Browsing: Biography

John Adams was the fifth generation of Adams in America. His father was also John and his mother was Susan Boylston, daughter of Peter Boylston from the town of Brookline. John was born into a comfortable but not wealthy family in the town Braintree, Massachusetts, on October 19, 1735. He was the eldest son; his younger brothers were Peter, born in 1738, and Elihu in 1742. The old John Adams was a deacon of Braintree’s First Congregational Church and a selectman for the town of Braintree. sought to live by Puritan tenets and attended church regularly. As the oldest son…

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At the time it was tradition for the older son to get a college education, in the case of Deacon Adams it was his older brother who got to go to college. Following this convention, Deacon Adams expected great accomplishments of his older son and his future, as determined by his father, was to become a minister of the church and as such he would be a spiritual leader of his community. Deacon Adams wanted John to attend Harvard College. However John had other plans, he wanted to be a farmer just like his father. John Adams did not have…

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Chronological events in the life of John Adams. 1735 October 19: John Adams is born in the city of Braintree, Massachusetts. His parents were John Adams and Susana Boylston. He was the oldest of two brothers, Peter and Elihu. 1741 Started school at Dalme Belche’s house where he studied arithmetic, reading and religion. 1743 Attended Braintree’s Latin School headed by Joseph Cleverly where he was to be prepared for his entrance exams to Harvard. 1749 John’s father hired Joseph Marsh who had a great influence on John Adams. He prepared him for his admission exams to Harvard. 1751 Adams…

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In 1636 Henry Adams, great-great-grand father of John, crossed the Atlantic to settle in New England, in the town of Braintree, 10 miles south of Boston.  John Adams was the fifth generation of Adams that descended from Henry. His father was also John and his mother was Susan Boylston, daughter of Peter Boylston from the town of Brookline. John was born in Braintree on October 19, 1735. John was the eldest son; his younger brothers were Peter, born in 1738, and Elihu in 1742. The old John Adams was a deacon of Braintree’s First Congregational Church and a selectman for…

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Teaching – 1755 During the graduation ceremony John impressed the public with his eloquence and public speaking skills. Impressed by John’s commencement speech, Reverent Thaddeus Mccarty, who directed the Central School of Worcester, hired John on the spot. Upon graduation he moved to Worcester, about 50 miles from Cambridge. He found teaching uninspiring and boring, most of the time he felt miserable and missed the intellectual challenge of being a student at Harvard. He spent one year making up his mind as to what his future career would be. He debated between becoming a lawyer and continue the path his…

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On November 6, 1758 John Adams and his friend Samuel Quincy rode into Boston to appear before the court to be sworn in as lawyers. Jeremiah Gridley recommended Adams to the bar of the Suffolk Inferior Court. Adams was ready to practice law in Suffolk County. John enthusiastically returned to Braintree where he opened his own law office. Unfortunately his very first case was a failure. His client was Joseph Field, a farmer who had lost some of his crops when a horse that belonged to his neighbor, Luke Lambert, crossed the property line and trampled his crop as it…

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As a young lawyer with a thriving practice John was ready to settle down. In 1762 he proposed Abigail Smith but because of her young age, she was seventeen, they agreed upon a two year engagement before the weeding. In October 25th, 1764 they finally married, John was twenty eight and Abigail nineteen. During this period JA experimented with politics, getting a taste and increasing his popularity as an aspiring politician by writing articles about constitutional law. James Otis’ influence in young John Adams The year John married Abigail the political situation in America was changing. Britain had fought…

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