John Adams was the second President of the United States from 1797 to 1801. He was one of the Founding Fathers and a lawyer, diplomat, and statesman. He came up with a successful but questionable legal defense of the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre because he stood by the right to counsel and the "protection of innocence" rule. He helped to prompt Congress to declare independence, assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration, and he played a role in negotiating the peace treaty with Great Britain.
John Adams has been praised for his fight against radicals and labeled as perhaps the most independent-minded of the founders. In fact, even though he was with the Federalists, he would still disagree with them as equally as with the Democratic-Republicans. He would make good decisions despite facing a strong opposition which speaks for his qualities.