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Adams was born on October 30 (October 19 according to the old Julian calendar then in use) of 1735 in Braintree (later named Quincy) in what was then the British Colony of Massachusetts. Adams was a statesman, diplomat, and a leading advocate of American independence from Great Britain. He was well educated, and believed in a strong central government, He wrote prolifically, both in published works and in letters to his wife and closest adviser Abigail Adams.
Adams was a lifelong opponent of slavery. He never owned a slave in his life. He became a lawyer and in 1770, despite the unpopularity of doing so, he successfully defended British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre.
When the American Revolution began, Adams was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, and he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence. In 1775, he nominated George Washington to be commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was its primary advocate in the Congress. He later became a diplomat in Europe and he helped negotiate the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain. He was also responsible for obtaining vital governmental loans from Amsterdam bankers. Adams wrote the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780.
Adams served two terms as George Washington's vice president and he was elected President in 1796. During his one term as president, he encountered ferocious attacks by the Jeffersonian Republicans, as well as the dominant faction in his own Federalist Party led by Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the army and navy especially in the face of an undeclared naval war (called the "Quasi-War") with France, 1798–1800. The major accomplishment of his presidency was his peaceful resolution of the conflict.
In 1800, Adams was defeated for re-election by Thomas Jefferson and retired to Massachusetts. Following his 1800 defeat, Adams retired into private life. Depressed when he left office, he did not attend Jefferson's inauguration, making him one of only four surviving presidents (i.e., those who did not die in office) not to attend his successor's inauguration. He later resumed his friendship with Jefferson. His son John Quincy Adams became the sixth President of the United States.
On Tuesday, July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, at approximately 6:20 PM, Adams died at his home in Quincy. Told earlier that it was the Fourth, he answered clearly, "It is a great day. It is a good day." Relatives who were at his bedside reported that his last words were "Jefferson survives". This was not in fact correct, but news of Jefferson's death earlier that day did not reach Boston until after Adams' death. Adams and Jefferson are the only two Presidents to die on the same day.