Adams, John

John Adams

Born October 30, 1735 (Braintree, Massachusetts) Died July 4, 1826 (Quincy, Massachusetts)

U.S. president, vice president, lawyer, writer

John Adams fought for American independence and liberties with extraordinary zeal and patriotism. A brilliant writer, lawyer, public speaker, and independent thinker, he conveyed his ideas with clarity and boldness. In his career as a lawyer and public servant, he was stubborn, fiery, extremely hardworking and hard-driving, and completely absorbed in whatever issue was at hand. The American people never viewed him as warmly as they did George Washington (1732–1799; served 1789–97; see entry in volume 2) and Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826; served 1801–9; see entry in volume 1), the nation's first and third presidents. However, those who knew him best wrote of his humor, generosity, honesty, affection for his family, and devotion to his religion.

Early in Adams's career, he developed a philosophy on which he based his approach to creating a new government for America. Adams believed that humans were motivated by self-interest and a deep desire to be noticed or gain a reputation. He assumed individuals would sacrifice the interests of others to promote their own self-interest. From his studies of many societies, he also concluded that the struggle betweenthe rich and poor classes, or aristocracy and common people, was always present.

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