In the United States government system, the president plays the most important role in deciding upon the nation’s fate.  They have the power to pass bills, make treaties with the approval of the Senate, and enforce the laws that Congress passes, etc.  More importantly, the president represents the people of the United States.  For each president‘s term in office, they are crucial figures to recognize by history and to represent the United States during that time.  When thinking about the evolution of the United States, the evolution was largely pushed forward by the presidents.  One president, John Adams, reflected the young republic’s evolution the best because he set a precedent for the nation's diplomatic, military, and political aspects.

John Adams’s diplomatic policies shaped the nation’s future.  The famous XYZ affair was one of the most important diplomatic events that happened during Adams’s presidency, which shaped American diplomacy's stance for the following years.  The negotiation with the French to stop harassing American shipping collapsed after French officials required bribes to talk to the Foreign Minister Talleyrand.  Internationally, The event set the tone for an aggressive stance toward France in the coming years.  France and the U.S. relation dropped to an all-time low.  The undeclared war Quasi-War was triggered by the XYZ Affair.  Domestically, It also caused damage to the Democratic-Republican Party.  Due to the Democratic-Republican pro-France stance, the XYZ Affair greatly damaged the party’s power in Congress.  Adams’s diplomatic stance on the XYZ Affair indicated the shift of the U.S. diplomatic strategy from conservative toward a more patriotic and radical stance toward future diplomacy policies and decisions.  This patriotic stance is still affecting the U.S. Recently, the Korean War, the conflict with Iraq and Afghanistan all showed an aggressive stance toward global relations.   

Coming with John Adams’s diplomatic policies, the military was another important aspect that impacted the evolution of the United States. He recruited 80,000 soldiers to prepare for a potential war against France.  The military policy of recruiting large numbers of troops to protect the country has been passed down till today.  John Adams also set a precedent for establishing the navy to protect American shipping and prepare for the Quasi-War with France.  Quasi-War was an undeclared naval war between France and the U.S.  The American navy gained its first victory in the Quasi-War.  Since then, the U.S. Navy has always been the strongest navy across the globe.  The non-declared war victory against France raised the young republic to the top tier on the global stage militarily.  In today’s context, with the world’s largest military budget, the reputation of the strongest military country started from Adams’s emphasis on the military.  

The legacy John Adams had set in the political field was another important impact on the young republic apart from diplomatic and military that showed the evolution.  The transfer of power from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson started the precedent of peacefully transferring the power between two parties by following the election results.  Today, the Democratic and the Republican parties transfer power willingly because of the legacy started by John Adams.  Although there are great political legacies like the peaceful transfer of power, there are also controversial political policies.  The Alien Act allowed the government to deport any foreigners if the government saw them as a “threat.”  The Sedition Act allowed the government to ban any malicious writing against the government.  These two acts caused the public to question freedom of speech.  The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions directly questioned the legitimacy of these acts.  This triggered the nation's pursuit of freedom of speech and acceptance of foreigners into the country.  John Adams restrained freedom of speech and immigration during his presidency, but he let people realize the importance of freedom of speech and immigration in which the government could not take away the freedom to criticize the government and not restrain immigration.  Freedom of speech has become one of the most important virtues of the nation, and immigration is what built up this country to its position today.

John Adams made important contributions in the field of diplomacy, military, and political, which set precedents and affected the future of the United States.  Thus, he reflected the young republic’s evolution the best.  As John Adams once said, “Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.”  He truly fulfilled what he once wished, which was to contribute to the country. Even after his death, the legacy he left behind is still affecting the United States today.