John Adams: Principled Lawyer

2/15/2017

The first hero of this month is John Adams. Have you all heard of him? John Adams was a lawyer, diplomat, statesman, vice president to George Washington, and then the second President of the United States. That’s a lot of jobs to have in one lifetime!

You might think that John Adams had such a brilliant political career because he was popular, but that is not the case! John Adams was a principled man who often took unpopular positions. Time and again his rigorous logic, honesty, and hard work proved him right in the end.

I’m going to tell you one story from early in John Adams’ career that shows the kind of character he had for his whole life.

On a snowy, cold night in Boston, on March 5^th 1770, a mob gathered at the Customs House where merchandise from the Boston port was reviewed and taxed. Eight British soldiers guarded it.

At this point, six years before America declared independence from England, British soldiers occupied American cities to keep the peace and collect taxes from the American people. Especially in Boston these “redcoats” were unpopular. John Adams, among many American patriots, thought that the British stationing a military presence in American cities was a violation of their liberties as free citizens.

That cold night, at first, the American mob threw insults and curses at the eight soldiers, but then they began to hurl ice chunks and stones. A few men with clubs beat one the soldiers repeatedly. The soldiers’ leader, Captain Preston, tried to keep order. But in the confusion, the soldiers opened fire, killing five people.

There was an immediate uproar in Boston. The newspapers described the soldiers in the worst terms, calling it the “Boston Massacre.” When the trials for the soldiers began in the courts, no lawyer could be found to defend them against the prosecution.

Then John Adams volunteered to take the case. Though he was against British occupation, he was for honesty, even if it meant getting harshly criticized by his fellow Americans. He believed that every person had a right to a fair trial.

His defense speech in court was sensational. He criticized the mob, showing its useless violence. Then he asked the jury, “Do you expect that [a soldier clubbed and beaten down by a mob] should behave like a stoic philosopher, lost in apathy?” He concluded by stating, “Facts are stubborn things. And whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictums of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

The jury deliberated for two and a half hours and acquitted all eight of the soldiers of murder. They were free to go.

Instant and angry reactions followed the decision. John Adams lost half of his law practice that year. However, when he later reflected on his life, he wrote that the defense was, “one of the most gallant…and disinterested actions of my whole life, and one of the best pieces of service I ever rendered to my country.”

From the very beginning of his career, John Adams proved that he valued truth over taking political sides. Six years later, he was an essential member of the American decision to declare independence from England. As president, Adams used his office to exemplify civic virtue and keep his service to the country free from scandal. As one historian writes, “John Adams was often described as "prickly," but his tenacity was fed by good decisions made in the face of universal opposition.”

I hope you enjoyed learning about this hero of honesty, our second president. Remember that we can search out truth in every subject we learn at school. We can also be truthful in our interactions with one another.

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John Adams: Principled Lawyer

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