Analysing the life of the Presidents (Part 2) John Adams,Old Sink or Swim
Analysing the life of the Presidents (Part 2) John Adams,Old Sink or Swim
John Adams was born on October 30 1735 to John Adams Sr and Susanna Boylston (and two other brothers),in Braintree Massachusetts, his family was in MA since his great-great grandfather,Henry Adams came from England~ 1638,his mom was from a leading medical family in present-day Brookline and his dad was a deacon in the Congregational Church,he was also a farmer,a cordwainer (made shoes),and a lieutenant in the milita,John often praised his father and their close relationship.
His formal education began at age six (1741~1742),at a dame school,conducted at a teacher’s home and centered on The New England Printer.
He then attended Braintree Latin School under Joseph Cleverly, where studies included Latin, rhetoric, logic, and arithmetic.
At 16,in 1751,he went to Harvard,studying under Joseph Mayhew (Chief Justice of Dukes County at one point).
As an adult he was a keen scholars,studying the works of Thucydides,Plato,Cicero and Tacitus.
He graduated in 1755,with an A Bachelor of Arts degree,even if his father expected him to be a minister,he taught school for some time in Worcester.
When the French and Indian War began in 1754, Adams, aged nineteen, felt guilty he was the first in his family not to be a militia officer; he said “I longed more ardently to be a Soldier than I ever did to be a Lawyer”.
This is gonna be one of the controversial parts of his life……In 1759,Adams aged,24-25,met Abigail Smith,his third cousin,who was also 15,through his friend who was courting Abigail’s older sister,Adams initially was not impressed with Abigail and her two sisters, writing that they were not “fond, nor frank, nor candid”,they still married on October 25 1764,and had 6 children throughout their life:Abigail “Nabby” in 1765,John Quincy in 1767,Susanna in 1768 (who died at 1),Charles in 1770,Thomas in 1772,and Elizabeth in 1777 (who was a stillborn).
James Otir’s Jr (early patriot) 1761 arguments against the British writs of assistance inspired Adams to the cause of the American Colonies,and in 1763,he began writing essays (7 in total), under the pseudonym “Humphrey Ploughjogger”,where he ridiculed the MA colonial elite and their selfish thirst for power.
Adams authored the “Braintree Instructions” in 1765, in a letter sent to the representatives of Braintree,where he argued against the Stamp Act,saying it should be opposed since it denied two fundamental rights guaranteed to all Englishmen (and which all free men deserved): to be taxed only by consent and to be tried by a jury of one’s peers,and in 1766,he was elected as selectman of Braintree,while he was opposed to the act,he refused to act in mob actions/public demonstrations,it was repealed that year.
Adams moved his family to Boston in April 1768 to focus on his law practice. The family rented a house on Brattle Street that was known locally as the “White House”,then moved again to Cold Lane in 1769, later they moved again to a larger house in Brattle Square in the center of the city,in 1768,he defended John Hancock (THAT John Hancock) who was accused of violating British acts of trade in the Liberty Affair,and won,and became Boston’s most prominent lawyer.
Then the Townshend Act was passed in 1767,it revived tensions and increase in mob violence which led the British to send more troops to the colonies,and on March 5 1770,a mob came to a British soldier,8 more soldiers came as back-up,they had several things thrown at them and……they fired,killing 5 in what became known as The Boston Massacre.
And Adams agreed to defend the soldiers (who were now accused of the murders),the trial of Thomas Preston (the captain) began on October 24 and ended with him escaping any charges because it was impossible to prove that he had ordered his soldiers to fire,the trial of the others began in December 1770,when Adams made his famed argument regarding jury decisions: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”.
Adams won an acquittal for six of the soldiers. Two, who had fired directly into the crowd, were convicted of manslaughter. Adams was paid a small sum by his clients,this showed that he was a man of the law.
In 1772,John Adams, Samuel, and Joseph Hawley drafted a resolution adopted by the House of Representatives threatening independence as an alternative to tyranny,on December 16 1773,The Boston Tea Party occurred and Adams absolutely loved it.
In 1774,Adams served as one of four delegates at The First Continental Congress,after l the instigation of Samuel Adams,his own cousin,there,Adams acted as a bridge between the Conservative and Radical Founding Fathers and helped engineer a compromise between them which lead to the Suffolk Resolves getting passed on September 9 1774,and the Congress disbanding in October 1774.
In 1775,the Revolutionary War started and while Abigail was busy being a legend on her own,John Adams was doing other stuff,in 1776,he wrote Thoughts on the Government which laid out an influential framework for republican constitutions.
He was one of the main writers of the Declaration of Independence and on July 4 1776,it was ratified (and signed on August 2 1776).
Later in the late 1770s,he and Ben Franklin were diplomats to France to get the French to go to war,and it worked,later he served as Ambassador to the Dutch,and helped negociate the Treaty of Paris that was signed on September 3 1783.
After the war,he served as Ambassador to the UK and met with King George III,on June 1 1785,they had a cordial meeting,and it went very well.
In 1788-1789,he was elected to serve as Washington’s VP and on April 21 1789,he became the 1st VP,as VP,he served a minor role,attending very few cabinet meetings and Washington not consulting him that often,he did not like the job,he did cast 29 tie-breaking votes,one of those votes was to not move the US capitol and keep it in New York.
When the French Revolution began,he criticised the revolutionaries and Washington finally consulted more often but near the end of his presidency.
He was accused of surrendering American honor to a tyrannical monarchy and of turning his back on the French Republic.
When the John Jay came with a treaty,Adams urged Washington to sign it to prevent war with the UK.
And in 1796,Adams won,an election against Thomas Jefferson……who became his VP.
On March 4 1797,he was sworn in as the 2nd President,these are some of the most important things that he did:
Failed Peace Commission with France.
The XYZ affair.
The Quasy War,and how he ended it with the Convention of 1800,establishing relations again between the US and France.
The Fries’ Rebellion after the Direct Tax of 1798 was passed.
But his biggest mistake are The Alien and Sedition Acts,which was bad for freedom of speech,Adams probably signed it as he thought it was for good,John Adams was not an evil man,in fact,he never owned slaves,and spoke both privately and publicly against in,but only supported abolitionism if it was cautiously done.
On the personal side,he was fighting with Charles constantly on alcoholism,Charles died from that on November 30 1800,and it shattered Adams and Abigail.
That same month,Jefferson won the election and Adams departed the White House (first president to reside there) on March 4 1801.
He retirned to Peacefield,Quincy (named after his grandfather in law), MA,to farming,he stayed quiet at first on public matters,then in 1809,he began to release old letters,joined the Democratic Republicans around that time,began correspondence with Jefferson/became friends again,supported the War of 1812.
But then tragedy struck with his daughter Abigail “Nabby” Adams died in 1813 from breast cancer and then Abigail herself died on October 28 1818,where he noted ““I wish I could lay down beside her and die too.”,she died 2 days before his birthday.
Was visited by Marquis de Lafayette (date unknown).
He also watched as his son and current Secretary of State,John Quincy Adams won the election after the results were confirmed in February 1825 he said ““No man who ever held the office of President would congratulate a friend on obtaining it.”
John Adams died at 90,of a heart attack on July 4 1826 at ~6:20 PM,the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,his last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives”……he died earlier that day but that’s a story for later,he was the oldest president for 150+ years.
John and Abigail Adams’s crypt at United First Parish Church in Quincy also contains the bodies of John Quincy and Louisa Adams.
(His nickname,Old Sink or Swim,comes from a speech where he said he will sink or swim with his nation).
John Adams did some controversial stuff,but they were never in bad intentions,I think,he was never an evil mad,and certainly had his morals,he wasn’t perfect,no one is,but he was a man of the law.
Analysing the life of the Presidents (Part 2) John Adams,Old Sink or Swim
John Adams was born on October 30 1735 to John Adams Sr and Susanna Boylston (and two other brothers),in Braintree Massachusetts, his family was in MA since his great-great grandfather,Henry Adams came from England~ 1638,his mom was from a leading medical family in present-day Brookline and his dad was a deacon in the Congregational Church,he was also a farmer,a cordwainer (made shoes),and a lieutenant in the milita,John often praised his father and their close relationship.
His formal education began at age six (1741~1742),at a dame school,conducted at a teacher’s home and centered on The New England Printer.
He then attended Braintree Latin School under Joseph Cleverly, where studies included Latin, rhetoric, logic, and arithmetic.
At 16,in 1751,he went to Harvard,studying under Joseph Mayhew (Chief Justice of Dukes County at one point).
As an adult he was a keen scholars,studying the works of Thucydides,Plato,Cicero and Tacitus.
He graduated in 1755,with an A Bachelor of Arts degree,even if his father expected him to be a minister,he taught school for some time in Worcester.
When the French and Indian War began in 1754, Adams, aged nineteen, felt guilty he was the first in his family not to be a militia officer; he said “I longed more ardently to be a Soldier than I ever did to be a Lawyer”.
This is gonna be one of the controversial parts of his life……In 1759,Adams aged,24-25,met Abigail Smith,his third cousin,who was also 15,through his friend who was courting Abigail’s older sister,Adams initially was not impressed with Abigail and her two sisters, writing that they were not “fond, nor frank, nor candid”,they still married on October 25 1764,and had 6 children throughout their life:Abigail “Nabby” in 1765,John Quincy in 1767,Susanna in 1768 (who died at 1),Charles in 1770,Thomas in 1772,and Elizabeth in 1777 (who was a stillborn).
James Otir’s Jr (early patriot) 1761 arguments against the British writs of assistance inspired Adams to the cause of the American Colonies,and in 1763,he began writing essays (7 in total), under the pseudonym “Humphrey Ploughjogger”,where he ridiculed the MA colonial elite and their selfish thirst for power.
Adams authored the “Braintree Instructions” in 1765, in a letter sent to the representatives of Braintree,where he argued against the Stamp Act,saying it should be opposed since it denied two fundamental rights guaranteed to all Englishmen (and which all free men deserved): to be taxed only by consent and to be tried by a jury of one’s peers,and in 1766,he was elected as selectman of Braintree,while he was opposed to the act,he refused to act in mob actions/public demonstrations,it was repealed that year.
Adams moved his family to Boston in April 1768 to focus on his law practice. The family rented a house on Brattle Street that was known locally as the “White House”,then moved again to Cold Lane in 1769, later they moved again to a larger house in Brattle Square in the center of the city,in 1768,he defended John Hancock (THAT John Hancock) who was accused of violating British acts of trade in the Liberty Affair,and won,and became Boston’s most prominent lawyer.
Then the Townshend Act was passed in 1767,it revived tensions and increase in mob violence which led the British to send more troops to the colonies,and on March 5 1770,a mob came to a British soldier,8 more soldiers came as back-up,they had several things thrown at them and……they fired,killing 5 in what became known as The Boston Massacre.
And Adams agreed to defend the soldiers (who were now accused of the murders),the trial of Thomas Preston (the captain) began on October 24 and ended with him escaping any charges because it was impossible to prove that he had ordered his soldiers to fire,the trial of the others began in December 1770,when Adams made his famed argument regarding jury decisions: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”.
Adams won an acquittal for six of the soldiers. Two, who had fired directly into the crowd, were convicted of manslaughter. Adams was paid a small sum by his clients,this showed that he was a man of the law.
In 1772,John Adams, Samuel, and Joseph Hawley drafted a resolution adopted by the House of Representatives threatening independence as an alternative to tyranny,on December 16 1773,The Boston Tea Party occurred and Adams absolutely loved it.
In 1774,Adams served as one of four delegates at The First Continental Congress,after l the instigation of Samuel Adams,his own cousin,there,Adams acted as a bridge between the Conservative and Radical Founding Fathers and helped engineer a compromise between them which lead to the Suffolk Resolves getting passed on September 9 1774,and the Congress disbanding in October 1774.
In 1775,the Revolutionary War started and while Abigail was busy being a legend on her own,John Adams was doing other stuff,in 1776,he wrote Thoughts on the Government which laid out an influential framework for republican constitutions.
He was one of the main writers of the Declaration of Independence and on July 4 1776,it was ratified (and signed on August 2 1776).
Later in the late 1770s,he and Ben Franklin were diplomats to France to get the French to go to war,and it worked,later he served as Ambassador to the Dutch,and helped negociate the Treaty of Paris that was signed on September 3 1783.
After the war,he served as Ambassador to the UK and met with King George III,on June 1 1785,they had a cordial meeting,and it went very well.
In 1788-1789,he was elected to serve as Washington’s VP and on April 21 1789,he became the 1st VP,as VP,he served a minor role,attending very few cabinet meetings and Washington not consulting him that often,he did not like the job,he did cast 29 tie-breaking votes,one of those votes was to not move the US capitol and keep it in New York.
When the French Revolution began,he criticised the revolutionaries and Washington finally consulted more often but near the end of his presidency.
He was accused of surrendering American honor to a tyrannical monarchy and of turning his back on the French Republic.
When the John Jay came with a treaty,Adams urged Washington to sign it to prevent war with the UK.
And in 1796,Adams won,an election against Thomas Jefferson……who became his VP.
On March 4 1797,he was sworn in as the 2nd President,these are some of the most important things that he did:
Failed Peace Commission with France.
The XYZ affair.
The Quasy War,and how he ended it with the Convention of 1800,establishing relations again between the US and France.
The Fries’ Rebellion after the Direct Tax of 1798 was passed.
But his biggest mistake are The Alien and Sedition Acts,which was bad for freedom of speech,Adams probably signed it as he thought it was for good,John Adams was not an evil man,in fact,he never owned slaves,and spoke both privately and publicly against in,but only supported abolitionism if it was cautiously done.
On the personal side,he was fighting with Charles constantly on alcoholism,Charles died from that on November 30 1800,and it shattered Adams and Abigail.
That same month,Jefferson won the election and Adams departed the White House (first president to reside there) on March 4 1801.
He retirned to Peacefield,Quincy (named after his grandfather in law), MA,to farming,he stayed quiet at first on public matters,then in 1809,he began to release old letters,joined the Democratic Republicans around that time,began correspondence with Jefferson/became friends again,supported the War of 1812.
But then tragedy struck with his daughter Abigail “Nabby” Adams died in 1813 from breast cancer and then Abigail herself died on October 28 1818,where he noted ““I wish I could lay down beside her and die too.”,she died 2 days before his birthday.
Was visited by Marquis de Lafayette (date unknown).
He also watched as his son and current Secretary of State,John Quincy Adams won the election after the results were confirmed in February 1825 he said ““No man who ever held the office of President would congratulate a friend on obtaining it.”
John Adams died at 90,of a heart attack on July 4 1826 at ~6:20 PM,the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,his last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives”……he died earlier that day but that’s a story for later,he was the oldest president for 150+ years.
John and Abigail Adams’s crypt at United First Parish Church in Quincy also contains the bodies of John Quincy and Louisa Adams.
(His nickname,Old Sink or Swim,comes from a speech where he said he will sink or swim with his nation).
John Adams did some controversial stuff,but they were never in bad intentions,I think,he was never an evil mad,and certainly had his morals,he wasn’t perfect,no one is,but he was a man of the law.