died on October 28, 1818.
#More to explore
Adams, John Adams, John Quincy
American Revolution White House
Adams, Ansel
U.S. photographer Ansel Adams is
famous for his striking images of
Western landscapes. He was among the
first people to promote photography as
an art form. Adams also was known for
his love of nature.
Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco,
California, on February 20, 1902. He
was originally a student of music. Photography
was only a hobby for him until
Abigail
Adams
supported
womens
rights. She told
her husband
John Adams to
remember the
ladies during
the fight
for U.S.
independence.
Abigail Adams
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Adams, Ansel 21
1927. That year he published his first
collection of photographs.
In 1940 Adams helped found the
worlds first museum collection of photographs
at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City. In 1946 he established
the first academic department to
teach photography as a profession. He
did that at the California School of Fine
Arts in San Francisco.
Adams was a nature lover throughout
his life. He published many collections
of photographs that he took in the wilderness
areas of the United States. They
include My Camera in the National Parks
and Photographs of the Southwest.
In 1980 Adams was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, the highest
nonmilitary honor in the United States.
He died on April 22, 1984, in Carmel,
California.
Adams, John
As a lawyer in the American colonies,
John Adams fought for independence
from Great Britain. He went on to
become the first vice president and the
second president of the new United
States.
Early Life
John Adams was born in Braintree (now
Quincy), Massachusetts, on October 30,
1735. His father was a farmer and a
community leader. After graduating
from Harvard College in 1755, Adams
became a lawyer. In 1764 Adams married
Abigail Smith. They had five children.
One daughter died in infancy.
Revolutionary Era
Adams became a leader in the fight
against British laws in the colonies. Still,
Ansel Adams prepares to take a
photograph along the coast of
California.
John Adams was the second president of
the United States.
22 Adams, John BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
as a lawyer, Adams defended British
soldiers who had killed five colonists in
the Boston Massacre of 1770. This made
him unpopular for a time among the
other colonists. But Adams believed that
everyones legal rights should be protected.
In 1774 Massachusetts colonists elected
Adams to the Continental Congress.
There he asked GeorgeWashington to
serve as commander of the Continental
Army, the military force of the colonies
during the American Revolution. He
also chose Thomas Jefferson to write the
Declaration of Independence.
In 1779 Adams served at the Massachusetts
Constitutional Convention. He
wrote the document that became the
states constitution of 1780. Adams then
joined Benjamin Franklin in Paris,
France. There he helped to produce the
Treaty of Paris, which ended the American
Revolution.
Vice Presidency
In 1789 Adams finished second to
GeorgeWashington in the presidential
election. Under the system of the time,
Adams became vice president. Voters
reelected the two men in 1792.
Political parties began to form during
Washingtons presidency. Adams and
Alexander Hamilton led the Federalists,
who supported a strong central government.
They opposed the Democratic-
Republicans, led by Jefferson, who
wanted the states to have more power.
Presidency
Adams won a narrow victory over Jefferson
in the election of 1796. Adams was
not a popular president. He followed his
own principles instead of others opinions.
Adams even disagreed with other
Federalists, notably Hamilton.
During Adams presidency a dispute
between the United States and France
October 30, July 4,
1735 1774 1783 1789 1796 1800 1826
Adams is born
in Braintree
(now Quincy),
Massachusetts.
Adams joins
the Continental
Congress.
Adams helps
create the
Treaty of Paris,
which ends the
American
Revolution.
Adams
becomes vice
president under
President
George
Washington.
Adams is
elected
president.
Adams loses
the presidency
to Thomas
Jefferson.
Adams dies in
Quincy,
Massachusetts.
T I M E L I N E
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Adams, John 23
almost led to war. The French had
expected the United States to support
them in their war with Britain. The
United States refused, and the French
began seizing U.S. ships. Hamilton and
others called for war with France.
Adams, however, thought the United
States was not ready for another war.
Going against his party, he made peace
with France.
Adams faced more criticism for the passage
of the Alien and Sedition Acts in
1798. Those harsh laws made it more
difficult for new immigrants to stay in
the country. They also punished critics
of the government.
Defeat and Death
Adams lost to Jefferson in the presidential
election of 1800. Adams died within
hours of Jefferson on July 4, 1826, the
50th anniversary of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence.
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American Revolution Continental
Congress Hamilton, Alexander
Jefferson, Thomas United States
Adams, John
Quincy
Son of President John Adams, John
Quincy Adams became the sixth president
of the United States in 1825.
Although he was intelligent and dedicated
to his country, Adams was not
very popular. His accomplishments as a
diplomat and congressman overshadowed
his uneventful presidency.
Early Life
John Quincy Adams was born on July
11, 1767, in Braintree (now Quincy),
Massachusetts. He grew up during the
American Revolution. His father was a
member of the Continental Congress.
His mother, Abigail Adams, also was a
patriot. Adams studied in Europe and in
Massachusetts at Harvard College. After
graduating in 1787, he studied law and
became a lawyer in Boston.
In 1797 Adams married Louisa Catherine
Johnson. The couple had four children,
a daughter and three sons. One of
their sons, Charles Francis Adams,
became a member of the House of Representatives
and a diplomat.
Early Career
In 1794 President GeorgeWashington
made Adams the U.S. minister to The
John Adams
was the first
president who
lived in the
White House.
He moved in
on November
1, 1800.
John Quincy Adams was the
sixth president of the United
States.
24 Adams, John Quincy BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Netherlands. In 1797 Adams father,
now president, made Adams ambassador
to Prussia. In 1802 Adams was elected
to the Massachusetts Senate. In 1803 he
was elected to the U.S. Senate. After five
years he resigned from the Senate to
practice law.
In 1809 President James Madison
appointed Adams minister to Russia. In
1815 Adams became minister to Great
Britain. He returned to the United
States in 1817 and became secretary of