As one of the nation's Founding Fathers, John Adams enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a public servant. He was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and was a member of the Continental Congress team that drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. (The Declaration of Independence is the document through which the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain.) Adams served as a diplomat in England, the Netherlands, and France. He also helped lead the Massachusetts State Constitutional Convention (1779). He served eight years as the first vice president of the United States.

Adams was unable to forge a coalition (partnership) of support during his own presidency, despite having worked with American leaders for decades. He faced bickering within his own Federalist party and dissension (disagreement) from some of the sixteen states of the Union as well. He was the first incumbent president (president...