Vice Presidents: John Adams

Vice Presidents: John Adams by ric Gustafson


John Adams became the first Vice President after returning from Europe where he was the country's minister to Great Britain. Adams was born in Braintree Massachusetts in 1735. He graduated from Harvard in 1755 and taught school while studying law at night. As a member of the Boston bar, he played a key role in the Stamp Act.
In 1774, he was elected to the Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. As Vice President, he had to deal with a lot of pressures. He cast twenty nine votes while in office against certain bills. Two major issues came up that mostly sidelined Adams's views. One was where the permanent capital of the country would be located. The other was the huge public debt the country had after the War of Independence.
In November of 1792, George Washington and John Adams were reelected. Their second term was spent mostly dealing with foreign policy crises in which Adams played a small role.
On March 4 1797, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson became the second President and Vice President of the United States.


research help: ' The American Vice Presidency' by Jules Witcover


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric