John+Quincy+Adams

By: Nevin Kirk
 * John Quincy Adams **

John Quincy Adams (October 30, 1735- July 4 1801) who ironically died on the day that the Declaration of Independence was written 25 years later was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. Hailing from New England, Adams, a prominent lawyer and public figure in Boston, was highly educated and represented Enlightenment values promoting republicanism.

He was raised as a Congregationalist but when most people started to become Unitarian, so did he. John was Samuel Adams’, a revolutionary war hero’s, second cousin. Adams was one of the Founding Fathers, who signed the Declaration of Independence. He played a key role in getting the Congress to declare independence against Britain. Adams was also the person who assigned Thomas Jefferson the role of writing the Declaration of Independence, even though John Adams assisted him in this task. But the Declaration of Independence wasn’t the only document that he was related with. He wrote the Massachusetts State Constitution. George Washington is generally better known than John Adams but Adams, however, was actually the person that nominated Washington to be the commander-in-chief. Adams was the Vice-President for George Washington for the two terms that he was in office, as well as being the second President of the United States of America with Thomas Jefferson as his Vice-President. When he was President, he tried to continue all the things that Washington stood for and kept his cabinet, and all the programs of the Washington Administration as well. Though in his run for re-election, he was defeated by Thomas Jefferson and he decided to retire to Massachusetts. He defended the British Soldiers in the Boston Massacre, though he disagreed with British policies, he wanted to ensure the British soldiers got a fair trial. Thought Jefferson and Adams were fierce political opponents for most of their life because Jefferson believed in state rights and Adams was a devoted Federalist, the pair reconciled in 1812. Adams said “You and have better not die before we have explained ourselves to each other.” They spent the rest of their lives writing fascinating letters to each other.