John Adams
...historians of being the closest thing America ever had to a
dictator or monarch (Onuf, 1993). Such strong accusations should be examined in
the context of the era in which Mr. Adams lived and served. A closer examination
of the historical events occurring during his vice presidency and his term as
president, strongly suggests that Adams was not, in fact, a dictator. Indeed,
except for his lack of charisma and political charm, Adams had a very successful
political career before joining the new national government. He was, moreover,
highly sought after as a public servant during the early formation of the new
federal power (Ferling, 1992).
Adams was a well educated, seasoned patriot, and experienced diplomat.
He was the runner-up in the election in which George Washington was selected the
first United States President. According to the electoral-college system of that
time, the second candidate with the most electoral votes became the Vice
President (Smelser & Gundersen, 1975). As president, Washington appointed, among
others, two influential political leaders to his original cabinet; Thomas
Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson, a veteran politician became the
Secretary of State and Hamiliton, a young, outspoken New Yorker lawyer, became
the Secretary of the Treasury (Ferling, 1992). Jefferson, like Adams, had also
signed the Declaration of Independence. Hamilton, however, was the only cabinet
member relatively unknown to Adams (Ferling, 1992). It was Hamilton, nonetheless,
who excelled during this new administration by initiating numerous, innovative,
and often controversial programs, many of which were quite successful. Adams and
Hamil ton were both Federalists. Unlike Hamiliton, Adams was more moderate
(Smelser & Gundersen, 1975). During this first administration, Adams and
Hamilton quarreled (Washington Retires, 1995), and Adams contemptuously began...
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