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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. To what did John Quincy attribute the fact that Jefferson and his father died on the same day?

2. What prevented Adams from attending his mother's funeral?

3. Who designed the layout for the new federal capital?

4. To where is the nation's capital moved in 1800?

5. What does Adams abandon after trying for a year?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Adams observe about the new America that had emerged in his absence?

2. What were the circumstances of Abigail's death?

3. In what ways did Jefferson undo Adams' accomplishments as president?

4. How could the first half of Adams' administration be described?

5. What were Adams' main points in his presidential inauguration speech in March of 1797?

6. Explain the circumstances of Adams' meeting with King George III in which Adams is rightfully nervous.

7. Explain the poignancy of the deaths of Adams and Jefferson.

8. Explain the speculation options for Adams' political future.

9. What were the personal and professional losses Adams experienced in the fall of 1800?

10. What event prompts Abigail to write to Jefferson after 17 years of silence?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the role of letter-writing between John and Abigail. What is revealed by their letters? What can John not bring himself to say in the letters?

Essay Topic 2

Adams spent several years living in France as a diplomatic envoy. Compare and contrast his life there with his life in Massachusetts. What did he like and dislike about life in both places?

Essay Topic 3

The relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had a curvy path during their lifetimes. Describe the nature of their friendship from the beginning, how it strengthened, how it eroded, and then finally solidified again.

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