John AdamsJohn Adams

John Adams' PresidencyThe legacy of John Adams is so

much more than the accomplishments and failings of his

presidency! Before Adams was President of the United States,

before he was vice president, he was one of the driving forces behind the

revolution.

Adams' fiery and quite blunt passion as a patriot was of

unquestionable importance. He was a mentor to

THOMAS JEFFERSON, although they became major political

rivals.

He knew, or at least was advised by his wife Abigail, to temper his direct and abrasive style by utilizing the skills of

others, such as Jefferson, for tasks which required an eloquence he did not possess.

In this lesson, we'll look at the most lasting actions of Adams' presidency: his

handling of the XYZ affair, the Alien and Sedition Acts, and the Midnight

Appointments.

The XYZ AffairThe signing of the Jay Treaty that

averted war with England and settled issues with the Treaty of Paris, which

had ended the Revolutionary War, actually angered a lot of Americans and

Europeans. Many Americans saw the treaty as a humiliating surrender to the British. French leaders saw it as a step

toward the U.S. allying with the British, which was a breach of the 1778 treaty

between France and the U.S.

John Adams took office in 1797, and he walked into dealing with several issues left by President Washington, including difficult dealings with France - our most

important ally! Because of the Jay Treaty with England, French forces

began attacking American ships. In an attempt to set things right with France

and make the seas safe again for American ships, President Adams sent

three commissioners to France:

Charles Pinckney, who was the United States minister to France and had negotiated the Treaty of

San Lorenzo with Spain; John Marshall, a lawyer from Virginia

and future Supreme Court Justice; and Elbridge Gerry, future Vice President under

James Madison.

When the three commissioners arrived in France, they weren't exactly welcomed through the

official channels to begin negotiations. Instead, they were met

by three agents of the Foreign Minister Talleyrand. Instead of

giving their names in their official report, the commissioners labeled these men X, Y, and Z - hence the

scandal's name.

The agents demanded a $250,000 bribe to meet with Talleyrand and a $12,000,000 loan! At the

time, bribes in politics were normal, but this was ridiculous. Pinckney's response to the men was, 'No, no, not a sixpence!'

The commissioners' report to Congress was made public, and Americans were irate! Even the Democratic-Republicans, who had staunchly supported the French, were supporting the

rallying cry: 'Millions for defense, but not one cent for

tribute.'

Many people wanted war, especially Adams' fellow

Federalists, but President Adams refused to declare war. Instead,

he emphasized the importance of building up the military.

Congress stopped trade with France, dropped the alliance with France, tripled the size of the army, and commissioned the building of 40

ships for the newly created department of the Navy. The newly

built-up military needed strong leadership, so President Adams got

President Washington to come out of retirement to lead the American

military once again.

The newly created Navy, along with some American privateers, went ahead and made shipping a

nightmare for the French. In 1798 and 1799, Americans seized

almost 90 ships!

The XYZ Affair shows Adams at his finest. It shows his willingness to do what he felt was right for the country instead of merely what was more important for his party. ALEXANDER HAMILTON was leading the Federalists' push to war,

but President Adams stuck to his guns and did not succumb to his party's pressure. He was convinced that war with France would

lead to a civil war for the States.

And, it turned out, war wasn't necessary. What has been called the Quasi-War had been enough,

and Talleyrand was ready to talk. He invited the U.S. back to negotiate; however, by the time

the Americans arrived to negotiate, Napoleon had come to

power in France.

He immediately cut ties with the U.S. to focus on his own agenda. Had President Adams not held the states back from war, it is

quite possible that the Louisiana Purchase would not have come to

be in 1803!

The Alien and Sedition ActsFor every finest hour, there has to be

a darkest - the Alien and Sedition Acts. Following the French

Revolution and the States' 'quasi-war' with France, partisan tensions were high. The Federalists were in

control of Congress, and Adams was president. Democratic-Republicans

in some states were refusing to enforce federal laws.

There were even some calls for secession. Some began to fear

something like the French Revolution spreading to the states. Some Federalists feared anarchy. Others feared losing power, but it

led to the Federalist-controlled Congress passing the Alien and

Sedition Acts, which were signed into law by President Adams.

Many Federalists saw this all as having been caused by French

and French-sympathizing immigrants. The acts were meant

to guard against this threat of anarchy.

The Alien and Sedition Acts were a group of four bills passed:

- The Naturalization Act, which extended the amount of time a person had to reside in the states before they could become a citizen from 5 to 14

years.

- The Alien Act, which authorized the president to deport any resident alien

considered 'dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States.' This act had

a two year expiration date.

- The Alien Enemies Act, which authorized the president to

apprehend and deport resident aliens if their home countries were at

war with the United States of America. At the time, war was

considered likely between the U.S. and France. The act is actually still

technically intact today as U.S. Code 50, sections 21-24.

- Lastly, the Sedition Act, which made it a crime to publish 'false,

scandalous, and malicious writing' against the government

or certain officials. It had an expiration date of March 3, 1801, which happened to coincide with the day before President Adams'

term was to end.

Obviously, just a couple of decades earlier, the people of the United

States had fought a war in the name of freedom and the rights of

individuals. These acts were an affront to everything the revolution was about. Even though there were real fears to be defended against, this was unacceptable in the U.S.

The Alien and Sedition Acts are one of the major factors in President

Adams not winning a second term and are a stain on his legacy. If it weren't for the Alien and Sedition Acts, maybe Adams would have a monument like Jefferson's in D.C. After all, Adams was Jefferson's

mentor before he became his political rival.

Adams' Lasting LegacyThe lasting legacy of his

presidency is the Midnight Appointments. The power of the Federalists was annihilated in the

election of 1800. They lost both Houses of Congress, and Thomas

Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, won the Presidency.

During the lame duck phase from the time of the election until the

new government is sworn in, President Adams and the

Federalist Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1801. It is the

same legislation that Adams had proposed early in his term.

Adams used his authority under this act to pack the courts with

Federalist judicial appointments during the final two months and

up to the last days of his administration.

These appointments would lead to the use of JUDICIAL REVIEW in the American political

process and many other important advents of the development of the judicial system. Presidents today still use their final time in office to push

through last minute agendas that may or may not be popular, especially if they have a 'friendly congress.' What I mean is a congress that will

pass their legislation up to them and allow them to sign it quickly at the very end.