John Adams (president of the United States)

Biography

Adams is born on October 30th, 1735 in Quincy, Massachusetts. His/her father is a downward farmer of English emigrants about 1636.

He obtains his diploma of the university of Harvard in 1755. He begins in teaching while studying the right to the study of Rufus Putnam. In 1758 it is allowed with the bar.

Political career

Adams is impassioned by the right and the drafting of legal memories. Its opinions on the tax laws, Stamp Act of 1765, point out it and its influence becomes important within the Whig Party of which he is president.

In 1768 it is established in Boston and two years later, on March 5th, 1770, it shows moral courage by defending the officer and the seven British soldiers accused of died of 5 colonists during the “Massacre of Boston”. Its courageous and patriotic control enables him to be elected appointed of Massachusetts.

He is member of the continental Congress of 1774 to 1778. In 1775 it supports the union of the colonies and approves the nomination of Washington as a Head of State major. Its influence with the Congress is important and, almost from the beginning, it supports separation between the colonies and the Great Britain. In 1775 the Congress creates the first of a series of commissions to the naval businesses. Adams is the burning defender of the American navy of which he is often regarded as the father.

In 1776 it approves the famous resolution introduced by R.H. Lee on the right of the colonies to be free and independent and it is named on June 11th, like Jefferson, Franklin, Livingston and Sherman, at the Editorial board of the Declaration of independence.

In 1777 it is named Ambassador plenipotentiary to negotiate a trade and peace treaty with Great Britain. Contrary to its instructions it treats directly with the British representatives without referring about it to the allied French government. He particularly seeks to obtain fishing rights on the Anglo-American coasts. Taking into account the favorable political climate it obtains particularly interesting conditions. It is sent to the Netherlands where it obtains the recognition of the United States as an independent government and it negotiates the peace treaty and of trade who follows that signed in 1778 with France.

In 1785 it is named ambassador at Great Britain. Presented to the king George III who says to include/understand her mistrust towards the French government he answers him: “I must affirm with your majesty that my only honesty is towards my own country”, a sentence which had particularly to irritate the sovereign.

He publishes a book on the Constitution of the United States where he tackles the ideas of those which defend the central governments. However he is not particularly appreciated his fellow-citizens because of his ideas on “the rich person, the good and the able ones” who must receive a special place in the National Assemblies. It is probably the reason for which it receives only part of the voices of the Great Electors at the time of the first presidential election, in 1788, where it is elected with the vice-presidency (George Washington is elected president) and it takes its functions on April 21st, 1789. The two men are re-elected in the same functions in 1792.

George Washington refuses to be presented for a third mandate and, on November 3rd, 1796, Adams president vis-a-vis Thomas Jefferson is elected, which becomes its vice-president.

Presidency

1797

March 4th: nomination of John Adams as a second president of the United States.

1798

June 25th: Vote law authorizing the president to off-set the foreigners declared dangerous.

July 11th: Adams signs the law creating the Marine Body, the landing troops of the American Navy.

July 14th: Vote law prohibiting to write, publish or utter false or abusive remarks with regard to the president or of the government.

1800

November 1st: Adams and his wife settle in Washington in the presidential palace which will only take the name of “White House” well later.

Foreign politics

Because of the assistance brought by France during the war of Independence of the United States the latter were to support France in the event of conflict with Great Britain (treated of Paris). December 24th 1796, Victor Hugues, governor of the Guadeloupe on behalf of France, takes a decree against the American ships. This decree was justified by the fact that certain Americans, for pecuniary compensation, allowed the British, in war with France, to use the American house to approach the French islands of the Antilles. This decree authorizes the corsairs Inhabitants of Guadeloupe to attack the American ships.

The corsairs Inhabitants of Guadeloupe, ex-slaves recently released by the abolition of the 16 pluviôse year II, many and intrepid, had just released the archipelago Inhabitant of Guadeloupe and Holy Lucie of the British presence.

March 2nd 1797, the Directory authorizes in its turn the French ships to attack the American boats.

Against the aggressions of these corsairs, on July 7th 1798, the Congress of the United States votes a law which unties the United States of their obligations to the égart of France. Moreover, John Adams is brought to create a first navy of American War, and to make permanent the body of the " marines" , already appeared during the war of independence.

This episode, known under the name of " Quasi war " , saw naval battles between France (Guadeloupe primarily) and the United States (which estimated their losses in the ships and cargoes for a value of 20 franc million of the time). Napoleon puts an end in this state of war by the convention of Dead Fountain, on October 2nd 1800.

Interior policy

The mandate of Adams is marked by the passage of the law on the “foreigners and the sedition” which will bring discredit upon its party. This law is a consequence of the foreign politics of the United States which, at that time, is taken in the swirl of the European complications and Adams, instead of taking part in the tournaments, deals with strengthening peace with France against the opinion of Hamilton and its friends.

Policy partisane

Being the second president, Adams is brought, like Washington to create precedents. It tries to have an apolitical government and only comes to anything to give the control of the federalistic Party to Alexander Hamilton and that of the Party democrat-republican in Thomas Jefferson who is his rival and vice-president besides because at that time the electoral rules gives the two stations to the men who obtained the greatest number of voices. Moreover of the internal quarrels burst and Adams and Hamilton do not get along any more, of the members of its cabinet going until seeking their orders near the second.

In 1800 Adams is again the candidate of the Fédéraliste party to the elections but the absence of confidence within its own party and the popular feeling opposed the laws “abroad and sedition” involve the victory of its competitor Thomas Jefferson.

Reprocess

After its defeat with the election of 1800, Adams is withdrawn in its native State, Massachusetts, where he died on July 4th, 1826.

Anecdotes

Adams is not a born leader but a lawyer and it is rather as a constitutionnalist that it took part in the events of the war of independence.

Adams is the first vice-president who becomes president.

October 25th, 1764 he marries Abigail Smith, the girl of Pasteur. It is a gifted woman and its letters, written as excellent English, are of a great interest for the people who study this period. Their oldest son John Quincy Adams, will become him also president.

Adams dies the birthday day of the declaration of independence and, coincidence, the same day as Jefferson, his/her friend and rival political. The news not having come from him, its last words will be: “Jefferson is always in life”

Quotations

The government of the United States is not in any manner founded on the Christian religion; it does not have any enmity towards the law, the religion or the peace of the Moslems.

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