John Adams

[foreverfaded]

I have to write a research paper in my Political Science class, and i got John Adams
and then have a debate with other people in my class who recieved another president. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about John Adams' phylosophical views.

thanks for any help.

[RedCeltic]

In understanding the political views of John Adams it is essential to understand the politics of the day and the division between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. John Adams was a Federalist and their party was lead by Alexander Hamilton.

Federalists favored a strong centralized government that was run and controlled by the rich and powerful. Banking interests, land owners, merchants etc. They favored strong ties with England.

The Democratic-Republicans (Now known only as Democrats) were run by Thomas Jefferson. They favored a limited federal government. They opposed Hamilton’s proposal of the creation of a National Bank. They opposed the Jay Treaty with Brittan, but favored strong ties with the Revolutionary government of France, which was opposed by the Federalists. The Democratic-Republicans, in contrast to the Federalists, favored yeomen farmers and tradesmen over bankers and merchants.

Adam’s presidency was marked by much crisis in foreign policy. He was president during the French Revolution and had been opposed to it and what he perceived as chaotic. Adams viewed France as a potential terror and allowed relations to deteriorate to the brink of war. Adams feared immigrants who came into the United States as the majority of them had a tendency to side with the Demcratic-Repubican party. This prompted Adams to sign four laws known as the Alien Sedition act. In 1798, which was supposed to deal with the threat of immigrants from hostile enemies who he perceived would weaken the federal government. One law still exists from the four, known as “the Alien Enemies Act.” Which is still used during wartime, yet Jefferson repealed all the others when he took over the office after Adams.

Under the law, aliens were prohibited from printing or distributing material critical of the President or congress, they could be imprisoned up to 2 years for opposing or resisting the law of the United States. Interestingly, the law did not protect the vice-president from attack or criticism, since at the time, Thomas Jefferson was vice-president.