The Second President Of The U.S. (1797-1801)

“The liberty of men cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.”

     John Adams played an important role in the creation of the Constitution of The United States and was one of the founding fathers of the nation. He was born on October 30th, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts and was a direct descendant of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He attended Harvard University and graduated with a Masters in law against his fathers wishes. Before being voted onto the first Continental Congress, he acted as a lawyer for the eight soldiers carried out what is now known as the Boston Massacre. He also contributed in the second Continental Congress and acted as an ambassador in Europe for some time. He was most definitely an influential man at the time and his legacy has only grown as time passes.

     John Adams was a die-hard federalist that believed in a strong central government instead of stronger state powers. His time in Europe may have influenced his thinking since all of the countries in Europe at the time had a strong central government. This may also be a reason why John Adams and the federalist party urged the new U.S. to have good relations with Britain.

I feel that if Adams had won his second election, he may have been remembered for more than he is today. He lost a lot of popularity at the time by signing the Alien and Sedition Acts, which many people argued where unconstitutional and oppressive. He prided himself in never being swayed by public opinion, and always did whatever he felt was the right thing to do.

A few years ago, HBO ran a miniseries about him called “John Adams” that showed his life and his legacy. An important fact that they included in the show as well was how he defended the soldiers associated with the Boston Massacre. Although many people disliked Adams for this at the time, I agree that ultimately it makes him seem like a fair and just man. I agree that everyone deserves a lawyer and the fact that he was able to save six of the soldiers from death proves that his argument was valid. Although he was stubborn and listened to no one, he played an influential role in winning U.S. independence from Britain and helping create the new nation.

http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-adams