Did John Adams make a good 2nd president? Why or why not?
As president, Adams resolved to continue Washington’s policy of international neutrality. To that end, he negotiated a treaty with France in 1800. But caught in the crossfire between the pro-French Republican Party of Jefferson and the pro-British elements within his own Federalist Party, Adams failed to win reelection. While historians have applauded the pursuit of neutrality that cost Adams his political life, they have criticized his support of the Alien and Sedition Acts, which passed at the height of partisan tension in 1798.
