Braintree, Massachusetts, and resumes his life in retirement with his bride, Abigail. Through the arduous work of Benjamin Rush, over several years, Adams and Jefferson would rekindle their friendship in 1812. This was a significant accomplishment for Dr. Rush, as he would pass away the next year from yellow fever. Adams and Jefferson would correspond with each other until their deaths. This correspondence has left us with a wonderful legacy of letters and opinions on a variety of subjects. Ironically, President Adams is the one who made initial contact.

Over the last 25 years of his life, he began to change from a pessimist to an optimist, even in the face of many heartbreaks in his later years. He would lose three children and finally his beloved wife, Abigail, by 1819. He would also lose all his teeth and most of his hair. His grandson Charles Francis Adams would later describe him as of middling height, stout, vigorous, and long-lived. As he got older, he became more corpulent and had a large head with a wide forehead and brow. He was also described as having unkempt hair, flapping jowls, a body like a potato dumpling, vain, ill-tempered, and cranky. All in all, someone who could be quite unpleasant and opinionated, yet in his retirement, he mellowed somewhat.

On July 4, 1826, President Adams passed away, and his last words were “Jefferson lives.” However, Jefferson had died earlier in the day. He is interred in a crypt with his wife, Abigail, located in the basement of the United First Parish Church in Quincy, MA, formerly known as Braintree. His childhood home and retirement home are currently museums operated by the National Park Service.

Tidbits

His son, John Quincy, was the first President to be photographed.

In his diaries, he painted unflattering portraits of his fellow signers:

Benjamin Harrison: “An indolent, luxurious, heavy gentleman, of no use in Congress or committee, but a great embarrassment to both.”

Thomas Nelson Jr: “a fat man, a speaker, and alert and lively for his weight.”

Edward Rutledge: “a perfect Bob-o’ Lincoln, a swallow, a sparrow, a peacock; excessively vain, excessively weak, and excessively variable and unsteady; jejune, inane, and puerile.”

Benjamin Franklin: “He was a master of that infantine simplicity which the French call naivet but never fails to charm.”

[1] McCullough, David. "John Adams and the Pursuit of Happiness." USA Today Magazine 136, (July 2007): 23

[2] Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D'Agnese. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of The Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia: Quirk Book, 2009) 27

[3] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, N.C.; London: McFarland, 2003) 8

[4]McCullough, David. "John Adams and the Pursuit of Happiness." USA Today Magazine 136, (July 2007): 24

[5] Olson, James. "(Archived) Olson Essay on Nabby Adams." September 30, 2002. http://www.shsu.edu/~pin_www/T@S/2002/NabbyAdamsEssay.html.

[6] It was called an accidental drowning

[7] His cause of death is unknown

[8] Carson, Steven Lee. "The Adams Family" American History 41, no. 6 (February 2007), 30.

[9] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference, (Jefferson, N.C.; London: McFarland, 2003)

[10] McGlone, Robert E. "Deciphering memory: John Adams and the authorship of the Declaration of Independence" Journal of American History 85, no. 2 (September 1998), 411

[11] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, N.C.; London: McFarland, 2003) 10.

[12] http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers‑by‑state/

[13] McCullough, David. "John Adams and the Pursuit of Happiness" USA Today Magazine 136, (July 2007): P. 24

[14] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference, (Jefferson, N.C.; London: McFarland, 2003) 

[15] The 11^th amendment would change the way candidates were elected to office. Once passed the candidates for President and Vice-President would appear on one ticket so as to not have two different parties in power on the executive level.

[16] McCullough, David. "John Adams and the Pursuit of Happiness" USA Today Magazine 136, (July 2007): P. 25