John Adams

FACT 1:
Adams died on the same day as his rival Thomas Jefferson on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

FACT 2:
In 1778, Adams was sent to Paris, France, to secure aid for the colonists’ cause. The following year, he returned to America and worked as the principal framer of the Massachusetts Constitution . By the early 1780s, Adams was in Europe again, serving in a diplomatic capacity. In 1783, he, along with John Jay and Benjamin Franklin helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended hostilities between America and Britain.

FACT 3:
Adams graduated from Harvard College in 1755. He then taught school for several years and studied law with an attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts. Adams began his law career in 1758 and eventually became one of Boston’s most prominent attorneys. n 1764, he married Abigail Smith, she was a minister’s daughter from Weymouth, Massachusetts, with whom he went on to have six children.

FACT 4:
While Adams was president, the French were regularly harassing American ships at sea. Adams attempted to stop this by sending people to France. However, they were turned aside. French then sent a note asking for a bribe of $250,000 in order to meet with them. Adams was afraid war would arise so he asked Congress for an increase in the military. His opponents would not agree so Adams released the French letter asking for the bribe, replacing the French signatures with the letters XYZ. He later then tried one more time to meet with France, and they were able to preserve the peace.

Fun Facts

• He was the first president to live in Washington D.C.
• Born: October 30, 1735
• Died: July 4, 1826
• He was overweight and some people called him by the nickname "His Rotundity".

GROWING UP:
He grew up in the English colony of Massachusetts Bay. His father was a farmer and craftsman who became Speaker of the Massachusetts Bay legislature. John was a smart boy and his father put an emphasis on education. He went to Harvard for college where his father expected him to study to become a minister. John had some different ideas, however, and decided to study law. He graduated then from Harvard in 1755 and began practicing law in Boston soon afterward.