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= John Adams       =

=  = //(October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826) // =       =     Political        Par        ty: Federalist Terms of Presidency:1 March 4, 1797- March 3, 1801 Vice President: Thomas Jefferson =      =

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=      =              John Adams deserves the letter grade of B+ as president. He followed George Washington's lead and became a good president, and knew just w               hat the country needed at the time. Most of his presidency was dealing with foreign policy, and he kept France and America peaceful with each other.   Adams' main goals were to avoid war with France, and better their relationship. To achieve this goal, Adams sent diplomats to France to negotiate a treaty. This is when the "XYZ Affair" began. This started when France harassed American ships, then demanded money before discussing any solutions. This almost set off a war with France. He also introduced the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were designed to protect the government. They basically made it illegal to talk about the government badly, and if you were a foreigner who they believed to be dangerous, they could imprison you. These main goals were accomplished well, as there was no "official" war with France, although there was an almost-war, known as the "quasi-war."

Adams' relationship with Congress was a good one. Both Houses of Congress had a majority of fellow Federalists, so they agreed with Adams' views on the majority of his bills. The main laws he passed involved illegal aliens, and they were The Naturalization Act, The Alien Act, The Alien Enemies Act, and the Sedition Act. The Naturalization Act increased the period to live in the country to be eligible for citizenship. The Alien act said that enemy aliens could be punished without a trial, and the Alien Enemies Act allowed him to deport immigrants he thought "dangerous." Finally, the Sedition Act enforced federal laws and punished rebellious or demeaning speakers about America. Congress passed these laws, although some say that they gave Congress too much power and pressured them at other times. Some colonists disagreed with these acts because they believed they violated the Constitution.

The best thing that Adams did as president was keep out of war with France. He consulted with France multiple times, and sent over diplomats. He authorized the money to build new ships, and also allowed a basic army to form, just in case something went off-plan. The worst thing that Adams did as president was not choose new cabinet members. Some people think he didn't do this because it worked out so well for Washington, but after the "quasi-war," Hamilton, another member of the Federalist Party, began to develop supporters who agreed with his decisions over Adams'. Because of this, the Presidential campaign of 1800 was very divided and close.

Adams passed laws that future presidents used, such as the Alien and Sedition Acts. Although some colonists thought these laws violated the constitution, they were only changed slightly by future presidents. They kept his basic outline of these rules. One of the most major things that Adams did to affect future presidents was to avoid war with France. This would have been a very long and drawn-out process, and there is no telling what would have happened. Also, after France was no longer a threat, they became a very valuable trading resource to America. This affected the lives of Americans in more ways than one. First, they were not in a war, so they obviously didn't have to worry about France. Second, they were able to receive goods from France that they wouldn't have received otherwise.  Adams had the past experience of being George Washington's Vice President, and this helped him greatly. He passed effective laws and started to build a military, even though he avoided a war with France. He was an effective President and had a successful term, although his political party and Congress were split. This cost him a re-election and also is the reason why he did not receive the letter grade of A. John Adams' Presidency was above average, but he didn't live up to the reputation of Washington. He passed effective laws and made peace with France, which affected the lives of the entire country.




<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/adams <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://www.americanpresidents.org/presidents/president.asp?PresidentNumber=2 http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnadams/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/johnadams1.htm <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The American Pageant: Appendix and Chapter Ten