John Adams

History rarely remembers the second man as fondly as the first. George Washington casts a long shadow, the kind of legacy that feels larger than life. Yet without John Adams, America’s story would lack much of its backbone. He was not charming like Jefferson, nor towering like Washington. He was stubborn, sharp-tongued, and sometimes painfully unpopular. But he was also a man of unflinching principle, one who believed that truth and law mattered more than applause.

And perhaps that is why his story deserves to be remembered now.

The Lawyer Who Defended the Enemy

Long before the White House, before the bitter elections and the Alien and Sedition Acts, John Adams stood in a Boston courtroom, defending men most of his neighbors wanted hanged. The year was 1770. Five colonists had been killed in the Boston Massacre, and public fury burned hot against the British soldiers responsible.

Adams could have stayed silent, preserving his reputation. Instead, he stepped into the fire. He defended the British soldiers not because he agreed with their presence, but because he believed justice demanded a fair trial, even for enemies.

“Facts are stubborn things,” Adams told the jury, “and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

The jury acquitted most of the soldiers. Adams lost popularity but gained something better: a reputation as a man who valued the rule of law above the roar of the mob.

In that moment, Adams showed what kind of leader he would always be: one who chose principle, even when it cost him dearly.

The President Who Refused to Fight

Adams became the second President of the United States in 1797, stepping into office at a time when the infant nation trembled under international pressure. Britain and France were at war, and both expected America to choose a side. Many Americans demanded that Adams declare war on France after their insults and attacks on American ships.

It would have been the popular choice. It might have even secured Adams a second term. But Adams resisted. He knew war could destroy the fragile Republic. So, against the cries of his own party, he pursued peace, sending envoys to negotiate rather than armies to fight.

It nearly ended his political career. His opponents mocked him as weak, his Federalist allies abandoned him, and in 1800, he lost the presidency to Thomas Jefferson.

But history tells a different story. By refusing to march into a needless war, Adams likely saved the young Republic from collapse. He sacrificed his own political future to preserve the nation’s.

That kind of leadership where principle outweighs popularity is rare. Then, and now.

The Alien and Sedition Acts: Adams’ Shadow

Adams was not flawless. His presidency is scarred by the Alien and Sedition Acts, laws that gave the government power to silence dissent and imprison critics. In his fear of foreign influence and partisan attack, Adams approved measures that clashed with the very liberty he had fought to secure.

It is easy to judge him harshly. And in truth, these acts deserve condemnation. But they also remind us that even men of principle stumble when fear and power press too heavily. Adams was not a saint. He was a human capable of both wisdom and error.

This is part of why his story still matters. It forces us to see leaders not as gods or demons, but as flawed men who must be held accountable. Liberty, Adams’ own life shows, is fragile when leaders forget that power must always be restrained.

The Legacy of a Peaceful Transfer

When Adams lost the presidency to Jefferson, bitterness simmered. The election of 1800 was one of the nastiest in American history, filled with insults, propaganda, and threats. Yet Adams did something quietly revolutionary: he walked away. He left the White House peacefully, without an army, without riots in the streets, without bloodshed.

It was the first peaceful transfer of power in American history. And it set a precedent that would shape the Republic for generations.

It may not sound like much today, but in a world of kings who clung to power until death, Adams’ decision to step aside was extraordinary. He showed America and the world that this Republic was built not on the sword, but on the ballot box.

Why Adams Matters Now

John Adams was not a man of soaring charisma. He was blunt, often cranky, and sometimes deeply unpopular. But he was also a man who never let popularity decide principle.

In defending the despised, he defended justice.

In refusing war, he defended peace.

In leaving power, he defended the Republic itself.

And yet, he also stumbled, proving how easily fear can tempt leaders to trade liberty for security.

Adams’ story, then, is not one of perfection. It is one of tension between principle and popularity, between liberty and fear, between power and restraint. It is a story America still lives.

Today, as we argue about enemies at home and abroad, as we trade insults more readily than ideas, as we measure leaders by how loudly they echo our anger, we would do well to remember John Adams.

Because the truth is simple: a nation survives not when its leaders chase applause, but when they cling to principle. And though Adams often stood alone, he showed us what that principle looks like.

Conclusion

Adams once wrote to his wife Abigail, “Posterity! You will never know how much it costs the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it.”

That is the challenge he leaves us. Will we use our freedom wisely or waste it in anger and division? Will we defend justice, even when it is unpopular? Will we choose principle, even when it costs us?

If America is to endure, we must.