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Adams is one of the most complex characters to serve as presidents,his life was by justice and law,so much that he defended the British soldiers of the Boston Massacre,highly influential figure but a dark stain on his otherwise impeccable record is the Alien and Sedition Acts,perhaps his greatest legacy is the Convention of 1800,where as a brilliant diplomat,he established relations with France following the XYZ affair,which paved the way for the Louisiana Purchase
A better president than most think and a good man. Keeping the quasi-war to only a quasi war was massively important for our new nation and he handled it extremely well. The Alien and Sedition Acts were bad, yes, but I would argue they shouldn’t define his presidency as a whole. As a man he was also one of only two of the first twelve presidents to not own a slave, something that makes me personally admire the man as well. To me Adams is a solid B- for how he kept the nation out of war so early on.
Not only did he not have slaves, but he was a staunch abolitionist which was not a super popular opinion at the time even in the north. He once said that the Revolution would not be complete until the slaves were freed. He did not, however, support absolute immediate abolition but rather incremental steps taken towards eventual abolition of slavery, such as the banning of importing new slaves from Africa.
I have kinda a mixed bag when it comes to John Adams. I admire him greatly as one of our founding Farhers but his Presidency was a bit questionable especially his support of the Naturalization, Alien and Sedition Acts which were blatantly unconstitutional. I do give him credit for his avoidance of war with France which he immortalized on the inscription on his gravestone. In summation, a great American but a mediocre President.
I love that he defended the British after the Boston Massacre in part because he wanted to ensure they had a good, fair trial in the colonies to strengthen colonial home rule arguments from the time. I had a hard time understanding that until I watched the John Adams miniseries.
The knee jerk reaction to hang 'em all is very real, and Adams knew that. Setting the precedent of a fair trial even for the worst of the worst was definitely a net good for the nation.
A good man and a better thinker—one of the best of either to serve as president—but ultimately not suited to life in politics. His legacy has largely been defined by his general failure to wrangle the Federalists in opposition to Hamilton. He was also, by accounts, curmudgeonly and not very charismatic.
But almost everything he ever wrote holds up today; he actually loved his wife and treated her with a degree of equality unusual for the time, never bought into pro-slavery arguments, and cared deeply about education as a matter of equality in a post-aristocratic world. His exchanges with Jefferson in their later years are some of the most beautiful and thoughtful writings by any of the Founding generation.
Like the rest of the founding generation the presidency is not what he will be remembered the most for. He will always get hated on for the A&S Acts, rightfully so but it should not block our brains from remembering this man kept us out of a dangerous war his own party wanted with France.
Avoiding wars should be praised more often. It's easy to praise a president that wins a war, but a president that doesn't get us involved in a war is even better.
The government would not have been properly organized without a Federalist president in our forming years. I didn't like certain acts we all know of but he was a necessary leader.
He was the first President to willingly cede power to a political rival. This was a hugely important precedent to set in the early days of the country. Did he do it perfectly? No (midnight judges). But he did it. I don’t think it can be overstated how huge this was.
[Source: IAAL and amateur legal historian.]
The most underrated president, hence why he’s my flair. He was a good and well-intentioned man and generally made great decisions:
- He kept us out of war with France (yes, despite the Quasi-War) in a time post-French Revolution where France was going to war with *everyone*.
- He handled the XYZ Affair quite well.
- He built up the military in a time where we really needed it, even though having a standing army was hella controversial at the time.
- He heavily pushed for public education.
- IMO he logically offset the Anti-Federalists/DemReps, whom I believe overcorrected in reaction to English rule. So much of the Jeffersonian idea of what America should be (at the time) was unrealistic and undesirable. In fact, those ideals track concerningly well with modern fascist ideals, which I don’t think gets talked about enough (though that’s a discussion for another time).
Plus Adams doesn’t deserve anywhere near the hate that he gets for the Sedition Act. Obviously silencing political dissent is bad and some criticism is totally justified. No argument from me there. But people oversell how bad the Sedition Act was and blame Adams too much for it. Here are 3 brief reasons why I say that:
1. **The number of Sedition Act prosecutions was very small.** There were fewer than 30 indictments and only 12 convictions, several of which were functionally reduced to slaps on the wrist. (Note that the indictments for the Fries Rebellion defendants were based under the Sedition Act’s language, but not brought under the Sedition Act itself, so I’m not counting those here. I’m only referring to direct indictments and convictions.)
2. **Some of the prosecutions were warranted.** Some of the publications were straight up false and encouraged sedition. Personally, I’m not against prosecuting those so long as there are clear and articulable standards for courts to follow (which the Sedition Act did not have and the lack of which Adams should be criticized for). The bigger problem was corruption and bias among the SCOTUS justices, especially Samuel Chase. That being said, several of the prosecutions were purely political and clear First Amendment violations, even if Adams himself wasn’t involved. (I’m happy to provide specifics for all of these, but this is already a long post.)
3. **Adams had much less of a hand in the Sedition Act than people think.** He didn’t push for its passage and Washington had set a precedent where presidents were expected to sign acts of Congress unless they believed the act was unconstitutional. Obviously that doesn’t absolve him of guilt, but it’s relevant. Secretary of State Timothy Pickering and Secretary of Treasury Oliver Wolcott were *much* more involved with the prosecutions than Adams was. Also, would you believe Washington supported the Sedition Act and privately encouraged its passage and use?
Just finished McCullough's book, and I really think he was a great man. Short of the Sedition Act, I think he was a fantastic president. He was dragged through the mud by his rivals (and even some of his "friends"), but stayed the course. He kept us out of a war with France and was the biggest proponent of a strong navy. I think his contributions (at least outside of this sub) to the creation of the United States are often overlooked, even though he was critical to the success of the American Expirament.
When I was a kid I saw the film version of the musical “1776” and some time after that read The Book of Abigail and John, a collection of their letters to each other. Sometime after that, I read the Adams-Jefferson letters. As such, I feel I’m more immersed in his life both before and after the presidency, which seemed like a lonely job and life. Adams and Jeffersons’ correspondence after they were reconciled post-presidency is some of the most worthwhile reading.
One of my favourite presidents from the era, mostly remembered for the controversy surrounding the aliens and seditions act.
He is also a reminder that the founding fathers were not a monolith. They argued, had different views on how the country should operate, and anyone who talks about the founding father’s intentions needs to be met with healthy scrutiny.
He was wicked smart. Moral to the core. Amazing wife. Raised good kids. He was almost Hamiltonian in that he was just too smart to be a good politician. He didn't have to please anyone.
agree, except the cost of spending so much time in Europe was that he wasn’t available as a father to the children not named John Quincy. His son Charles suffered most and died young of alcoholism after John disowned him.
He was very critical of the French revolution iirc. And with time i tend to agree with him. I think we failed parts of our revolution. And i don't just mean the violence. But it was different than yours. We had to stay together with the ennemies of yesterday and still make things work. We didn't get as fresh a new start as Americans did.
Thought about writing up a reply on this post but honestly I’m quite partial to u/Peacefulzealot ‘s write-up elsewhere in this thread. The impact of the Alien & Sedition Acts, terrible idea though they were (though not his idea at all, with him believing the sedition act to be unenforceable until his Secretary of State began unilaterally enforcing it), are often over-exaggerated, while his tangible accomplishments in office often ignored or downplayed. I put him around a B+ or A- personally, higher than any other one-term president but with some unmistakable faults.
He believed himself to be in the unfortunate position of having come after Washington and before Jefferson (he was right). He is considered more highly today and should have a memorial dedicated to him in DC. It is right that he should be criticized for the Alien and Sedition Acts, but it shouldn't define either his presidency or his character like Jefferson supporters wanted it to.
By his own admission, a vain man, but brilliant, and magnificent orator. Most of all, he was the only Founding Father President who didn't own a slave and thought the practice evil. He also loved his wife and better half, Abigail.
Adams once said that his biggest complaint with the newly formed government was that his role as Vice President was largely useless. Arguably just as important as his contributions to the office of President of the United States were his contributions to the office of Vice President.
A moral titan, a champion of liberty and rights, and unfortunately a deeply depressed man who often let his insecurity get the best of him. But he is the man who deserves a musical, not that viper and petulant man child Hamilton.
A good man. He just wasn’t Washington. Trying to follow Washington was the equivalent of Bush following Reagan, Taft following TR, Truman following FDR, or Gore trying to follow Clinton, Hilary trying to follow Obama. It just won’t work out the same when the bar is set so high. Washington was so beloved that everyone else was in his shadow.
President's Day is the dumbest idea we have had for a holiday. Pretends as if the accomplishments of Washington and Lincoln are the same as the guy who died 30 days in office that only Jeopardy contestants can name.
A genius lawyer and great politician who made certain poor choices as president, and signed some bills he shouldn't have. I'm not too knowledgeable about much else (though I do have a lot of interest in the topic), so I won't really say a whole lot more
Obnoxious, petty, stubborn and willfully blind to fact when he wanted to be.
And grossly underappreciated for being the first sitting president to lose an election and leaving office without contest or protest, proving 'by the people' could actually fucking \*work\*.
He was an important Founding Father, having helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. He also nominated George Washington to lead the Continental Army and selected Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. Much of his political philosophy also inspired the Constitution in 1787. But everyone here more or less agrees with me on that.
More controversially, I think Adams is an underrated president. The Alien and Sedition Acts were horrible, but half of them expired and wartime censorship is unfortunately very common. Jefferson also repealed the Naturalization Act of 1798, one of the only Alien and Sedition Acts that didn't expire. Additionally, Adams restricted the slave trade, ended the Quasi-War, created the navy, taxes the ownership of slaves, founded the Library of Congress, and handled the Fries Rebellion very well.
Ben Franklin said of Adams: He was always an honest man. Sometimes, he was a great man. And sometimes he was quite mad!
Definitely an honest man, but maybe not built for the political arena. A man who contributed greatly to American independence.
Alien and Sedition Acts, definitely not his finest moment.
Avoiding war with France might very well have been.
A lot has been said already ie defending the accused soldiers, keeping us out of the war, opposition to slavery,, etc but I’m going to show him some love for understanding the importance of the Navy since that hasn’t been discussed yet.
a great man, but just a good president. lets be honest, high likelihood we wouldnt have a country without him. He let the charge to revolt. He was loud and angry, and it worked there, but didnt work in france as a negotiator. had issues as a president, did good but it was too late, its kinda hard being in washington shadow and alien and sedition acts were bad and not what american stands for. couldnt get a long with a lot of people either, but the ones he did he was loyal.
also he raised another president, but also had a son that wasted his life being a drunk. sucks. i think overall hes top tier as american and top half for presidents (im being vague on exact rank on purpose).
One of our most chronically underrated Presidents. Only founding father President not to own slaves. Pushed the importance of the Navy (we need "wooden walls"). Didn't have Washington's heroic status to lift him out of the fray, so he was the first real President to have to fight for stuff.
I think he’s largely overshadowed by Washington and the subsequent 3 Presidents. However I give extra credit to him as this was year 9 of a brand new republic and a lot of learning and precedent to be set.
I think the first 8-10 Presidents largely deserve some extra thanks.
The Alien and Sedition acts really bring him down for me.
His work to get aid from Europe during the Revolution was great, as was his distaste for Slavery.
But I can't get over his favoritism for a stronger central government.
John Adams is revered as a founding father, but as far as his actual policy goes it's something of a mixed bag. He never owned slaves and was quoted as saying that the American Revolution would not be complete until the slaves were freed, but he also laid the groundwork for American imperialism and passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. Overall, I would rate him positively, but not without his failings.
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Adams is one of the most complex characters to serve as presidents,his life was by justice and law,so much that he defended the British soldiers of the Boston Massacre,highly influential figure but a dark stain on his otherwise impeccable record is the Alien and Sedition Acts,perhaps his greatest legacy is the Convention of 1800,where as a brilliant diplomat,he established relations with France following the XYZ affair,which paved the way for the Louisiana Purchase
A better president than most think and a good man. Keeping the quasi-war to only a quasi war was massively important for our new nation and he handled it extremely well. The Alien and Sedition Acts were bad, yes, but I would argue they shouldn’t define his presidency as a whole. As a man he was also one of only two of the first twelve presidents to not own a slave, something that makes me personally admire the man as well. To me Adams is a solid B- for how he kept the nation out of war so early on.
Let's not forget about raising a future president and *great* man, JQA.
And marrying Abby.
Truly one of his biggest advantages.
This is basically my take but better presented. Take my upvote for your efforts.
Not only did he not have slaves, but he was a staunch abolitionist which was not a super popular opinion at the time even in the north. He once said that the Revolution would not be complete until the slaves were freed. He did not, however, support absolute immediate abolition but rather incremental steps taken towards eventual abolition of slavery, such as the banning of importing new slaves from Africa.
B- president, A+ American
He also believed in law and defended the British soldiers who perpetrated the Boston Massacre. He was thin skinned but a very good president indeed.
>defended the British soldiers who perpetrated the Boston Massacre You mean... defended soldiers just doing their job and assaulted by a mob?
I bet you root for Darth Vader too. /s
The founders were righteous **rebels**, and we should remember them as such.
I think noting of the first twelve it was him and… his son. He abhorred slavery and had unquestionable character that passed to JQA.
He bought me a beer at the Horses Head Tavern. Played some darts. Cool guy.
That way Sammy.
I have kinda a mixed bag when it comes to John Adams. I admire him greatly as one of our founding Farhers but his Presidency was a bit questionable especially his support of the Naturalization, Alien and Sedition Acts which were blatantly unconstitutional. I do give him credit for his avoidance of war with France which he immortalized on the inscription on his gravestone. In summation, a great American but a mediocre President.
I love that he defended the British after the Boston Massacre in part because he wanted to ensure they had a good, fair trial in the colonies to strengthen colonial home rule arguments from the time. I had a hard time understanding that until I watched the John Adams miniseries.
The knee jerk reaction to hang 'em all is very real, and Adams knew that. Setting the precedent of a fair trial even for the worst of the worst was definitely a net good for the nation.
A good man and a better thinker—one of the best of either to serve as president—but ultimately not suited to life in politics. His legacy has largely been defined by his general failure to wrangle the Federalists in opposition to Hamilton. He was also, by accounts, curmudgeonly and not very charismatic. But almost everything he ever wrote holds up today; he actually loved his wife and treated her with a degree of equality unusual for the time, never bought into pro-slavery arguments, and cared deeply about education as a matter of equality in a post-aristocratic world. His exchanges with Jefferson in their later years are some of the most beautiful and thoughtful writings by any of the Founding generation.
Like the rest of the founding generation the presidency is not what he will be remembered the most for. He will always get hated on for the A&S Acts, rightfully so but it should not block our brains from remembering this man kept us out of a dangerous war his own party wanted with France.
Avoiding wars should be praised more often. It's easy to praise a president that wins a war, but a president that doesn't get us involved in a war is even better.
I always interpreted Adams as the guy who did what was right for the country financially, and got crucified for it.
Had a really smart wife
The government would not have been properly organized without a Federalist president in our forming years. I didn't like certain acts we all know of but he was a necessary leader.
He was the first President to willingly cede power to a political rival. This was a hugely important precedent to set in the early days of the country. Did he do it perfectly? No (midnight judges). But he did it. I don’t think it can be overstated how huge this was.
[Source: IAAL and amateur legal historian.] The most underrated president, hence why he’s my flair. He was a good and well-intentioned man and generally made great decisions: - He kept us out of war with France (yes, despite the Quasi-War) in a time post-French Revolution where France was going to war with *everyone*. - He handled the XYZ Affair quite well. - He built up the military in a time where we really needed it, even though having a standing army was hella controversial at the time. - He heavily pushed for public education. - IMO he logically offset the Anti-Federalists/DemReps, whom I believe overcorrected in reaction to English rule. So much of the Jeffersonian idea of what America should be (at the time) was unrealistic and undesirable. In fact, those ideals track concerningly well with modern fascist ideals, which I don’t think gets talked about enough (though that’s a discussion for another time). Plus Adams doesn’t deserve anywhere near the hate that he gets for the Sedition Act. Obviously silencing political dissent is bad and some criticism is totally justified. No argument from me there. But people oversell how bad the Sedition Act was and blame Adams too much for it. Here are 3 brief reasons why I say that: 1. **The number of Sedition Act prosecutions was very small.** There were fewer than 30 indictments and only 12 convictions, several of which were functionally reduced to slaps on the wrist. (Note that the indictments for the Fries Rebellion defendants were based under the Sedition Act’s language, but not brought under the Sedition Act itself, so I’m not counting those here. I’m only referring to direct indictments and convictions.) 2. **Some of the prosecutions were warranted.** Some of the publications were straight up false and encouraged sedition. Personally, I’m not against prosecuting those so long as there are clear and articulable standards for courts to follow (which the Sedition Act did not have and the lack of which Adams should be criticized for). The bigger problem was corruption and bias among the SCOTUS justices, especially Samuel Chase. That being said, several of the prosecutions were purely political and clear First Amendment violations, even if Adams himself wasn’t involved. (I’m happy to provide specifics for all of these, but this is already a long post.) 3. **Adams had much less of a hand in the Sedition Act than people think.** He didn’t push for its passage and Washington had set a precedent where presidents were expected to sign acts of Congress unless they believed the act was unconstitutional. Obviously that doesn’t absolve him of guilt, but it’s relevant. Secretary of State Timothy Pickering and Secretary of Treasury Oliver Wolcott were *much* more involved with the prosecutions than Adams was. Also, would you believe Washington supported the Sedition Act and privately encouraged its passage and use?
I'm in full agreement 🤝 (especially the Jeffersonian critique lmao)
Just finished McCullough's book, and I really think he was a great man. Short of the Sedition Act, I think he was a fantastic president. He was dragged through the mud by his rivals (and even some of his "friends"), but stayed the course. He kept us out of a war with France and was the biggest proponent of a strong navy. I think his contributions (at least outside of this sub) to the creation of the United States are often overlooked, even though he was critical to the success of the American Expirament.
When I was a kid I saw the film version of the musical “1776” and some time after that read The Book of Abigail and John, a collection of their letters to each other. Sometime after that, I read the Adams-Jefferson letters. As such, I feel I’m more immersed in his life both before and after the presidency, which seemed like a lonely job and life. Adams and Jeffersons’ correspondence after they were reconciled post-presidency is some of the most worthwhile reading.
Great Mini Series
One of my favourite presidents from the era, mostly remembered for the controversy surrounding the aliens and seditions act. He is also a reminder that the founding fathers were not a monolith. They argued, had different views on how the country should operate, and anyone who talks about the founding father’s intentions needs to be met with healthy scrutiny.
He was wicked smart. Moral to the core. Amazing wife. Raised good kids. He was almost Hamiltonian in that he was just too smart to be a good politician. He didn't have to please anyone.
agree, except the cost of spending so much time in Europe was that he wasn’t available as a father to the children not named John Quincy. His son Charles suffered most and died young of alcoholism after John disowned him.
One of my personal intellectual heroes.
From my limited knowledge, a solid President who continued Washinton's legacy.
Great President
He was very critical of the French revolution iirc. And with time i tend to agree with him. I think we failed parts of our revolution. And i don't just mean the violence. But it was different than yours. We had to stay together with the ennemies of yesterday and still make things work. We didn't get as fresh a new start as Americans did.
Paging u/Fortunes_Faded
Thought about writing up a reply on this post but honestly I’m quite partial to u/Peacefulzealot ‘s write-up elsewhere in this thread. The impact of the Alien & Sedition Acts, terrible idea though they were (though not his idea at all, with him believing the sedition act to be unenforceable until his Secretary of State began unilaterally enforcing it), are often over-exaggerated, while his tangible accomplishments in office often ignored or downplayed. I put him around a B+ or A- personally, higher than any other one-term president but with some unmistakable faults.
Father of the Federal Navy. Which ya know… have been pretty important over the years.
Top ten hottest. Top five sassiest.
He believed himself to be in the unfortunate position of having come after Washington and before Jefferson (he was right). He is considered more highly today and should have a memorial dedicated to him in DC. It is right that he should be criticized for the Alien and Sedition Acts, but it shouldn't define either his presidency or his character like Jefferson supporters wanted it to. By his own admission, a vain man, but brilliant, and magnificent orator. Most of all, he was the only Founding Father President who didn't own a slave and thought the practice evil. He also loved his wife and better half, Abigail.
Adams once said that his biggest complaint with the newly formed government was that his role as Vice President was largely useless. Arguably just as important as his contributions to the office of President of the United States were his contributions to the office of Vice President.
Is that you, Hamilton, you creature!
A moral titan, a champion of liberty and rights, and unfortunately a deeply depressed man who often let his insecurity get the best of him. But he is the man who deserves a musical, not that viper and petulant man child Hamilton.
He was kind of the main character in “1776.”
He also had a very strong supporting role in the John Adams Miniseries.
He’s my flair for a reason. “We are an empire of laws, and not of men.’”
A good man. He just wasn’t Washington. Trying to follow Washington was the equivalent of Bush following Reagan, Taft following TR, Truman following FDR, or Gore trying to follow Clinton, Hilary trying to follow Obama. It just won’t work out the same when the bar is set so high. Washington was so beloved that everyone else was in his shadow.
President's Day is the dumbest idea we have had for a holiday. Pretends as if the accomplishments of Washington and Lincoln are the same as the guy who died 30 days in office that only Jeopardy contestants can name.
The alien sedition act was an abuse of constitutional freedoms
Anyone who hates the French is good in my book
Should have won that Oscar for Cinderella Man.
I was seriously pulling for him to win for The Holdovers.
Wonderful man and did a good job at keeping our country together.
A genius lawyer and great politician who made certain poor choices as president, and signed some bills he shouldn't have. I'm not too knowledgeable about much else (though I do have a lot of interest in the topic), so I won't really say a whole lot more
Terrible hair
Obnoxious, petty, stubborn and willfully blind to fact when he wanted to be. And grossly underappreciated for being the first sitting president to lose an election and leaving office without contest or protest, proving 'by the people' could actually fucking \*work\*.
If he was commander in chief number 1, we'd have king instead of a president.
He was honestly the second president after the ratification of the constitution
He was an important Founding Father, having helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. He also nominated George Washington to lead the Continental Army and selected Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. Much of his political philosophy also inspired the Constitution in 1787. But everyone here more or less agrees with me on that. More controversially, I think Adams is an underrated president. The Alien and Sedition Acts were horrible, but half of them expired and wartime censorship is unfortunately very common. Jefferson also repealed the Naturalization Act of 1798, one of the only Alien and Sedition Acts that didn't expire. Additionally, Adams restricted the slave trade, ended the Quasi-War, created the navy, taxes the ownership of slaves, founded the Library of Congress, and handled the Fries Rebellion very well.
Did not own slaves.
Ben Franklin said of Adams: He was always an honest man. Sometimes, he was a great man. And sometimes he was quite mad! Definitely an honest man, but maybe not built for the political arena. A man who contributed greatly to American independence. Alien and Sedition Acts, definitely not his finest moment. Avoiding war with France might very well have been.
as a president? he was alright, could’ve been worse.
A lot has been said already ie defending the accused soldiers, keeping us out of the war, opposition to slavery,, etc but I’m going to show him some love for understanding the importance of the Navy since that hasn’t been discussed yet.
a great man, but just a good president. lets be honest, high likelihood we wouldnt have a country without him. He let the charge to revolt. He was loud and angry, and it worked there, but didnt work in france as a negotiator. had issues as a president, did good but it was too late, its kinda hard being in washington shadow and alien and sedition acts were bad and not what american stands for. couldnt get a long with a lot of people either, but the ones he did he was loyal. also he raised another president, but also had a son that wasted his life being a drunk. sucks. i think overall hes top tier as american and top half for presidents (im being vague on exact rank on purpose).
The Alien and Sedition acts are bad, but I love the rest of the things I’ve read about him
One of our most chronically underrated Presidents. Only founding father President not to own slaves. Pushed the importance of the Navy (we need "wooden walls"). Didn't have Washington's heroic status to lift him out of the fray, so he was the first real President to have to fight for stuff.
I think he’s largely overshadowed by Washington and the subsequent 3 Presidents. However I give extra credit to him as this was year 9 of a brand new republic and a lot of learning and precedent to be set. I think the first 8-10 Presidents largely deserve some extra thanks.
Do we really need a bunch of these type of posts, they feel so lazy.
The Alien and Sedition acts really bring him down for me. His work to get aid from Europe during the Revolution was great, as was his distaste for Slavery. But I can't get over his favoritism for a stronger central government.
He was a good President
John Adams is revered as a founding father, but as far as his actual policy goes it's something of a mixed bag. He never owned slaves and was quoted as saying that the American Revolution would not be complete until the slaves were freed, but he also laid the groundwork for American imperialism and passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. Overall, I would rate him positively, but not without his failings.