John Adams (1735-1826; see entry in volume 1) made contributions to the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the American Constitution (1787). His ideas influenced the kind of government that was adopted by the state of Massachusetts in 1779 and the United States with ratification of the Constitution in 1789. Adams and several other American leaders formed similar ideas about how government can operate. The unique American system was developed by a group that drew on personal experiences as well as examples of past political structures.

Having endured what they considered unjust laws and actions by an authority, Great Britain, that acted primarily to protect its own best interests across an ocean, Adams and American patriots understood that the governed must be represented in their government. In their view, the happiness of society is the object of government. That sentiment is expressed in the Declaration of...