Adams was born into a poor farm family. At a young age, he began to keep a diary. It was about the size of the palm an adult hand, and his handwriting so small that you would have to use a magnifying glass to read it. Through this he developed the idea that , by reckoning day-by-day his moral assets and liabilities, he could improve himself. A famous quote that he has is “Oh! that I could wear out of my mind every mean and base affectation, conquer my natural pride and conceit,”. His natural pride and conceit would be among the things his critics would throw at him for the rest of his life.
One of Adam’s breakthroughs was a scholarship to college, which was Harvard College. This was a privilege like no other seeing that his family was not very wealthy. He entered Harvard when he was fifteen and it was there that he discovered books. This became a big part of Adam’s life and he expresses this when he recalls “I read forever.”
He went to Harvard with the implicit understanding that he would become a minister, but he never really was drawn to that calling. In August 1756, he signed a contract with a Worcester attorney to stay under his inspection for two years. Adams quickly rose in his profession and took an interest in politics. By the time he became the nation’s second president in 1796, he had served a…
He constructed the Massachusetts new Constitution that was the first to be ratified by the people of the state and feature all three branches of power and the executives two/thirds veto power. His role as a diplomat in France helped develope the Treaty of Paris and ended up stopping the revolution. In conclusion, John Adams was an honorable founding father who helped shape America in its early stages of development and will be remembered for his determination and devotion to his…
