Summary of David McCullough's John Adams is a biography designed to establish Adams's place beside, or even above, better known figures such as Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington in the pantheon of national founders. It was published in 2001 and won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. It was adapted into an HBO miniseries in 2008.

Adams was the son of a farmer in the small town of Braintree, Massachusetts. His family recognized his intelligence and talent and invested in his education; his father sold land so that John could receive a BA from Harvard. He continued at Harvard to receive his law degree in 1758, then was mentored by John Putnam and admitted to the bar in 1759. He married Abigail Smith in 1764 and soon afterwards he began his career in public life with opposition to the British Stamp Act of 1765. Despite his ardent support of the colonies...