John Adams - Interesting Tidbits

So often we see biographies of historical people that present the usual facts about a person's life but leave little to the imagination. What I mean by that is the writings are uninteresting and incapable of letting an individual relate to that person. I myself have written just such papers but I have also authored papers that included interesting facts and tidbits about an individual.

Now John Adams isn't the most personable or interesting character in American history, a fact that even he acknowledged but he was one of the most fervent patriots for the American Cause so let’s learn a little more about this man who left a lasting impact on the United States.

John Adams was born in Braintree, MA which is now known as Quincy. He is related to some Mayflower passengers and both sides of his family were Puritans. His family could not afford to send him to Harvard so he went there on scholarship - I mean how many of us can relate to having to use scholarships for our college education!

His first job was as a teacher, but he abhorred it! He would write "instructing a large number of runtlings incapable of lisping A, B, C, and troubling the master" was more than he could manage. In this day and age many people say similar statements which is why we have a shortage of teachers.

He married his cousin Abigail Smith and together they would have one of the longest marriages in Presidential History. They held that record until Gerald Ford and his wife Betty broke it. She was an honorable woman who could handle him most effectively and was his partner in life who understood politics, managed the family finances, and raised the children while he pursued his legal and political career. John Adams would lose a child to cancer - his daughter Nabby died of breast cancer. Many of us today can relate to a family member dying of that dreadful disease.

Like many of us who get into politics, it was a specific piece of legislation that prompted his entry - the Stamp Act. From there he along with his cousin Samuel Adams would lead the patriot cause in New England and ultimately the establishment of the United States. While most of us will never reach such dizzying heights, it is well worth noting that it started over a piece of legislation.

He had a falling out with a close friend - well it happened over several years and a messy election - Thomas Jefferson, but through the help of another friend, Benjamin Rush, they are brought back together. That renewal of this friendship brings about a wealth of correspondence that gives us an insight on their views. How many of us can relate to having a falling out with friends and then rekindling a friendship with the help of others?

He was a pessimist most of his life but during the last 25 years he was alive, he became an optimist in the face of many heartbreaks such as the loss of some of his children and beloved wife. He became fat as he got older, lost hair and teeth and was very opinionated - how many older folks do we know that this has happened to?

So, the next time you're looking at a portrait of one of our Founding Fathers and think wow I could never be like that, think again! Even with all of one's faults, aspirations, hardships, triumphs, and education levels you can live an interesting and productive life! Our Founding Fathers and other historical figures are far more relatable than we know.

Suggested reading: David McCullough's John Adams biography.