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Name: John Adams Political Party: Federalist Birth date: October 30, 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts (now called Quincy, Mass.) Death date: July 4, 1826 in Braintree, Massachusetts (now called Quincy, Mass.) Term of Office: March 4,1797-March 4,1801 Vice President: Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the United States) Presidential Evaluation: John Adams deserves a “B” for his presidency. He deserves a “B” because he handled the XYZ Affair exceptionally well, he gave it the time necessary for it to develop into a stable country, but he lacked cooperation with Congress, and loyalty in his Cabinet. Adams’ main goal as president was to keep the country neutral. He did not want to get America caught up in the struggles of other nations. His reason was because America was still a developing nation at the time and getting caught up in another nation’s struggle could have easily destroyed the U.S. He accomplished this goal despite the French Revolution and the XYZ Affair. He did not give in to the French even though they helped the Colonists during the revolution. He accomplished his goal as president. The relationship between Adams and Congress was average. He had the majority in both houses for his entire presidency, but still did pass many laws. It was not that they did not get along; they just did not work well together. There were four main Acts that Adams passed in 1798; the Naturalization, Alien Enemies, and Sedition Acts. The Naturalization Act made it more difficult for an alien to become a citizen. The Alien Enemies Act gave the president the power to imprison any alien of a country they are at war with at the time. The Sedition Act made it illegal to right publish anything that would insult the nation, president, or cause unrest. It was later repealed because it violated the rights of the press. All of the acts were either repealed or the time limit for them ran out. One act that was passed and is still active today is the Logan Act. The Logan Act makes it illegal for any citizen to try to negotiate with another country without the approval of the government. Overall the relationship was okay, not much was achieved, but not because of differences between the president and congress. The best action of the Adams administration was the way that they handled the XYZ Affair. The XYZ Affair occurred during the French Revolution. The U.S. wanted to negotiate a peaceful end to the “Quasi-War”. It was when the French and U.S. would attack each other only at sea. The French refused to receive Adams’ negotiators. They then sent three men to Adams saying that they would not negotiate unless he paid the French Foreign- Minister $250,000. Adams did not give him the money and started to prepare the country for was with the French. The Republicans thought that he was exaggerating the situation just so that he could go to war with the French. He then released the documents to stop the rumors. Before he released the documents he replaced the names of the three men sent to him with the letters “X” “Y’ and “Z”. The worst actions were that most of his cabinet tried to sabotage his presidency, and the Sedition Act. Adams’ Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, and Secretary of War all conspired with Alexander Hamilton to destroy the Adams administration. Hamilton had also tried to prevent Adams from becoming president, but the plan backfired. The Sedition Act was another low point because it violated the rights of the press. The act made it so that the government could not be publicly criticized in any way. The Sedition act and issues with the cabinet were the two worst actions of the administrations. One large decision that affected later administrations was the XYZ Affair. It affected the immediate administrations more so that it does the later ones. It effected the administrations immediately after by making peace with France and avoiding a war which would have caused massive debt and lost a potential ally that aided them in the revolution. The XYZ Affair effected later administrations because if Adam had gone to war with the French it could have finished the United States off early and then there would not have been any later administrations. In a way, the XYZ Affair effected every administration after it. The country was slightly better off when Adams left office. He did not do anything major to influence the country. He steered America through a tough time, but it did not gain much at all. He passed a few laws, most of which were not in affect for more than a few years other than the Logan Act. The Logan Act was one of his greatest contributions. His best contribution would most likely be the appointment of Chief Justice John Marshall. John Marshall is considered, by many, to be the best Chief Justice ever in the Supreme Court. He organized the court better and personally wrote two of the most important rulings ever. The nation was better off after Adams, not but much, but was better off than before him. “The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents” seventh edition Millercenter.org