John Adams: A Resource Guide

John Adams, Second President of the United States. Pendleton's Lithography after a painting by Gilbert Stuart, circa 1828. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-13002

American Memory Historical Collections

An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera

The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history. Search the bibliographic records and the full text option to find items related to John Adams, including an act to suspend the commercial intercourse between the United States and France on June 13th, 1798, and an obituary notice for Abigail Adams.

By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present

This collection presents portraits of U.S. presidents and first ladies, including images of John Adams and Abigail Adams.

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875

This collection contains a large selection of congressional material related to John Adams's political career as a delegate to the Continental Congress, a diplomat, vice president, and president. Search this collection by date and publication to find materials related to Adams.

• The Journals of the Continental Congress documents Adams's service as a delegate to the Continental Congress during the years 1774-77.
• The Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789 includes more than 1,000 letters to, from, or referring to John Adams.
• The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States contains more than 600 letters to, from, or referring to Adams. This publication also provides biographical information on Adams.
• The Annals of Congress contains congressional debate and presidential messages from Adams's presidency (1797-1801), including his message to Congress on the XYZ Affair on May 16, 1797.
• The American State Papers contains the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838, covering the time that Adams served as vice president (1789-97) and president.
• The United States Statutes at Large contains the full text of all the laws enacted and treaties ratified during Adams's presidency, including the act creating the Library of Congress and the Convention of 1800 with France.

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789

This collection contains documents relating to the work of the Continental Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Search this collection to view three broadsides related to Adams's diplomatic career, including a broadside of the preliminary articles of peace ending the Revolutionary War.

The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799

The George Washington Papers contain 106 items to, from, or referring to John Adams (some references are in the editorial notes that accompany the transcripts). To find them, go to the collection’s search page, change the number of possible hits to 200, and search on the exact phrase John Adams (do not put quotation marks around the words).

Among the collection’s Adams-related materials are:

• A letter from Adams to Washington on April 1, 1776, offering congratulations on the evacuation of British troops from Boston.
• A letter from Adams, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton to George Washington on May 17, 1789.
• Washington's commission as Commander of Armed Forces signed by Adams on July 4, 1798.

"I Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations

This collection contains approximately 400 items relating to presidential inaugurations, including Adams's inauguration in 1797.

The James Madison Papers at the Library of Congress, 1723 - 1836

The James Madison Papers contain nineteen items to or referring to John Adams. To find them, go to the collection’s search page and search in both descriptive information and full text on the exact phrase John Adams (do not put quotation marks around the words).

Among the collection’s Adams-related materials is a letter from Madison to Adams on December 17, 1814, concerning negotiations for the Treaty of Ghent.

The Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress, 1606-1827

The Thomas Jefferson Papers contain 350 items to, from, or referring to John Adams. To find them, go to the collection’s search page and search on the exact phrase John Adams (do not put quotation marks around the words).

Among the collection’s Adams-related materials are:

• A letter written by Jefferson to Adams on December 28, 1796, congratulating Adams on being elected president. On James Madison's advice, the letter was never sent.
• After not corresponding for eleven years, Adams wrote to Jefferson on January 1, 1812, the first of many letters that would be exchanged until their deaths on July 4, 1826.
• The last letter written by Adams to Jefferson on April 17, 1826.

Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years

In honor of the Manuscript Division's centennial, its staff has selected for online display approximately ninety representative documents spanning from the fifteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. The collection contains a letter written by Adams to Thomas Jefferson describing his meeting with King George III in 1785 and Adams's order to relocate the offices of the federal government from Philadelphia to the District of Columbia in 1800.