John Adams was both Vice President and President of the United States, but before that he put the life of our country on the line when he signed the Declaration of Independence. John Adams convinced the founding fathers to write the Declaration of Independence because he was tired of taxation without representation and many other issues. “The “Braintree Instructions,” the publication written by John Adams, pointed out that the rights to be taxed only by consent and to be tried only by a jury of one's peers had been directly violated through the Stamp Act of 1765 (Laws, 2015) . " Rights violations pushed John Adams into a leadership role in the Continental Congress, where he appointed George Washington commander and head of the army. John Adams had a very high opinion of George Washington and revered his knowledge. John Adams was one of leading advocates of small and local governments, which prompted him to publish his pamphlet “Thoughts of Government.” “In 'Thoughts of Government' Adams wrote that the British Parliament was an empire of laws and not of men deeply rooted in American society and politics, ultimately influencing the creation of the United States Bill of Rights (Laws, 2015).” Ultimately, on June 7, 1776, Adams agreed with the other Founding Fathers that independence was the only option and played an important role in advocating for its adoption among the