Devil Doc
When Death smiles, Corpsmen smile back
It's the birthday of the second president of the United States, John Adams, born in Braintree, Massachusetts (now part of Quincy, Massachusetts) (1735). Though he was one of the most important founders of our country, he has long been overshadowed by the president who came before him, George Washington, and the president who came after him, Thomas Jefferson.
He made a name for himself as a young man by arguing against the British right to tax the colonies. When the British passed the Stamp Act in 1765, Adams argued that people should just stop buying stamps, and they did. When the British began taxing paint, lead, paper, and tea, Adams said people should stop buying those things as well. Colonists in Massachusetts stopped painting their houses and switched from drinking tea to drinking New England rum.
The British sent troops to Boston to keep the peace, as the colonists grew more and more disobedient. A riot in 1770 led to several colonists' getting shot by British troops, the incident that became known as the Boston Massacre. Adams took the surprising step of defending the British troops in court, because no one else would take the case. He argued that the violence was the fault of the British government, not the soldiers, and he managed to get most of the soldiers acquitted. Adams later said, "[Taking that case] was one of the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested actions of my whole life, and one of the best pieces of service I ever rendered my country."
Adams's defense of the soldiers made him unpopular among the radical wing of the American revolutionaries, but it also gave him a reputation as a man of great principle. He was elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774, and began to argue that the British Parliament lacked any legal authority over the colonies. He quickly became the most respected advocate for breaking with Great Britain. People began to call him the "Atlas of Independence."
It was Adams who nominated Washington to serve as commander of the Continental Army, and it was Adams who chose Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. And it was he who persuaded the delegates from the colonies to adopt the resolution in favor of independence. He stood up on July 1, 1776 and spoke without notes for about two hours in favor of independence. No one knows exactly what he said that day, because no one transcribed his words, but Thomas Jefferson later said, "[Adams spoke] with a power of thought and expression that moved us from our seats." The resolution was adopted the following day, on July 2, 1776. It was probably the greatest day of Adams's life.
He was only 5 feet 6 inches tall, and he was overweight. Unlike Ben Franklin, he was not a great wit. He had no talent for flattery, and instead was always ruthlessly honest in his opinions. He also wasn't a wealthy man, and spent much of his later life struggling with debts.
John Adams said, "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress."
Doc
He made a name for himself as a young man by arguing against the British right to tax the colonies. When the British passed the Stamp Act in 1765, Adams argued that people should just stop buying stamps, and they did. When the British began taxing paint, lead, paper, and tea, Adams said people should stop buying those things as well. Colonists in Massachusetts stopped painting their houses and switched from drinking tea to drinking New England rum.
The British sent troops to Boston to keep the peace, as the colonists grew more and more disobedient. A riot in 1770 led to several colonists' getting shot by British troops, the incident that became known as the Boston Massacre. Adams took the surprising step of defending the British troops in court, because no one else would take the case. He argued that the violence was the fault of the British government, not the soldiers, and he managed to get most of the soldiers acquitted. Adams later said, "[Taking that case] was one of the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested actions of my whole life, and one of the best pieces of service I ever rendered my country."
Adams's defense of the soldiers made him unpopular among the radical wing of the American revolutionaries, but it also gave him a reputation as a man of great principle. He was elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774, and began to argue that the British Parliament lacked any legal authority over the colonies. He quickly became the most respected advocate for breaking with Great Britain. People began to call him the "Atlas of Independence."
It was Adams who nominated Washington to serve as commander of the Continental Army, and it was Adams who chose Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. And it was he who persuaded the delegates from the colonies to adopt the resolution in favor of independence. He stood up on July 1, 1776 and spoke without notes for about two hours in favor of independence. No one knows exactly what he said that day, because no one transcribed his words, but Thomas Jefferson later said, "[Adams spoke] with a power of thought and expression that moved us from our seats." The resolution was adopted the following day, on July 2, 1776. It was probably the greatest day of Adams's life.
He was only 5 feet 6 inches tall, and he was overweight. Unlike Ben Franklin, he was not a great wit. He had no talent for flattery, and instead was always ruthlessly honest in his opinions. He also wasn't a wealthy man, and spent much of his later life struggling with debts.
John Adams said, "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress."
Doc
