Collected Writings

John Adams (1735 – 1826) was the second president of the United States (1797–1801), having earlier served as the first vice president of the United States (1789-1797). Adams was an American Founding Father, a statesman, diplomat, and a leading advocate of American independence from Great Britain. He was an Enlightenment political theorist who promoted republicanism, as well as a strong central government, and wrote prolifically about his often seminal ideas. Adams came to prominence in the early stages of the American Revolution. A lawyer and public figure in Boston, as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was its primary advocate in the Congress Collected here are the following works by Adams: • Novanglus Essays • John Adams' Inaugural Address • John Adams' First State of the Union Address • John Adams' Second State of the Union Address • John Adams' Third State of the Union Address • John Adams' Fourth State of the Union Address • John Adams' XYZ Message to Congress • A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law • Draft of the Declaration of Independence • United States Declaration of Independence • The Meaning of the American Revolution • On the Law of Nature and the Moral Sense among Animals and among Men • Thoughts on Government