John Adams
, who became the second president of the United States, has
been accused by some 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 ...
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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
referring to Hamilton as “his puppyhood” (DeCarolis, 1995). This created a rift
in the administration, for Washington generally favored Hamiliton (Smelser &
Gundersen, 1975), and disregarded Adams (Ferling, 1992). Hamilton ...
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by nominating Carolinian Thomas Pickney
(Ferling, 1992). He had instigated a similar conspiracy to keep Adams from
defeating Washington in the second national election, as Adams had discovered
(DeCarolis, 1995). In spite of the divided Federalists, Adams defeated Thomas
Jefferson by three electoral votes. He became the second president and Jefferson,
having the second largest number of votes, became vice-president. This event,
too, is significant because for the first time in office here were two men of
totally different philosophies of government, attempting to run the country
together. Adams’ presidency was stressful from the moment of his inauguration.
In his address, he sought to ...
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"John Adams." Essayworld.com. December 12, 2005. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/John-Adams/37887.
"John Adams." Essayworld.com. December 12, 2005. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/John-Adams/37887.
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