John Adams was born in 1735 to Henry and Susanna Boylston Adams. Adams graduated from Harvard University in 1755 and became an attorney in 1758. In 1764, he married Abigail Smith, whom he would rely on for the entirety of his life for political and emotional support. Abigail and John had five children, one of which, John Quincy Adams, would become America's sixth president. From an early age, Adams developed intense feelings for political causes. He wrote powerful speeches against the Stamp Act of 1765, but also defended British soldiers charged with murder after the Boston Massacre.

In 1771, Adams was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and later, to the Continental Congress in 1774. Adams carried great influence among the members of Congress and strongly favored separation from England. Adams also assisted in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the Massachusetts Constitution. He was the first to nominate George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Adams' passionate tirades against English tyranny and corruption during sessions of the Continental Congress proved very influential in the drive for independence. His harsh words toward Loyalist members of Congress earned him as many enemies as supporters. Despite his brilliance, Adams lacked the charisma of other founding fathers such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and his inflexibility and stubbornness made him a rather unpopular leader. After spending several years negotiating business treaties with European powers at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War with Benjamin Franklin, whom he developed an intense disliking of, Adams was elected as the second president of the United States (he lost to George Washington previously). His presidency, however, was marred by the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, controversy within his Federalist party regarding foreign policy, and a general feeling that Federalists relied more on the ideas of Alexander Hamilton than his. Adams was defeated by Thomas Jefferson in 1800 in his bid for a second term in the presidency.

After his failed bid for a second term, Adams retired to his home in Braintree, Massachusetts with his wife Abigail. He died on July 4, 1726, the same day as Thomas Jefferson, his friend and pen pal.