I hope you all enjoyed the first presidential cookie recipe and were able to share it with loved ones while learning a bit of U.S. history in the process. For the second installment of this series, naturally we’ll be learning about our nation’s second president, John Adams.

Adams was born into a comfortable life as the son of a farmer and shoemaker. Although his father insisted that he be formally educated, Adams made it known that he, too, would rather live the simple life of a farmer. He eventually excelled in school and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University. After studying at Harvard, he struggled with the decision to become a lawyer, feeling that he would have to abandon his moral code. While teaching school throughout his law apprenticeship, he became very familiar with legal and political issues and realized he could be a man of strong beliefs and ethics while also being a lawyer.