Ep. 115 – John Adams in the Executive Branch

When John Adams got back from his time abroad, he had two big jobs in the brand-new American government: The first vice president and second president. 

Listen to the new episode now! 

Peacefield House in Braintree, Massachuetts. This is where John and Abigail moved in 1788. 

Then, he was elected Vice President.

Need a reminder about how that happened? Listen to the previous episode about George Washington's election! 

Artist John Trumbull painted this portrait of John Adams while he served as Vice President under George Washington

John Adams really didn't like being Vice President, though. 

https://youtu.be/uBnb5m347JM?si=_EvEIpyDXd2DVtQr

After George Washington retired, the first real presidential election in American history took place. 

And John Adams won!

Here are a few things we remember from his presidency. 

The Quasai-War with France

The Alien and Sedition Acts

This cartoon depicts a debate in Congress about the Alien and Sedition Acts. The laws provoked strong reactions from the congressmen.

Prints and Photographs Division/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg no. LC-USZ62-1551) 

Thomas Jefferson – John Adams’ own vice president! –  and James Madison wrote the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions to fight back. 

Abigail Adams as First Lady

Then, it was time for the election of 1800

Two parties were fighting for the Presidency and it got ugly. 

For the Federalist party, John Adams was running with Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (for VP). 

Portrait of Pinckney by James Earl. 

Against them, Thomas Jefferson ran for the Democratic-Republican Party with Aaron Burr for VP.

Portrait of Aaron Burr by John Vanderlyn

Jefferson and Burr won. Adams would not get a second term. 

Find out what he did after the presidency in our next episode! 

Ep. 114 — John Adams Represents America Abroad

For most of the American Revolution, John Adams was representing America in Europe. Hear all about it in this episode!

John Adams by John Singleton Copley. London, 1783

We've talked about Benjamin Franklin's time in France. Learn about Arthur Lee here! 

By John Trumbull - https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/123, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=188898048

John Adams' time in Holland was more successful. 

Then, it was time to go back to France to negotiate the Treaty of Paris. 

After peace was secured, he continued representing America abroad. 

One of the big victories was the Prussian-American Treaty of 1785.

Then, he got a huge job. The first ever U.S. Minister to the Court of St. James' in London. 

Hist meeting with King George III was a big moment in history.

Then, in 1788, he headed back home to America. And he would have even bigger jobs to do!

Ep. 113 – Rise of a Revolutionary Leader

In the lead up to the American Revolution, John Adams went from prominent attorney to leader of the American Revolution. In this episode, found out how it all happened!

The death of Jeremiah Gridley and the illness of James Otis led the way for John Adams to become one of the most prominent lawyers in Boston. 

House of Representatives’ Answer to Gov. Hutchinson IV

John Adams and the Boston Tea Party

Listen to our episode on the Boston Tea party! 

John Adams and the First Continental Congress

John Adams on the Lee Resolution that started the move for independence

John Adams on the Declaration of Independence

Ep. 112 – Abigail Adams

We can't talk about the life of John Adams without talking about his wife, Abigail. They were a team! This episode introduces Abigail Adams.

Growing Patriots · Ep. 112 – Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. 

She was born here, in this 17th-century saltbox-style home. It's a museum now!

If it wasn't for Boston watchmaker Richard Cranch, John and Abigail might never have met! 

He married Abigail's sister, Mary. Mary Cranch also had some things to say about politics! 

Abigail and John Adams were married by her father in his church – First Church in Weymouth. 

The couple had six children, including:

Nabby 

John Quincy

Charles

Thomas Boylston

While John Adams was away building a new nation, Abigail was not only keeping things on track at home – she was making things even better. 

One reason we know so much about the lives of Abigail and John Adams is because of their letters, which show a relationship of respect and love. 

Here are some coloring pages for while you listen to this episode!

Find this coloring page here

Find this one here

Ep. 111 – Early Life & Legal Career of John Adams

John Adams grew up in a colonial Massachusetts that was rapidly becoming a hotbed of revolution. Find out how his early life, education, and legal career prepared him to be a Founding Father of the new nation to come.

 

The iconic full-length portrait of John Adams is a 1783 masterpiece by the American painter John Singleton Copley. It is housed with his alma mater, Harvard, at the Harvard University Portrait Collection.

The house in which John Adams was born – learn more about it here.

His parents were John Adams senior and Susanna Boylston. His great grandfather Henry Adams came to Massachusetts in 1638.

He attended a dame school where his education was centered on the New England Primer. 

Then, he went on to the Braintree Latin School where his teacher was Joseph Cleverly – who he didn't really like. At 14, his father hired a teacher that inspired him much more – Joseph March. That is who prepared him for Harvard. 

At Harvard, John Adams lived in Massachusetts Hall, the oldest surviving building on the Harvard campus.

Founding Fathers Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, John Hancock, and James Otis also lived there throughout the years. 

He then went on to study law with John Putnam before his master's thesis in 1758. 

He became a lawyer in 1759.

In this letter dated 28 July 1821, 86-year-old John Adams recalls his impressive education in a letter to Judge Thomas Dawes.

Learn about his famous cousin, Samuel Adams

John Adams fought against the Stamp Act. He wrote the Braintree Instructions which were popular across Massachusetts. 

One of his first big, public splashes was defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre. 

Related episodes:

The Stamp Act

The Boston Massacre