ADAMS 30 



Washington received sixty-nine electoral votes 

 and Adams thirty-four. The latter was notice- 

 ably chagrined at the decided preference shown 

 for Washington, and to the end of his days 

 he could never understand why Washington's 

 services to his country were counted greater 

 than his own. Throughout the eight years of 

 his Vice-Presidency, however, he put aside per- 

 sonal jealousies whenever questions of prin- 

 ciple arose, and on more than one occasion 



ADAMS 



BRONZE TABLET IN WORCESTER, MASS. 



The inscription bears these words : "In front 

 of this tablet stood the first schoolhouse in 

 Worcester, where John Adams, second President 

 of the United States, taught 1755-1758." 



his casting vote in the Senate saved the plans 

 of Washington and his Cabinet from defeat. 

 When Washington refused to serve a third 

 term, Adams was his logical successor and was 

 elected. Jefferson, his political opponent, re- 

 ceived sixty-eight votes, only three fewer than 

 Adams, and, under the Constitution as it then 

 existed, became Vice-President. 



The Administration of John Adams (1797- 

 1801). The four years during which Adams 

 was President were among the stormiest in the 

 history of the United States. During the en- 

 tire period the Federalist party was split into 

 two sections, one owing allegiance to Adams, 

 one to Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, though 

 probably the ablest member of the party, was 

 not so generally and favorably known as 



Adams. The latter therefore was given the 

 Presidency, but Hamilton tried by various 

 schemes to prevent his election and reelection. 

 The feud between the two men became increas- 

 ingly bitter as time went on. The members of 

 Adams' Cabinet, it is said, even made reports 

 to Hamilton and took orders from him rather 

 than from Adams. 



Besides the quarrels in his own party, Adams 

 faced the violent opposition of Jefferson and 

 the Republicans, who were French sympathiz- 

 ers. Adams saw no good in the French Revo- 

 lution; his aristocratic temperament placed 

 no trust in the mass of the people, and ho saw 

 only anarchy in the thrilling events in France. 

 The Jeffersonians not only sympathized with 

 the Revolutionary movement, but they were 

 willing to fight for France against England. 

 The Federalists, on the other hand, regarded 

 every insult from France as a just reason for 

 helping England. 



Adams determined to keep the United States 

 strictly neutral, and one of his first acts was 

 to call Congress in special session to consider 

 means of keeping peace. Congress sent three 

 commissioners, C. C. Pinckney, John Marshall 

 and Elbridge Gerry, to Paris to negotiate with 

 the Directory, which was then the government 

 of France. Talleyrand refused to receive them 

 openly, but secretly sent three envoys, called 

 in the despatches X. Y. and Z., to treat with 

 them. The envoys proposed that the United 

 States should pay Talleyrand and two or three 

 others large sums for the privilege of revising 

 the treaties with France. The commissioners, 

 in utter disgust, broke off the negotiations. 

 When the reasons for their failure became 

 known, the United States was ablaze with 

 wrath, and the cry, "Millions for defense, but 

 not one cent for tribute," rang through the 

 land (see X Y Z CORRESPONDENCE). Prepara- 

 tions for war were made, an army was quickly 

 raised, Washington was recalled from Mount 

 Vernon to take command, and a few naval 

 battles were actually fought, the most notable 

 being the sinking of the French frigate La 

 Vengeance by the Constellation. See TALLEY- 

 RAND-PERIOORD, CHARLES MAURICE. 



Though Adams hated the French Revolution 

 and all its works, he was equally opposed to 

 war with France. The popular clamor only 

 strengthened his resolve to keep peace and to 

 meet France at least half-way. When Talley- 

 rand found that his policy was threatening to 

 drive the United States into alliance with 

 Great Britain, he intimated his willingness to 



