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The Founders and the Constitution, Part 2: John Adams

The Founders and the Constitution, Part 2: John Adams
Portrait of John Adams by Gilbert Stuart, 1810–1815. Public domain
Rob Natelson
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Commentary

Unlike the other Founders profiled in this series, John Adams of Massachusetts didn’t attend the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He was America’s ambassador to England when the convention met, and he didn’t return home until the ratification process was well underway. His contribution was in laying the groundwork for the Constitution, both when in Massachusetts and when abroad.

Rob Natelson
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor who is senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver, authored “The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant” (3rd ed., 2015). He is a contributor to The Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”
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