George Washington and Thomas Jefferson - two of our nation 's greatest presidents. They have multiple memorials named after them, and they have their faces presented alongside Theodore Roosevelt 's and Abraham Lincoln 's. Both of the men are also featured on currency, Washington on the one-dollar bill and the twenty-five-cent quarter, and Jefferson on the (rather uncommon) two-dollar bill and the five-cent nickel. But Washington came first, and Jefferson was third, so someone had to come between the two men, another great, respected man of the time. That was John Adams, who is commonly overlooked, and is not as revered as the former two men are. Yes, John Adams did great things with his own reliability and style, but they aren 't as well remembered
…show more content…
While much of the public was for a full-out war with France, John Adams eventually refused to continue to an all-out war against the civil-war-engulfed country. At the time, France was undergoing the Reign of Terror, brought on by the French Revolution, America was also at odds with France after the XYZ Affair, a diplomatic incident involving three American ministers to France in an attempt to mediate peace between the two countries, but instead, three of France 's own minsters demanded a bribe to which American diplomats refused. Even though Adams was clearly aiming for the minority decision, historians deduce that the president made the right choice. If, in the end, John Adams had not made peace with France, Thomas Jefferson may not have been able to make the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon, which consequently expanded our nation to twice its original size. Lesser to note, realistically speaking, with a brand-new country only about more than a decade out of full independence, it was better that Adams followed the original decision to stay out of European affairs for the time …show more content…
He was able to avoid what would 've been a treacherous war with France, work to his own accord when surround by a cabinet that barley supported him, and some of Adams ' decisions made way for some things much more than what people though they would turn out to be. Indeed Adams was at times rather vain and arrogant, he even said so himself ("Thanks be to God, that he gave me Stubborness, when I know I am right") (McCullough, 272) and wanted the recognition that instead Washington and Jefferson received instead, but truly, for as much as those two men did, Adams truly did more than he is accounted for. Sometimes when no one dared to speak and put a foot forward themselves, it was John Adams who took the initiative to get the work done. One quote, that could, very easily, summon up John Adams ' time in office, and even for a huge portion of his life was said by himself, “Always stand on principle….even if you stand
While much of the public was for a full-out war with France, John Adams eventually refused to continue to an all-out war against the civil-war-engulfed country. At the time, France was undergoing the Reign of Terror, brought on by the French Revolution, America was also at odds with France after the XYZ Affair, a diplomatic incident involving three American ministers to France in an attempt to mediate peace between the two countries, but instead, three of France 's own minsters demanded a bribe to which American diplomats refused. Even though Adams was clearly aiming for the minority decision, historians deduce that the president made the right choice. If, in the end, John Adams had not made peace with France, Thomas Jefferson may not have been able to make the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon, which consequently expanded our nation to twice its original size. Lesser to note, realistically speaking, with a brand-new country only about more than a decade out of full independence, it was better that Adams followed the original decision to stay out of European affairs for the time …show more content…
He was able to avoid what would 've been a treacherous war with France, work to his own accord when surround by a cabinet that barley supported him, and some of Adams ' decisions made way for some things much more than what people though they would turn out to be. Indeed Adams was at times rather vain and arrogant, he even said so himself ("Thanks be to God, that he gave me Stubborness, when I know I am right") (McCullough, 272) and wanted the recognition that instead Washington and Jefferson received instead, but truly, for as much as those two men did, Adams truly did more than he is accounted for. Sometimes when no one dared to speak and put a foot forward themselves, it was John Adams who took the initiative to get the work done. One quote, that could, very easily, summon up John Adams ' time in office, and even for a huge portion of his life was said by himself, “Always stand on principle….even if you stand