John Adams Administration - Early Life
Early Life
John Adams was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts, on October 30, 1735. His father, John Adams, was a farmer and cordwainer (a maker of leather goods) who served as a church deacon, town selectman, and lieutenant in the local militia. His mother, Susanna Boylston, had three sons: John, Peter, and Elihu. Elihu died in 1775 in the American Revolution (1775–83).
As a boy, Adams loved the outdoors and found farm life in rural Braintree agreeable. On one occasion, responding to his father's exasperation at his son's lack of devotion to schoolwork, young Adams declared that he would be a farmer. His angry father reacted by taking Adams to gather thatch in a marsh under the hot sun. When asked at the end of the day if he still liked farming, Adams responded yes. Even later in life as he achieved distinction in the world of politics, Adams always was grateful to return to his farm in Quincy.
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