John Adams vs Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
United States- 2nd President of the United States
- 1st Vice President of the United States
Massachusetts lawyer, revolutionary leader and second U.S. president who favored a balanced constitution with a strong executive, avoided full war with France and signed the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Full profile of John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
United States- 3rd President of the United States
- Principal author of the Declaration of Independence
Author of the Declaration of Independence and third U.S. president who championed limited federal government, states' rights, an agrarian republic and the separation of church and state, while holding hundreds of people in slavery.
Full profile of Thomas JeffersonIn short
How they compare
John Adams (1735-1826) and Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) are a 75% match on the 11 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on structure (John Adams: central (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: local (moderate)), security (John Adams: order (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: liberty (moderate)) and religion (John Adams: religious (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: secular (moderate)). They are closest on welfare, culture and foreign policy.
On the economy Thomas Jefferson sits further toward markets; on state and liberty John Adams sits further toward authority; on society John Adams sits further toward tradition; on the world stage John Adams sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- John Adamsmarkets (mild)Thomas Jeffersonmarkets (moderate)
- State and liberty3 axes
- John Adamsauthority (mild)Thomas Jeffersonliberty (moderate)
- Society3 axes
- John Adamstradition (moderate)Thomas Jeffersonbalanced
- World2 axes
- John Adamsnation (mild)Thomas Jeffersonbalanced
- John Adams: petals and stars
- Thomas Jefferson: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Structure95 points apart
John Adams: Central (moderate). Thomas Jefferson: Local (moderate).
- Security90 points apart
John Adams: Order (moderate). Thomas Jefferson: Liberty (moderate).
- Religion90 points apart
John Adams: Religious (moderate). Thomas Jefferson: Secular (moderate).
- Authority40 points apart
John Adams: Democratic (mild). Thomas Jefferson: Democratic (moderate).
★ Where they are closest
- Foreign policy · 5 apart
- Culture · 5 apart
- Welfare · 5 apart
Axis by axis
Thomas Jefferson
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipModerate: Private30%70%PublicPrivate
- MarketsMild: Free43%57%PlannedFree
- WelfareModerate: Self-reliant30%70%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityMild: Democratic55%45%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityModerate: Order25%75%LibertyOrder
- StructureModerate: Central33%67%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityModerate: Traditional25%75%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionModerate: Religious33%67%SecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureModerate: National identity33%67%MulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeMild: Protected45%55%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyMild: Strength40%60%CooperationStrength
Not compared: Technology (no clear record for John Adams). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
John Adams vs Thomas Jefferson
What is the difference between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson?
They differ most on structure (John Adams: central (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: local (moderate)), security (John Adams: order (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: liberty (moderate)) and religion (John Adams: religious (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: secular (moderate)). On the economy Thomas Jefferson sits further toward markets; on state and liberty John Adams sits further toward authority; on society John Adams sits further toward tradition; on the world stage John Adams sits further toward nation.
What do John Adams and Thomas Jefferson have in common?
They are closest on welfare, culture and foreign policy. Overall their profiles are a 75% match on the 11 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, John Adams or Thomas Jefferson?
On the economic axes they share, Thomas Jefferson sits further toward markets and John Adams further toward equality. John Adams reads as markets (mild) overall, Thomas Jefferson as markets (moderate).
Am I closer to John Adams or Thomas Jefferson?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.