約翰亞當斯是大陸會議早期即已加入的成員之一，該會議創立的宗旨是為了抵制英國的專制，在費城開始籌畫、密謀美國自英國獨立的繼畫；在1775年亞當斯提名來自維吉尼亞州的喬治華盛頓帶領大陸軍；1776年，亞當斯在大陸會議中支持美國獨立的行動、也成為委員會的領導人，草擬了於1776年7月4日簽署的獨立宣言。

亞當斯之後成為一名外交官，在歐洲擔任美國這個新政府的代表、超過十年的時間；他協助1783年巴黎條約的協商工作、讓獨立戰爭順利結束，也是美國第一位正式派任英國的大使，他本身愛國領袖的聲譽也不斷提昇。

在外交官任期結束回到美國之後，亞當斯在喬治華盛頓總統任期間的1789 到 1797年擔任美國的第一任副總統，但這是個他並不很喜歡的工作；最後他終於在1796年經過選舉成為美國總統（經過三次選舉），當時美國共有16個州。

您認為亞當斯會如何向他的太太阿比蓋爾形容副總統的生涯呢？

John Adams was an early member of the Continental Congress, which was created to resist British tyranny. It met in Philadelphia, eventually plotting American independence from Britain. While there, in 1775, Adams nominated George Washington, a Virginian, to lead the Continental Army. In 1776, Adams seconded the motion for independence in the Continental Congress and was a leader in the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776.

Adams later became a diplomat, representing the new U.S. government in Europe for more than a decade. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783, ending the Revolutionary War, and was the first official U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. His reputation as a patriotic leader continued to grow.

Returning to the United States after his foreign service, Adams served under George Washington from 1789 to 1797 as the nation's first vice president, a job he didn't really like. He was finally elected president (by three electoral votes) in 1796. There were 16 states in the union at the time of his election.

How do you think Adams described the vice presidency to his wife, Abigail?

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