John Adams stepped into history on April 21, 1789, as the inaugural Vice President of the United States. For twelve formative years, Adams and his wife Abigail diligently followed the burgeoning federal government, as it shifted from New York City to Philadelphia, and ultimately settled in Washington, D.C. This constant relocation, a life in service to their nation, became a defining characteristic of the Adamses’ enduring legacy.
Born in Braintree, Massachusetts, on October 30, 1735, John Adams spent his formative years immersed in the rhythms of family farm life. His education progressed from a local day school to Latin school, culminating in his admission to Harvard College at the age of fifteen. Initially considering a career in ministry, Adams instead pursued teaching before finding his true calling in law. Establishing his legal practice paved the way for his marriage to Abigail Smith in 1764, marking the beginning of a remarkable fifty-year partnership that encompassed raising four children, global travels, and profound mutual support.
Adams’s reputation as a lawyer grew significantly in October 1770 when he bravely defended the British soldiers implicated in the Boston Massacre. Just four years later, he represented Massachusetts at the First Continental Congress. He rapidly rose as a prominent advocate for independence within the Congress, famously nominating George Washington of Virginia to lead the Continental Army. In 1776, he contributed to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, one of many committees, totaling ninety, on which he served.
Recognizing his diplomatic skills, Congress dispatched Adams to France and then the Netherlands in 1778 to secure crucial support for the Revolutionary War. In The Hague, he successfully negotiated a vital loan and opened Dutch trade to the newly forming United States. Alongside Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, Adams played a key role in negotiating the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American independence. During these extensive diplomatic missions, Adams returned to Massachusetts only briefly in 1779, using this time to author the Massachusetts state constitution, which remarkably remains the oldest constitution still in effect in the United States.
From 1781 to 1788, Adams continued his diplomatic service in various significant roles, including becoming the first United States Minister to Great Britain. Following his election as Vice President in 1789, a new chapter began, one marked by eight years largely spent in the shadow of the presidency. As second-in-command to President George Washington, John Adams found himself often excluded from critical cabinet discussions. Despite his role as President of the Senate, his contributions were often dismissed, leading senators to derisively nickname Adams “His Rotundity,” a testament to his perceived lack of influence and perhaps his physical stature. This period as John Adams Vice President was characterized by both its historical significance as the first to hold the office and the personal frustrations Adams endured.
When Washington announced his retirement in 1796, John Adams was elected as the second President of the United States. Throughout their public service, in every city they resided, the Adamses established a formal household, extending hospitality to guests and employing staff to manage their home. Notably, in contrast to many prominent Virginians of the era, Adams did not own enslaved people. Instead, the Adamses employed both white and free African-American workers. However, it’s important to acknowledge the complex reality of the time: while morally and politically opposed to slavery, the Adamses may have participated in practices such as hiring enslaved African Americans through arrangements that paid wages to their owners during their time in the Vice President’s and President’s House.
Learn more about the households of President John Adams
One of President Adams’ initial actions was to attempt to retain Washington’s cabinet, a decision that soon proved problematic. These secretaries, loyal to Alexander Hamilton, often undermined Adams’ foreign policy objectives and even his 1800 reelection campaign. Adams’s presidency was further complicated by the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, which targeted immigrants and political opponents. Despite these challenges, Adams achieved a significant diplomatic victory by averting war with France, a primary goal of his administration. The Treaty of Mortefontaine, signed in 1800, though arriving too late to aid his reelection bid, successfully ended the Quasi-War with France and established peaceful trade relations between the two nations.
Following Thomas Jefferson’s presidential victory in 1800, Adams retired to his home, Peacefield, in Quincy, Massachusetts. For the next quarter-century, he maintained a lively correspondence with friends and family, served as a respected elder statesman in Boston, and experienced immense pride in his eldest son, John Quincy Adams, upon his presidential election in 1824. John Adams passed away on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. His family later recounted his poignant last words: “Thomas Jefferson survives.” Unbeknownst to Adams, Jefferson had died just hours before, marking a symbolic end to an era for two of America’s founding fathers.
