John Adams Essays -- essays research papers

tail Adams, who became the second president of theUnited States, has been accused by some historians of cosmosthe closest thing America ever had to a dictator or monarch(Onuf, 1993). Such strong accusations should be examinedin the context of the period in which Mr. Adams lived andserved. A closer examination of the historical eventsoccurring during his vice presidential term and his term aspresident, strongly suggests that Adams was not, in fact, adictator. Indeed, except for his escape of charisma and governmentalcharm, Adams had a very successful political go beforejoining the new national government. He was, moreover,highly want after as a public servant during the early geological formation of the new federal power (Ferling, 1992). Adamswas a well educated, seas bingled patriot, and seediplomat. He was the runner-up in the election in whichGeorge capital of the United States was selected the original United StatesPresident. According to the electoral-college system of thattime, the second candidate with the most electoral votesbecame the Vice President (Smelser & Gundersen, 1975).As president, Washington appointed, among others, twoinfluential political leaders to his original locker ThomasJefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson, a stage managerpolitician became the secretary of State and Hamiliton, ayoung, bug outspoken New Yorker lawyer, became theSecretary of the Treasury (Ferling, 1992). Jefferson, likeAdams, had also signed the Declaration of Independence.Hamilton, however, was the only cabinet member relativelyunknown to Adams (Ferling, 1992). It was Hamilton,nonetheless, who excelled during this new administration byinitiating numerous, innovative, and ofttimes controversialprograms, many of which were quite successful. Adams andHamilton were both Federalists. Unlike Hamiliton, Adamswas more precede (Smelser & Gundersen, 1975). Duringthis first administration, Adams and Hamilton quarreled(Washington Retires, 1995), and Adams con temptuouslybegan referring to Hamilton as his puppyhood (DeCarolis,1995). This created a rift in the administration, forWashington gener tout ensembley favored Hamiliton (Smelser &Gundersen, 1975), and disregarded Adams (Ferling, 1992).Hamilton also went to great lengths to drive Jefferson out ofthe cabinet (Allison, 1966). Jefferson did finally, indeed,resign from the cabinet. The Federalists party, of whichHamiliton w... ...larity in thelatter part of his term. It should also be pointed out thatthough the Sedition Act was anti-democratic in practice,Thomas Jefferson, who frustrated Adams, used it against theFederalists in 1803 (People v. Croswell) and indicted apublisher (DeCarolis, 1995). Jefferson was not accused of creation a dictator for such non-democratic actions. Adamswas neither dictatorial in his conduct, or imperial in hispolicies. He appeared to have had the interest of thecommon bulk at heart. The conflict with France, the hightaxes needed to keep the army and nava l forces operating, and thepoor legislative faux pas Congress made during period time,all cast a negative reflection on President Adams. Thisprovided his opponents, like Hamilton, Burr, and evenJefferson, with political leverage to use against him, just aspoliticians and political parties do in our own modern era. IfAdams were a dictator, then one must ask would the citizenselect his son to be the future president, 24 yearslater? Or, how his grandson, Charles Francis Adams,became Americas minister to London. Apparently the mass remembered President Adams in a positive,democratic way, and not as a dictator.