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 Date of Birth: October 30, 1735 Date of Death: July 4, 1826 Political Party: Federalist Terms of Office: March 4, 1797-March 4, 1801 Vice President: Thomas Jefferson

 I would give John Adams a B- for his single term as president. He was not afraid to stand up to the majority of the country in order to do what was best for his country, but he stubbornly ignored the advice of the rest of the government. He was able to avoid conflict with France, but he also passed laws that were unnecessarily cruel to foreigners. His anti-Republican views often blinded him and eventually led to his decline in popularity.

Adams’ main goal as president was to patch things up with France and prevent war between the countries. Though the majority of the country wanted a war, Adams insisted on peace. Through his persistent efforts, he was eventually able to secure a peace agreement with France. Another goal Adams had was to keep the Federalist party strong. Following Washington’s lead, Adams wanted to reinforce the Federalist idea of a strong central government. He was strongly against the Republican party and disagreed with their views. However, this goal was unsuccessful. After Adams’ presidency, the Federalist party fell from power after being split into two groups. It was replaced by the more organized Republicans, with Thomas Jefferson, Adams’ successor, as their leader.

Adams had a normal relationship with the rest of the government. Adams focused mainly on foreign policy and left Congress to deal with the domestic affairs. The majority of Congress at the time belonged to the Federalist party. He never vetoed any bills during his term, and he approved many bills, such as the Alien and Sedition Acts, because they opposed the Republicans. However, Adams did not have the best relationship with the Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Although considered the leader of the Federalist party, Hamilton did not get along with Adams because he was too difficult to control. Instead of seeing Adams elected as president, Hamilton schemed to have Thomas Pickney, Adams’ choice for vice president, take the title. Regardless of this hostility, Congress was able to communicate effectively with Adams and pass laws that remain in effect still today. For example, the Logan Act passed in 1799 prevented citizens from negotiating privately with foreign governments.

Adams’ best decision was to prevent war between the United States and France. Even though many disagreed, he knew that a war was not in his country’s best interests. During his presidency, French privateers were constantly attacking American ships. Adams sent three of his men to negotiate with France, but found that the French Foreign Minister refused to talk to the men without a $250,000 bribe. This occurrence, known as the “XYZ Affair,” turned the entire nation against France. Ignoring the advice of other politicians, Adams later sent three more men to France in hopes of peace. This time he was successful, and France agreed to peace at sea in exchange for trading privileges with the United States. This decision effectively prevented war with France, in which the Americans were not prepared to fight. So soon after the American Revolution, the citizens lacked the unity and funds to support another war. Adams' response helped avoid total chaos in the country.

The low point of Adams’ presidency was his passing of the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. The four acts, meant as a response to criticism against the Federalist party, were very unpopular among the Americans. The Naturalization Act required the people to have lived in America for fourteen years before acquiring citizenship, rather than five. The Alien Act allowed the government to deport any aliens that they considered dangerous. The Alien Enemy Act allowed the president to imprison enemy aliens during times of war. The Sedition Act allowed the government to fine or imprison those who spoke out against the government, whether in speech or writing. Adams’ intentions in these acts were to keep his country safe as war with France was presumably approaching. However, he also passed the acts in order to limit the number of American immigrants who could vote for Republican candidates. The Republican opposition made these acts widely unpopular, and some were repealed after Jefferson entered office.

Adams’ appointment of John Marshall as chief justice to the Supreme Court had a lasting effect on the country. He is considered to be the greatest chief justice yet today and with his lifetime appointment, remained the last Federalist in power. Agreeing with Adams’ views of a strong central government, he strengthened the power of the court and supported checks and balances. In the famous case of Marbury vs. Madison, he established judicial review, which allowed the Court to establish acts of Congress as unconstitutional. John Marshall had a lasting effect on the Supreme Court and could not have come to power without his personal appointment by Adams.

In conclusion, the United States was better off after Adams’ presidency, thus earning a B-. Without his insistent hopes for peace with France, America could have found itself in the middle of a nasty war that they did not have the funds or unity to fight. However, his extreme acts against foreigners and Republicans were not necessary in my eyes. He often ignored the advice of the rest of the government and country and followed what he personally thought was best for the country. While he was often criticized for his blunt comments and being too independent and isolated, John Adams is ranked fairly high among the greatest presidents of our country.

Bibliography:

DeGregorio, William A. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. Fort Lee, N.J: Barricade, 2005.

"John Adams." //American Presidents: An Online Reference Resource//. University of Virginia. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. . Kelly, Martin. "John Adams Biography." //American History//. About.com. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. .