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Essay on John Adams

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John Adams was born on October 30th, 1735 to John Adams Sr. and Susanna Boylston Adams. He was the oldest of three and lived in Braintree, Massachusetts. His father was a farmer, deacon, and town councilman. The Adams were not very wealthy and John Adams’ father knew he could only send one son and he wanted to send his eldest. However, John Adams told his father “I do not love books and I wish you would lay aside thoughts of sending me to college.” His father in reply asked him- “What would you do child? Be a farmer?” John insisted that he wanted to be a farmer and not a scholar. His father brought him to work the fields the next day. Farming was strenuous work and was most likely rough on John’s hands and back. The night after the long …show more content…

They married when she was nineteen and he was twenty-eight. they had five children- John Quincy Adams, (who later became the sixth president of the United States) Abigail, Susanna, Charles, and Thomas. Sadly Susanna died before age two. John Adams’ business was doing very well but he was often on business trips to boston. He decided to move his family to boston so that they could stay closer. Boston was stirring with hatred for the British. The colonists were not fond of taxes being imposed on them or the amount of soldiers stationed in their towns. On March 5, 1770, a boston mob insulted and threw snowballs and pieces of ice and rock at the soldiers. The soldiers in turn panicked and shot their guns at the mob. Five men were killed in the incident referred to by the colonists as the “Boston Massacre.” Even though John Adams did not delight in the King’s actions, He believed that everyone deserved a fair trial. He became the defense attorney for the soldiers. He proved that the Captain was not guilty. Only two of the soldiers were found guilty and their thumbs were branded. Even though he had defended the British, Adams did not approve of many of the King’s actions. He was one of five to represent Massachusetts in the First Continental Congress meeting on September 5, 1774. He seconded the idea that the colonists should get independence from Great Britain. When a Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 after

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