November 17, 1800 the United States Congress and then president John Adams move the United States government from the comfort of Philadelphia to the hardly finished and rather rough quarters in Washington D.C. Adams would become the first American president to live in the White House.

John Adams was the vice president under the country’s founding father, George Washington. He became the country’s second president in 1796 when Washington declined a second term. Adams served from 1797 to 1801. Born in October of 1735, Adams early life was blessed in comparison to many Americans.

Graduating from Harvard at age 20, Adams was destined for life as a lawyer but he was better with a pen than any legal text. He enjoyed writing about current events and observing the world around him. He was a serious student of the world. Many described him as Washington’s perfect foil and a contrast to the first president’s outgoing personality.

Adam’s political life began before the American Revolution when he provided legal defense to British soldiers after the Boston Massacre. He was the leader of the Whig party and elected into the Massachusetts house in 1774 when he became a member of the famed Continental Congress. Adams believed in a democratic nation governed by the laws of its citizens.

Adams’ love of country and ardent desire to separate from Great Britain made him the ideal candidate to join Jefferson and Franklin on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. Finally Adams’ skill as a writer would find a use. A great use in fact.

He would also be involved in creating the Massachusetts constitution in 1780.

Adams did run for the job as America’s first president but was beaten squarely by Washington. The rules of the election back then dictated he would become the first vice president instead. He must have done a good job to be voted president during the next election.

Adams’ presidency was not a happy one. The party suffered from internal problems and Adams was not treated as a president should be by his own constituents. He left office disappointed with the way things had gone and did not try for a second term.

Interestingly, Adams passed away 50 years after the signing of the declaration in July 4, 1826. He believed that at least Thomas Jefferson survived from the original founders of American independence. He did not know that Jefferson had died a few hours before himself. Adams’ last words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives.”

Adams’ is a mixed legacy, one full of famous firsts and the legacy of freedom marred with the internal division of his party.

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