John Adams
...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
Hamilton 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...
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