Adams, John
Adams, John (1735–1826), member of the Continental Congress, diplomat, vice president, and second president of the United States.John Adams never soldiered, but throughout his public life he repeatedly faced issues of war and peace.
In June 1775, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Adams nominated George Washington to command the Continental army, and in October and November 1775, as a member of the Continental Congress's Naval Committee, he was instrumental in creating the U.S. Navy and Marines. From June 1776 until November 1777, Adams chaired the Board of War and Ordnance, Congress's committee to oversee the Continental army and the conduct of the war. As a U.S. diplomat in Europe after 1778, Adams repeatedly implored France to make a greater military commitment. He emphasized the need for concerted action by Washington's army and the French Navy, a...
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