nPosted October 30, 2017
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Key Points
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nJohn Adams, U.S. President #2, always seemed a little less dynamic to me than our first and third presidents. I mean, George Washington was the general who led the American rebels to victory! And Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence! And bought the enormous “Louisiana Purchase” that was so so so so so much more land than just Louisiana!
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nIndeed, John Adams is not ranked as high as Washington and Jefferson by historians who compare the accomplishments of the various presidents. According to Wikipedia, most historians rank Adams as being medium-high in accomplishment, around the level of Barack Obama, rather than one of the top-top (rankings vary, but both Washington and Jefferson tend to be in the top 5).
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nBut Adams was no slouch. Check out the bajillions of things Adams accomplished even before he became president:
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nHe was a lawyer. As a matter of fact, even though he was pro-American independence, he felt that it was so important that everyone have the right to counsel (in other words, the right to a lawyer), he provided a legal defense of the British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre. This move was very unpopular – but he thought it was the right thing to do.
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nHe was a writer. He wrote a diary and loads of letters, particularly to his wife, who he considered his most important advisor. He helped write the Declaration of Independence. One of his essays, and the Massachusetts state constitution he helped write, both influenced the development of the U.S. Constitution.
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nHe was a diplomat. He helped negotiate the peace treaty with Britain, and he also managed to get important loans from European banks.
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nHe was the nation’s first Vice President, serving under Washington.
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nNow, as to Adams’s presidency, he was strong on defense and is called the “Father of the American Navy.” He avoided full-on war with France partly by fighting a “Quasi-War,” in which American ships harassed French ships in order to get France to stop seizing American merchant ships. In case France attacked the new United States on land, Adams built up the army as well as the navy.
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nAdams was the first president to visit the new capital, Washington, D.C., as it was being built, and he was the first to live in the executive mansion – now known as the White House.
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nEven though Adams and Jefferson were often political rivals, and Jefferson beat Adams in the election of 1800, in what turned out to be a pretty vicious, personal campaign, the two became friends again after Jefferson’s presidency was over. They wrote to each other often for the last fourteen years of their lives.
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nIt’s interesting to note that both Jefferson and Adams, who worked together to write the Declaration of Independence, died on July 4, 1826. This was the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and it was considered the birthday of the nation – so it is amazing that they both died on this day!
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nAdams’s last words included a famous, short statement: “Thomas Jefferson survives.” I guess he meant to acknowledge that his longtime friend and rival had outlived him – but, remember, at the time news traveled really slowly. In fact, Thomas Jefferson had died several hours before!
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You probably know that this is a fake quote! 🙂 |
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nAlso on this date:
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nAnniversary of the Declaration of the Slovak Nation
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nMischief Night
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nInternational Magic Week
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n(October 25 – 31)
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nChecklist Day
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nAnniversary of the radio show “War of the Worlds”
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nNational Candy Corn Day
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nHaunted Refrigerator Night
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nPlan ahead:
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nCheck out my Pinterest boards for:
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nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:
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nNovember holidays
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nNovember birthdays
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nHistorical anniversaries in November
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