John Adams
Influence on the Constitution
Founding Father- John Adams
- Adams was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly and was one of five to represent the colony at the First Continental Congress, in 1774.
- On June 7th, 1776 John Adams agreed to the resolution of independence and later played an imperative role in the drafting of the historical document.
-In May 1776, Congress approved Adams's resolution proposing that the colonies each adopt independent governments.
The Petition of Rights
(No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.)
- It is also believed the 6th amendment, the due process clause of the fifth amendment, and the Civil Jury trial clause of the 7th amendment all draw influence from the petition of rights.
Natural Law
Adams believed all men were created equal. He used the analogy of fifty babies all in the same room in the same type of cradle getting fed the same thing. Yet they were all different. They were all born with individual rights.
Great Thinker- Tomas Paine
" The Constitution of a country is not the act of its Government, but of the people constituting the Government." - Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was the author of the best selling pamphlet "Common Sense" which was a major motif for the American Revolution.