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John Adams
A new baby, John Quincy Adams, was born on this day.
John Adams, Jr. was an American lawyer, author, statesman, and diplomat. He served as the second President of the United States, the first Vice President, and as a Founding Father was a leader of American independence from Great Britain. -
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams and the mother of John Quincy Adams. She is now designated the first Second Lady and second First Lady of the United States, although these titles were not in use at the time. -
Diplomatic ties
When France broke diplomatic ties with the United States in 1796, incoming President John Adams organized a delegation to negotiate with the French government. Charles Pinckney, John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry arrived in Paris in October 1797 with instructions to normalize diplomatic relations and ensure French privateers would no longer harass American shipping. -
John Adams selected as president
John Adams is inaugurated as the second President of the United States in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson will serve as Vice President. March 04, 1797 -
John Adams in congress
Adams calls the first special session of Congress to debate the mounting crisis in French-American relations. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, the American envoy in France, had left France after being insulted by the French foreign minister. -
The XYZ affair
On October 18, 1797, three Americans who were sent to France by President John Adams to represent a U.S. peace commission, were received coolly and then asked to pay a bribe in order to speak with French Foreign Minister Charles Maurice Talleyrand. This episode became known as the “XYZ Affair,” after the French agents who met with the American delegation. The incident affected U.S. relations with France and damaged the Democratic-Republican Party because of its traditional pro-French stance. -
French Officails
In 1798, President Adams was told that the French officials would hold talks for substantial bribes. This attempt at extortion did not sit well with him and he told Congress about the incident. The documents related to the incident were published, and the whole situation became known as the X, Y, Z Affair as Adams had only used letters to identify the French officials instead of their names. Abigail thought war should be declared while John sought out a peaceful, less costly solution. -
American delegation
The American delegation encountered open hostility, and the French minister of foreign relations, Charles Maurice Talleyrand, refused to meet with them. On various occasions, four agents, later called W, X, Y, and Z by President Adams, contacted the Americans. They demanded an apology for insulting remarks made by Adams and wanted loans to the French government along with some $25,000 in bribes for French officials in return for talks with Talleyrand. Further, they implied war would result if th -
Death of the eldest daughter
Abigail continued to run the farm and to care for the family members, including their eldest child, Nabby (young Abigail’s nickname), who eventually died of cancer at their home in 1814 -
Death of Abigail Adams
Struggling with her own health for decades, Abigail Adams had a stroke in October 1818 and died at home with her family on October 28, 1818. -
Death of John Adams
Adams retired to his farm in Quincy. Here he penned his elaborate letters to Thomas Jefferson. Here on July 4, 1826, he whispered his last words: "Thomas Jefferson survives." But Jefferson had died at Monticello a few hours earlier. -
