President John Adams (President Mini Episodes)

In the second episode of the Presidents Day mini episodes, hosts Amy, Cece, and special guest Bonnie dive  into the life and presidency of John Adams. 

You'll hear of the love story between John and Abigail Adams, highlighted by their remarkable exchange of over 1,100 letters during their 54-year marriage. 

The episode also covers Adams' political journey, including his role as Vice President under George Washington, the challenges of leading a new nation amidst political division, and the  international crises that unfolded during his presidency. 

Listeners will learn about the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, his notable achievements such as establishing the Library of Congress, and his lasting influence as the "Father of the American Navy." Join us for this engaging mini-episode that showcases the complexities of John Adams' legacy!

Transcript

Amy Welcome to the 2nd episode of our series on the first 7 presidents of the united states in honor of Presidents day.  My name is Amy Contreras and I’m Cece!  AND today we have our special guest with us again! Say hello to the listeners bon 

Hi, I’m Bonnie!  

Thanks for being with us! Today we are going to spend about 7  minutes learning all about the presidency and the impact of the 2nd president of the United states… 

Cece: John Adams

Instead of diving right into telling you about when john adams was president, we are going to start with a little story about John Adams. And it happens to be a love story 

Cece: Really? 

Bon Yea! Even though John Adams was only president for one term and a lot happened, one of the most interesting things about his time as president was his correspondence with his wife Abigail Adams.  John and Abigail were married for 54 years.  

Cece: That is cool 

Bon Abigail Adams wasn’t interested in public life and she stayed home when John Adams moved into the white house.  But she was an enthusiastic supporter of her husband and his political career.  Their relationship was captured through their letters, starting from their courtship through the time that John served as the 2nd president. 

Amy Do you want to guess how many letters they exchanged between 1762-1801?  

Was it

1. 300 
2. 600
3. 1100 

If you said C you’re right! These two exchanged over 1,100 letters, beginning during their courtship in 1762 and continuing throughout John's political career until he retired from the presidency in 1801.  Can you imagine writing that many letters? 

Cece: No way! 

Bon Their letters reveal the honest opinions and personality of John Adams who was clever, sassy, frustrated, and desperately missed his wife.  He often wrote to her wishing she was by his side.  

Amy But now we get to talk about John Adams' time as the 2nd president of the united states.  This founding father played key roles in the revolutionary war, both continental congresses, and in the declaration of war against britain.  

He was a delegate to the continental congress for Massachusetts but he had another job after the war was over!  do you know what his last political job was before he became the president of the united states?  

Bon Was he: 

1. The Vice President 
2. Secretary of State 
3. A Congressman 

Bon If you guessed A you’re right! He was the vice president to George Washington for both of his terms.  

Bon John Adams was inaugurated as the second President of the United States in Philadelphia on March 4th of 1797.  His vice president was Thomas Jefferson, who would become our 3rd president.  

Amy Keep in mind, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were members of opposing political parties.  One of the struggles of John Adam’s presidency was this was when political parties emerged in force.  

Cece: What does that mean? 

Amy George Washington had been unanimously supported and elected.  But John Adams was the first president across divided political parties.  He was a Federalist and Thomas Jefferson was a democratic republican.  This meant his vice president held very views from him.  

Bon The international challenges that Washington faced intensified further when Adams was president.  In May of 1797, he had to call the first special session of Congress.  They had to talk about the crisis with the french.  . 

Bon While adams was president there was almost a war with France but he was able to stop it.  There were some battles on the water and a situation called the XYZ affair. 

Cece: What was that? 

Amy The XYZ affair was when the US tried to negotiate with France but they were rudely turned away, with french diplomats demanding bribes.  President Adams had to work to stop the insult from escalating into war, he favored negotiating to resolve the issues.  

Cece: That sounds hard

Amy It was, but in hindsight it was a really good choice.  The US was so new, entering into another war right after the revolutionary war would likely have had a negative impact on our new country.  One of his greatest legacies is avoiding war with france.  

Cece: Makes sense.   

Bon President Adams did make some BAD choices in his single term as president that are easier to see through a historical lens.  

Cece: Spill the tea Aunt Bonnie 

Bon He signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts. These four acts became the most bitterly contested  issue during his presidency.  

Cece: Why? 

Amy The acts gave the president full power to deport any alien he deemed potentially dangerous to the country's safety. It also allowed for the capture and deportation of male aliens who were subjects or citizens of a hostile country.

Cece: I don’t know what that word means

Amy An Alien means someone who does not have U.S. citizenship

Cece: Got it 

Bon It was ultimately deemed a violation of the first amendment.  Signing these acts was unpopular in his lifetime and after.  Adams didn’t trust the masses and wanted a small elite group to rule, which is why he signed acts even though they violated multiple amendments.  

Amy John adams had a brilliant political mind and played an essential role in the creation of the united states, but was not the most popular president or politician.  His job outside of politics was being a lawyer but his contributions to the creation of the country were essential.   

Bon John Adams had some other historical moments as 2nd president.  Here are a few

• He established the Library of Congress in 1800
• He was the first president to live in the white house and moved in in 1800
• He is referred to as the Father of the American Navy 

Amy We could keep going, but we promised you a mini episode so with that we say Farewell! 

cece Thanks for listening

Bon Make sure to subscribe 

Amy Sources for this week's episode are the smithsonian, UVA miller center, library of congress, bill of rights institute

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-adams/ 

https://www.npr.org/2024/09/16/nx-s1-5104174/what-can-we-learn-from-the-bitter-and-divisive-term-of-the-2nd-u-s-president 

https://millercenter.org/president/adams/impact-and-legacy 

https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/letter/ 

https://millercenter.org/president/john-adams/key-events 

https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/the-alien-and-sedition-acts 

https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/john-adams-accomplishments 

https://www.si.edu/spotlight/knowing-the-presidents-john-adams