Alyssa Vargas
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Mrs. Conley
English 1 Pre AP, p.5
Early Political Leader, Late President
John Adams was a political leader of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries. He was also one of the Founding Fathers and a signer of the Declaration of
Independence. He was the second president, from 1797 to 1801, after George
Washington. He was born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1735. A Harvard-educated
lawyer, he early became identified with the patriot cause; a delegate to the First and
Second Continental Congresses, he led in the movement for independence. Adams's
presidency was marked by diplomatic challenges, in which he avoided war with France.
The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed while he was president. People thought of him
as, “One of the most important and often neglected Founders of the American Republic.”
He made huge contributions to American society, yet received little notoriety for it. His
actions are often overlooked on account of being only the second President of the United
States.
Adams' resuscitation rests rightly on his indispensable contributions to American
independence and the constitutional government that followed. What makes him
especially attractive to current historians is his unambiguous opposition to slavery, which
contrasts sharply with Thomas Jefferson, usually the most lauded (after Washington) of
the early American Presidents. Although not a member of the Congress that drew up the
Constitution in 1787, Adams nevertheless played a significant role. He had been a major
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architect of the Massachusetts State Constitution that served, more than any other
American document, as a model for the U.S. Constitution. We must have, he declared, a
"government of laws" and not of men. He knew that the country should not be run by
opinions of single men in power, but by many men’s agreement on individual laws.
Adams’ most controversial presidential action occurred in 1798 when he signed
the Alien and Sedition Acts. This authorized fines and imprisonment for critics of the
government. They were described as "the most reprehensible acts of his presidency," but
they must be considered in the context of their time when war with France threatened.
Indeed, French spies and agents abounded in Philadelphia, and even George Washington
privately said that some publications were long overdue punishment for their lies and
unprovoked attacks on the leaders of the republic. Adams described the Alien and
Sedition Acts as "war" measures and the majority of Congress and most of the country
agreed with him.
Learned and thoughtful, John Adams was more remarkable as a political
philosopher than as a politician. "People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity,"
he said, doubtless thinking of his own as well as the American experience. Adams' two
terms as Vice President were frustrating experiences for a man of his vigor, intellect, and
vanity. He complained to his wife Abigail, "My country has in its wisdom contrived for
me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his
imagination conceived." Adams was clearly frustrated with his country and its unfit
leaders. When Adams became President, the war between the French and British was
causing great difficulties for the United States on the high seas and intense partisanship
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among contending factions within the Nation. Despite these problems, President Adams
did not call for a declaration of war, but hostilities began at sea. At first, American
shipping was almost defenseless against French privateers, but by 1800 armed
merchantmen and U.S. warships were clearing the sea-lanes. Thus war fever subsided.
Word came to Adams that France also had no stomach for war and would receive an
envoy with respect. Long negotiations ended the quasi war.
The Adams presidency was characterized by continuing crises in foreign policy,
which dramatically affected affairs at home. Suspicious of the French Revolution and its
potential for terror and anarchy, Adams opposed close ties with France. Relations
between America and France deteriorated to the brink of war, allowing Adams to justify
his signing of the extremely controversial Alien and Sedition Acts. Drafted by Federalist
lawmakers, these four laws were largely aimed at immigrants, who tended to become
Republicans. Furious over Adams's foreign policy and his signing of the Alien and
Sedition Acts, Republicans responded with the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions,
which challenged the legitimacy of federal authority over the states. Republicans were
equally incensed by the heavy taxation necessary for Adams's military buildup; farmers
in Pennsylvania staged Fries's Rebellion in protest. At the same time, Adams faced
disunity in his own party due to conflict with Hamilton over the undeclared naval war
with France. This rivalry with Hamilton and the Federalist Party cost Adams the 1800
election. He lost to Thomas Jefferson, who was backed by the united and far more
organized Republicans. John Adams sacrificed his family life for his political one,
spending much of his time separated from his wife, Abigail Adams, and their children.
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John Quincy Adams, Adams's son, grew up to become the sixth President of the United
States. Interestingly, he joined the opposition party, the Democratic-Republicans. Adams
was able to avoid war with France, arguing against Hamilton that war should be a last
resort to diplomacy. In this argument, the President won the nation the respect of its most
powerful adversaries. Although Adams was fiercely criticized for signing the Alien and
Sedition Acts, he never advocated their passage nor personally implemented them. Seen
in this light, Adams's legacy is one of reason, virtuous leadership, compassion, and a
cautious but vigorous foreign policy. At the same time, Adams's stubborn independence
left him politically isolated.
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Works Cited
"Adams, John." The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. 01 Dec. 2002. eLibrary. Web. 03
Jun. 2010.
Edwards, Lee. "The colossus of independence." Human Events. 23 Jul. 2001: 17.
eLibrary. Web. 03 Jun. 2010.
John Adams (White House). Web. 03 Jun. 2010.
Adams_John. Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. 04 Dec. 2000. eLibrary. Web. 03
Jun. 2010.
John Adams (1735-1826). Web. 03 Jun. 2010.