JOHN ADAMS Second President of the United States Born in 1735 - Died July 4, 1826 Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web gardenofpraise.com

John Adams was born in Massachusetts, the son of a farmer. He enjoyed farming and hunting while he was growing up.

His father taught him to read when he was very young, then he attended school and entered Harvard on a scholarship when he was fifteen years old and graduated when he was twenty. Harvard at that time consisted of four buildings and a faculty of twelve. While he was in college he began to keep a diary. It was very small, about the size of your hand. His handwriting was so tiny you would need a magnifying glass to read the words.

After graduation he became a schoolmaster. Sometimes he would select a bright student to teach the class, and he would sit back and read or write. He soon tired of teaching and decided to start studying to become a lawyer.

When he was twenty-eight he married Abigail Smith, who was his third cousin. She was nineteen years old. They had a long and successful marriage. They had four children. One of their sons, John Quincy Adams, would later become President. Abigail was the first First Lady to live in the White House.

Abigail Adams

John suffered from ill health and at one point moved from Boston back to Braintree (Quincy), Masssachusetts, his birthplace. He then began to commute* to work and spent the rest of his time in the country with his family. What a commute it was! Just think how difficult it would be to ride 400 miles on horseback in the middle of winter. Abigail was left at home to take care of things. The couple was separated a total of about ten years while he served his country.

At one time when he was a lawyer, he defended the British soldiers who were put on trial after what was called the Boston Massacre. Some citizens had been killed when the soldiers fired into the crowd. No other lawyer would defend them, but John thought they should have a defender. He risked his career to do it, but it didn't seem to hurt his reputation* .

John Adams accomplished a lot. He served in the Continental Congress. He nominated* George Washington to become commander-in-chief of the Army. He also was the one who chose Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. Significantly, he also got Congress to vote for the Declaration. He was very influential* in the early days of America.

John Adams was a brave person. When he was asked to go to France to enlist their support for the Revolution, he accepted the challenge. He and his 10-year-old son, John Quincy, braved the ocean on the ship "Boston" in the dead of winter. During the voyage they encounted a hurricane, an enemy ship which engaged them in a battle, and a period of calm waters where the ship could not move. They finally made it, and father and son remained in France for about a year.

John Adams served as vice-president to George Washington. During this time he got the Dutch* government to provide large sums of money to finance the Revolution. He wished to be remembered for this act above his other accomplishments.

He served one term as President, then went home to Quincy and remained there for twenty-five years until his death. During this time his wife and his daughter both died.

When he was eighty years old he began writing a 16-volume history of France in the French language. He had taught himself French during the times he was sailing across the Atlantic.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had become rivals and his friend became his enemy. John made the first move to reconcile* , and they became friends again. They wrote letters to each other until their deaths which curiously occurred on the same day, July 4, 1826. John Adams was ninety-one years old.

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A Man Worth Knowing Lecture by David McCullough at Hillsdale College May 2006 John and Abilgail Adams transcript of the film at PBS John Adams from Whitehouse.gov John Adams facts from American President.org POTUS John Adams Adams Family Papers autobiography, diary, letters, etc. President John Adams from Wikipedia Biography of John Adams John Adams Quotes Letters of Mrs. Adams online book of letters written by John Adams' wife The First English Settlements video lesson (Click on the topics "Interactive Media Files", be sure volume is turned up.) The Papers of John Adams from Yale Law School John Adams from Encyclopedia Americana John Adams facts and links from Answers.com John & Abigail Adams American Experience video from PBS At biography.com search for John Adams. Scroll the panel for the "Video & Audio Results".

John Adams By Facts On File When he was a boy, John Adams thought that he would take over his father's farm when he grew up. Instead he became a lawyer. Later, when the American colonies began to fight for freedom from Britain, he got involved in politics. John became a respected leader. He helped to write the Declaration of Independence. He was sent to other countries to get aid for the young country. After the Revolutionary War, John was elected America's first vice president and second president. John loved his country very much. He died on America's 50th birthday.

Abigail Adams, Sower Series By Mott Media, Llc Now and then in the recorded history of America a person comes on the scene who remains for all times an inspiration to Christians. Such a woman was Abigail Adams. A born-again Christian, her whole life was guided by His Word. She was steadfast through fortune and misfortune. As the First Lady she was President John Adams' partner. Many of her precepts helped guide and mold America. Her own son, John Quincy Adams, who she trained up in God's Word was our sixth President. For ages 9 to 13.

From Word Central's Student Dictionary
by Merriam - Webster
(Pronunciation note: the schwa sound is shown by &)

commute
Pronunciation: k&-'myoot
Function: verb
to travel back and forth regularly

reputation
Pronunciation: "rep-y&-'tA-sh&n
Function: noun
overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general

nominate
Pronunciation: 'nahm-&-"nAt
Function: verb
to choose as a candidate for election, appointment, or honor;
especially : to propose for office

influential
Pronunciation: "in-(")floo-'en-ch&l
Function: adjective
having influence

Dutch
Pronunciation: 'd&ch
Function: adjective
of or relating to the Netherlands,
its inhabitants, or their language

reconcile
Pronunciation: 'rek-&n-"sIl
Function: verb
to make friendly again

Biographies in this Series

Presidents of the United States	George Washington 1st U.S. President	John Adams 2nd U.S. President	Thomas Jefferson 3rd U.S.President
	James Monroe 5th U.S. President	Andrew Jackson 7th U.S. President	Abraham Lincoln 16th U.S.President
	Franklin D. Roosevelt 32nd U.S. President	John F. Kennedy 35th U.S. President	James Madison 4th U.S. President
	Theodore Roosevelt 26th U.S. President	Ronald Reagan 40th U.S. President
American Patriots	Benjamin Franklin patriot and statesman	Francis Scott Key Star Spangled Banner	Deborah Sampson woman soldier in the Revolutionary War
World Leaders	Constantine Roman Emperor	Alexander the Great conqueror	Winston Churchill British Prime Minister
Inventors	Alexander Graham Bell telephone	Johann Gutenberg printing press	Cyrus McCormick mechanical reaper
	The Wright Brothers first airplane	Henry Ford Automaker	Thomas A. Edison electric light bulb
	Sequoyah Cherokee alphabet	Nikola Tesla 700 patents	.
Explorers	Christopher Columbus explorer	Meriwether Lewis explorer	Robert Peary Arctic explorer
	John Muir Naturalist	Matthew Henson Arctic Explorer	Sir Edmund Hillary Mr.Everest
	Kit Carson Indian agent	"Johnny Appleseed" orchardist	.
Women who made a difference	Clara Barton founder of the Red Cross	Helen Keller overcame blindness & deafness	Florence Nightingale founder of nursing profession
	Joan of Arc religious and military leader	Amelia Earhart Aviator	Annie Oakley sharpshooter
	Susan B. Anthony Suffragette	Elizabeth Keckly Seamstress	Harriet Tubman deliverer of slaves
	Anne Frank Diarist	Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian	.
Scientists	George Washington Carver botanist and educator	Sir Isaac Newton explained gravity and properties of light	Marie Curie scientist, physicist
	Louis Pasteur Biologist	Albert Einstein physicist, genius	Galileo Astronomer, physicist
	Lise Meitner Physicist	.	.
Educators	Noah Webster writer of dictionary	Booker T. Washington leader and educator	Aristotle Greek philosopher
Physicians	Hippocrates father of medicine	Walter Reed discovered cause of yellow fever	Albert Schweitzer humanitarian
Religious Leaders	Increase Mather Salem witch trials	.
Athletes	Lou Gehrig baseball player	Wilma Rudolph Olympic gold medal winner	Tiger Woods golfer
	Michael Phelps Olympic swimmer	.	.
Civil Rights Leaders	Martin Luther King civil rights leader	Rosa Parks bus desegregation	Sojourner Truth Former slave
	Frederick Douglass Abolitionist	Mary Ann Shadd Cary Civil rights leader	James Forten Inventor, abolitionist
Composers	Beethoven composer
Artists	John James Audubon artist and naturalist	Gutzon Borglum sculptor, Mount Rushmore	Ansel Adams photographer

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