约翰·亚当斯
约翰·亚当斯 was born in the North Precinct of Braintree (now Quincy), 麻萨诸塞州, 1735年10月30日, the eldest son of John and Susanna (Boylston) Adams. He graduated from Harvard College in 1755 and for the next two years taught school and studied law under the direction of James Putnam in Worcester, 质量. He returned to Braintree to launch his law practice and married Abigail Smith of Weymouth on 25 October 1764. For several years the Adamses moved their household between Braintree and Boston as warranted by John’s successful law practice and the demands of the circuit court system. 亚当斯和小乔赛亚·昆西. defended the British soldiers charged in the Boston 质量acre Trials, successfully winning acquittals for seven of the defendants and reduced sentences of manslaughter for the remaining two.
From 1774 to 1777, Adams served in the Continental Congress. He passionately urged independence for the colonies, and in 1776 the “Atlas of Independence” was appointed to the committee to draft a declaration of independence. His copy of Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence is the earliest known draft in existence.
Appointed by Congress a joint commissioner (with Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee) to France, 约翰·亚当斯 sailed from Boston with his son John Quincy in February 1778. 1779年夏天, father and son returned to 麻萨诸塞州 where Adams was elected to represent Braintree at the convention to frame a state constitution. 1780年宪法, 约翰·亚当斯起草, is the oldest written constitution in the world still in effect.
Elected by Congress to negotiate treaties of peace and commerce with Great Britain, Adams returned to Europe in November 1779 accompanied by his two eldest sons, 约翰·昆西和查尔斯. Additional commissions to negotiate a Dutch loan and a treaty of amity and commerce with 荷兰 and election as a joint commissioner (with Franklin, 约翰杰伊, 亨利•劳伦斯, and Thomas Jefferson) to treat for peace with Great Britain soon followed.
1782 was a banner year for 约翰·亚当斯—he secured recognition of the United States in 荷兰, contracted the first of four loans from Amsterdam bankers to provide crucial financial aid for the United States, and signed a treaty of amity and commerce with 荷兰. 1783年9月, 经过近一年的谈判, Adams and his fellow commissioners signed the Definitive Peace Treaty with Great Britain. From 1785 to 1788 约翰·亚当斯 served as the first American minister to the Court of St. 詹姆斯在伦敦. 在国外呆了八年之后, 在法国, 荷兰, 和英国, 1784年阿比盖尔加入他的地方, 亚当斯回到了美国.
Service abroad was quickly followed by elective office at home—eight years as vice-总统 under George Washington and, in 1796, 总统. The successful transfer of power was made on 4 March 1797. Adams’ presidency was fraught with difficulties: The Quasi War with France, XYZ事件, and the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. American political parties were just taking shape, but Adams was not a party man. He maintained the same cabinet officers appointed by his predecessor and they continued to look to Washington and Federalist party leader Alexander Hamilton for direction instead of Adams, 使他的问题更加复杂. Adams defied his cabinet, and much of the Federalist party, to conclude peace with France. Toward the end of Adams’ presidency the seat of government was transferred to Washington, D.C., and he and Abigail became the first 总统ial couple to live in the Executive Mansion, 后来打电话给白宫.
After one term in office, Adams was succeeded as 总统 by Thomas Jefferson. Party politics and a strong difference of opinion over national interests divided Adams and Jefferson and temporarily alienated these two men who had formed a close friendship in Europe in the 1780s. 约翰·亚当斯 retired from public life to his farm in Quincy. He died on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1826.
To read the correspondence of John and Abigial Adams, visit the 亚当斯电子档案. 已发布的 亚当斯家书 可以在 亚当斯论文数字版. 约翰·亚当斯的论文 as well as his private diaries are also available at the 亚当斯论文电子版. A timeline of John's life is viewable through the 亚当斯家族时间表.