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//John Adams// //Federalist// //References: Alexander Hamilton, James Bowdoin, Benjamin Franklin// **State of Massachusetts** Due to the nature of its Puritan founders, Massachusetts maintained some degree of the strict, devoutness it possessed in the 17th century. Fishing, fur-trapping, industry, and trade formed the base of the New England states. Massachusetts was one of the most densely populated areas in early America. During the revolution, Massachusetts served as the center of revolutionary and patriotic fervor. Many of the protests that eventually led to the war occurred in Boston. After independence, Massachusetts was the first state to have a constitution that declared the universal rights. **Background and Occupation** John Adams was born on October 30th, 1735 in Quincy, Massachusetts, into a modest family tracing its roots back to early Puritan settlers. Adams attended Harvard College and studied law. Later, he married Abigail Adams who shared his deep opposition to slavery. Neither John nor Abigail ever owned slaves, and Abigail Adams employed free blacks to work in her home while her husband was in Europe. John Adams is noted for his early involvement in the first Constitutional Convention as a lawyer before the war, he served as a representative of Congress to France and Holland during the struggle for independence, and held the position of diplomat to the English and Dutch courts until 1788. **Participation in Constitutional Convention** John Adams was not present at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At the time, he was serving as the United States Ambassador to Great Britain and the Netherlands, stationed in Europe. However, his extensive involvement in the writing of the Massachusetts constitution enabled his ideas to have an impact on the Constitutional Convention of 1787. **State Constitution Ratifications** John Adams was one of the main authors of the original Massachusetts state constitution in 1779. Along with James Bowdoin and Samuel Adams, Adams served as a member of the 3-person committee assigned to drafting the state constitution, and out of the three, John Adams was responsible for the first draft. One of his most notable contributions to the document was the declaration of rights, which later influenced the creation of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. **Views on Ratification** Since the Constitution was largely influenced by the Mass. State constitution, many of John Adams views were incorporated in 1787. Adams strongly advocated a republican form of government, because he believed this was the only practical way of effectively representing all citizens. In his writing, he proposed a three-branch government in order to ensure separation of powers. He believed that each branch could check and control the power of the others, protecting the government against human fallacies and vices. Also, he supported a bicameral legislature that wouldn’t be prone to drastic swings in popular opinion. He felt it was important to specifically list the powers of the federal government over the states, and called them the enumerated powers. //Bibliography:// //*Adams, John. "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787." TeachingAmericanHistory.org. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, 2008. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .// //*Adams, John. "Republican Government: John Adams, Thoughts on Government." The Founders' Constitution. University of Chicago. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .// //"John Adams ." The White House. United States Government, n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2011. .//