“I call [John Adams] the Atlas of American Independence… He it was who sustained the Debate, and by the force of his reasoning demonstrated not only the justice but the expediency of the measure.”

These are the words of Richard Stockton about the Bostonian who became the bullhorn for American independence. John Adams did not begin his campaign against British rule in such a manner. He was self-aware, recognizing Massachusetts was known more for its extremist rhetoric rather than its reasonable arguments for independence. But once Congress turned its ear toward severing ties from the crown, Mr. Adams became its biggest proponent.

John Adams was born on October 30, 1735 in Braintree, MA. His father was a Harvard educated farmer who was also a deacon at the family’s church, Braintree First Parish Church. Mr. Adams attended this church from infanthood through his adult life and was buried in the church’s cemetery. Like his father, he attended Harvard College, teach for a year, and then transition to the field of law for the rest of his life. In 1764, he married his third cousin, Abigail Smith, who was 19 years old at the time. Their marriage was marked with devotion and affection as evidenced by the letters they wrote to one another. He would refer to her as his “best, dearest, worthiest, wisest friend in the world.” And she would call him “the tenderest of husbands.”

In 1766, John Adams moved his practice to Boston. Four years later, he represented nine British soldiers charged in the deaths of five colonists in the incident known as the Boston Massacre. The case was politically charged and volatile. Mr. Adams believed the soldiers should have legal representation regardless of who they were or what they had done. In the end, he was vindicated for he won the acquittal of all the soldiers. Two, however, were reprimanded.

His principledness and advocacy against England’s overreach led to his selection to represent Massachusetts at the first Continental Congress. During this congressional session, he nominated George Washington to be the commander in chief of the Continental Army. It was in the next session he made an impassioned speech in favor of independence. Mr. Adams had spoken for nearly an hour when Richard Stockton, Rev. John Witherspoon, and Francis Hopkinson finally arrived to take their places as the new delegates from New Jersey. They had been delayed by a violent thunderstorm. After repeated requests by Mr. Stockton and another delegate to restate the portion of his remarks missed, John Adams finally obliged and his vigor in the restatement did not wane. Thomas Jefferson remarked Delegate Adams spoke “with a power of thought and expression that moved us from our seats.”

On July 2, 1776, his efforts were realized when the second Continental Congress approved the resolution for independence from Great Britain. In a letter to Mrs. Adams, he wrote, “I am surprised at the suddenness as well as the greatness of this revolution ... It is the will of Heaven that the two countries should be sundered forever. It may be the will of Heaven that America shall suffer calamities still more wasting, and distresses yet more dreadful. … But I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe.”

This type of language was regularly on John Adams’ pen. Throughout his life, he referenced a being with supreme power who ordered the events of men. In religious terms, he would be classified as Puritanical regarding his acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God. He also praised the Jews for their enormous impact on “civilizing the nations.” In other ways, Mr. Adams skewed toward religious liberalism in his later years with his embrace of Unitarianism. He is most often described by historians as a mix of orthodox Calvinism and Enlightenment rationalism.

During his second congressional term, he would also lead the Board of War and Ordinance. His position was mission critical for he was tasked with recruiting and supplying the Continental Army and creating a navy.

In 1778, John Adams’ role shifted to diplomacy. His efforts were modest. His first diplomatic mission was in France where Congress asked him to join Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee in negotiating an alliance with France. But he arrived too late for the alliance had already been negotiated and signed. He returned to the colonies and assisted in writing the Massachusetts constitution. Mr. Adams was asked to return to France in 1780, but his directness with the foreign minister regarding the level of France’s assistance sabotaged his effectiveness. Consequently, he sent off for the Netherlands to secure more financial aid. He was successful in securing a $2 million loan. He came back to France in 1782 and contributed to the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Paris by which Great Britain recognized the colonies’ independence. He spent the remainder of his diplomatic tenure in Britain (1785-88) working out the finer details of the treaty and diffusing post-war tensions.

John Adams’ next position in serving his country was the vice-presidency. Prior to 1804, candidates ran for the office of the presidency and whoever received the second most votes was the vice president. The 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution changed the process to its current form. On his third attempt to be president, Mr. Adams succeeded. His major accomplishments included successfully keeping the United States out of war with France and the further development of the military.

On the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams and his dear friend, Thomas Jefferson, were both close to death. They had remained close through a letter correspondence that spanned the last 15 years of their lives. Unaware that his dear friend had passed away a few hours earlier, John Adams said as he was dying, “Thomas Jefferson survives.” The second president of the United States died on July 4, 1826. He and Mr. Jefferson along with Charles Carroll were the last three surviving men who signed the Declaration. His son, John Quincy Adams, would become the sixth president of the United States.