 JOHN ADAMS
Second President of the United States
|
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.
Abigail Adams
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.
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.
A frequent question: "Who wrote this biography and when was it written?" Look on this Reference Citations Chart.
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
Information about John Adams
(Look in the box top left) at Humanities Web
Adams Family Papers
autobiography, diary, letters, etc.
President John Adams
from Wikipedia
Biography of John Adams
The Works of John Adams
online book
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
facts and links from Answers.com
Whitehouse 101
fun facts about the presidents
At biography.com search for John Adams.
Scroll the panel for the "Video & Audio Results".
John Adams
By Jennifer Blizin Gillis / Heinemann Raintree School Supply
The second president of the United States, this biography of John Adams spans his lifetime. Concentrating on the work he did to make life better for himself and other Americans, students are asked to imagine what his life must have been like. This book includes bullets, captions, fact box/side bar, maps, a primary source, and timeline. 32 pages, paperback. Grade 3.
Heroes of History: John Adams, Independence Forever
By Janet əamp; Geoff Benge / Emerald Books
With consistent historical depth and an engaging narrative style, Heroes of History chronicles the remarkable true stories of fascinating men and women who changed the course of history. Examines the childhood, marriage, family life, and political career of the American patriot who served his country as a representative to the Continental Congress, ambassador to Great Britian and second president of the United States.
Abigail Adams: Triangle Histories Series
By Kate Davis / Blackbirch Press
In battle or behind the scenes, the heroic personalities during the American Revolution are still remembered today for their contributions to our modern freedom. Though each title in the Triangle Histories Series is perfectly capable of standing alone, each book is designed to intertwine itself with others, presenting a much broader understanding of the Revolutionary War. Gain a new perspective on Abigail Adams as you read of her early life as a rarely educated woman and how her insight and wisdom greatly influenced the laws and contstruction of our new nation. Her letters that were written to eminent wives of the day are still greatly valued today for what they tell us not only of her own life, but as a first hand, respected opinion on the development of America. Full-color photos, summary and index included. 104 pages, hardcover.
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 ə)
commute
Pronunciation: kə-'myoot
Function: verb
to travel back and forth regularly
reputation
Pronunciation: "rep-yə-'tA-shən
Function: noun
overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general
nominate
Pronunciation: 'nahm-ə-"nAt
Function: verb
to choose as a candidate for election, appointment, or honor;
especially : to propose for office
influential
Pronunciation: "in-(")floo-'en-chəl
Function: adjective
having influence
Dutch
Pronunciation: 'dəch
Function: adjective
of or relating to the Netherlands,
its inhabitants, or their language
reconcile
Pronunciation: 'rek-ən-"sIl
Function: verb
to make friendly again
Page Comments
Most Recent Comments ( See more comments on this page ) 2009-11-16
The lithograph of Abigail Adams that is attached to this page is misidentified. The woman shown is another First Lady, and judging by the hairstyle & clothing, from the late Victorian era. And lithographs were not invented in Abigail Adams' time.
Shandra Duval (shandra_duval_AT_hotmail_DOT_com)
Leave a Comment View all Comments
Biographies in this Series
Reference citations information for these biographies
Home
Back to Famous Leaders
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Abigail Adams image courtesy of unforth at Flickr.
Puzzles on these pages courtesy of
Songs of Praise and Armored Penguin
Work a Jigsaw Puzzle
Online Crossword Puzzle 
Online Word Search
Online Word Scramble
Color Picture Online
Take the Test Online
Online Jeopardy 
