John Adams: American Founder and Second President
” The male to whom the country is most indebted for the terrific measure of self-reliance is Mr. John Adams.” That was from a delegate to the Continental Congress. However just how much do you understand about this prominent thinker and 2nd president of the United States? Brad Thompson, Professor of Political Science at Clemson University, informs Adams’ impressive story.
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Script:.
Everyone understands what happened on July 4th, 1776: America was born. 3 days earlier, on July 1st, independence hung in the balance..
There was a terrific case to be made not to secede from Great Britain. It would have made best sense to flex to the will of the Crown, pay some additional taxes, and call it a day. There were plenty of people in Philadelphia prepared to make that case.
At a key minute in the congressional dispute, when the forces versus independence appeared to have the upper hand, Adams increased to his feet. Without notes and without any preparation, he made the case for independence. By the time he took a seat, the case had been won. We don’t have a transcript of what he said. Adams may rank even higher than he does now among the Founding Fathers if we did. Thomas Jefferson said years later that the speech was so powerful in “idea and expression” that it “moved us from our seats.” Adams was, Jefferson said, “our Colossus on the floor.”.
If Washington was the sword of the American Revolution, and Jefferson the pen, then Adams was its engine. Fantastic, demanding, meticulous, but often irascible, he was not an easy guy to like.
Ironically, for all his cantankerousness, his marriage to Abigail Adams stands as one of the fantastic love stories of American history. What he did not have in excellent appearances and physical stature, he made up in intellect, personal integrity, and clarity of thought.
Born in 1735 near Boston, Adams non-stop pressed himself to increase early, work hard, and live an ethical life. He strove– in the language of the day– for a life of virtue over vice. He initially came to spotlight in 1765, when he released a stirring rebuke of the much-hated Stamp Act. For the next 18 years, he fought unceasingly against British tyranny and for American liberty, committing his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor to the struggle..
These were not idle words. In his forties by the time of the Revolution, he didn’t combat in the war; instead, he crossed the Atlantic four times on diplomatic objectives, braving winter storms, illness such as pneumonia and dysentery, and British war ships. Capture would have suggested summary execution.
In Europe, as befit his character, he was all company. He helped Benjamin Franklin bring the French into the war on the American side, and he set up vital loans from Dutch banks. When the war ended, it was Adams, along with Franklin and John Jay, who negotiated the treaty in which England officially acknowledged the new United States.
For all these efforts, Adams was paid practically absolutely nothing. As one delegate to the Continental Congress said, “The man to whom the nation is most indebted for the terrific procedure of independence is Mr. John Adams.”.
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source
At a crucial moment in the congressional dispute, when the forces versus self-reliance appeared to have the upper hand, Adams rose to his feet. If Washington was the sword of the American Revolution, and Jefferson the pen, then Adams was its engine. Ironically, for all his cantankerousness, his marriage to Abigail Adams stands as one of the excellent love stories of American history. When the war ended, it was Adams, along with Franklin and John Jay, who negotiated the treaty in which England formally recognized the brand-new United States.
As one delegate to the Continental Congress stated, “The man to whom the nation is most indebted for the terrific step of independence is Mr. John Adams.”.
