John Adams

John Adams. , Founder and Patriot , John Adams was the second president of the United States. He was also a fierce proponent of American independence, the first American ambassador to Great Britain, and the nation’s first vice president. Born in Braintree, Massachusetts, Adams was the eldest of three children and attended Harvard College in 1755., Adams practiced law in Boston after completing his education. As a lawyer, Adams successfully defended the British soldiers charged in the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, upholding the principle that everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even amid intense public and political pressure. Adams, along with his cousin Samuel, protested British taxation. They also opposed the Intolerable Acts, which were punitive measures designed to punish the Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party. Chosen to represent Massachusetts in the First and Second Continental Congresses in Philadelphia, Adams became one of the most vocal proponents of independence from Great Britain. He was assigned to the Committee of Five and helped Thomas Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence., Adams was one of the most active members of Congress before being sent as a commissioner to France in 1777. When he arrived in Europe, he learned that the French had already signed a treaty of alliance with the Americans. He then traveled to the Netherlands where he served as a diplomat. After the Revolutionary War, Adams was appointed the first American ambassador to Great Britain under the Confederation Congress. He returned to the United States in 1788 after many years abroad and was elected the nation’s first vice president in 1789. After Washington’s refusal to run for a third term, Adams was elected the second president of the United States in 1796., John and Abigail Adams lived here in the President’s House for the majority of his presidency before moving to Washington, D.C. in 1800 to live at the newly constructed White House. When he attempted to run for a second term in 1800, Adams lost to his vice president and political rival, Thomas Jefferson. Adams retired to private life in Quincy (renamed from Braintree), Massachusetts. In his later years, Adams repaired his friendship with Jefferson, and both of them passed away on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.