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Presidents of the U.S. #02 - John Adams

John Adams (1797-1801)

Federalist Party

John Adams was the first president to be member of a political party, the first president to only serve one term, and the first president to reside in the executive mansion which is nowadays known as "White House".

Adams was the sole Vice President under his only presidential predecessor, General George Washington. Like Washington, Adams was involved in drafting a small document known as "Declaration of Independence". As a lawyed and diplomat by profession, he advocated the presumption of innocence, nowadays a human right. In 1780 Adams was the leading force behind the Massachussetts Constitution which in turn strongly influenced the Constitution of the United States of America.

John Adams faced vocal opposition, even inside his own party. Likely one of the saddest moments of his presidency was the 1799 death of his predecessor George Washington. Although Adams was not re-elected in 1800, historians view his legacy as favorable. John Adams was the first president whose son, John Quincy Adams, later also would become president.

His numerous deeds outside the presidency are too numerous to list here, notably he negotiated the peace treaty with Great Britain and wrote a landmark document "Thoughts on Government". Like Washington, Adams was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and Adams also was member of the Constitutional Congress.

Note that a comprehensive portrayal of each president would go too far, and almost each president had negative aspects. Please refer to any neutral and well-written encyclopedia for details.