Did you know that John Adams' nickname was Duke of Braintree? John Adams was the second president of the United States. He was born in Braintree, Massachusetts on October 30, 1735. As a child he enjoyed hunting, playing marbles, and flying kites. In 1751 he entered Harvard College, became a lawyer, and he spoke out against British taxation. In 1764 he married Abigail Smith. They had five children named, Abigail, Susanna, Charles, Thomas, and John Quincy who later became the sixth president of the United States. Abigail Smith advocated equal education for women and spoke out frequently against slavery. John Adams was the first  President who was the father of another President. John Adams was also the first President to live in the unfinished White House.

Adams took a leading part in opposing British colonial polices in America. In 1775 he led the second Continental Congress to form the Continental Army. Then in 1776 he was part of the debates that led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams was a diplomat for Europe from 1780- 1788. When he returned he was elected the first Vice President under George Washington. John Adams was a Federalist. His opponent was Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson belonged to the Democratic-Republican Party. Due to George Washington's encouragement Adams won the election. Adams won by three electoral votes. Jefferson came in second so he was the Vice President. However, this was the only time in history that the President and the Vice President were members of two different political Parties. Adams was confronted with a number of pressing issues. The most urgent one was a threat of war with France. For four years the United States had remained neutral in the struggle between France and Britain. Britain, however, had a policy of seizing neutral ships including those of the United States that traded with France. To stop this seizure of American ships, the United States negotiated Jay's Treaty of 1794, which appeased Britain by giving it various trading concessions. In 1804 the twelfth amendment was added to the Constitution. It stated that both Vice President and President should belong to the same political Party. This way there would be no more bewilderment.