Education
Historical Society of Watertown Essay Contest
The Historical Society of Watertown has sponsored various essay contests dating back to 1928 to encourage students to learn and write about Watertown history. Since 1999, the Historical Society Award has been given annually to the three high school students who submit the best essays based on a choice of four themes: an individual, ethnic group, landmark or historical event in Watertown and its significance to the city and region. Information on contest winners dating back to 2005 is available. Besides the award, the first place winner receives a $250 prize, while the second and third place winners receive $150 and $100 prizes, respectively. The winning essays are chosen by a panel of Historical Society Council members and the awards are presented in June at the Watertown High School. The Historical Society appreciates the effort taken by Curriculum Coordinator David Bedar and the Watertown High School faculty and staff to encourage students to develop an interest in the history of their city.
In 2026, the Historical Society suggested that students observe the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution by choosing essay topics related to this historic event. Third place was awarded to 9th grader Meri Margaryen for her essay "Samuel Adams and his Contributions to the American Revolution." Second place went to 9th grader Benjamin Elliott for his essay titled "The Massachusetts Provincial Congress." 9th grader Josephine Keumurian took first place for her essay "John Adams," the text of which is included below.
First Place Essay 2026
John Adams by Josephine Keumurian (Grade 9)
Near the beginning of our country, a short, ambitious guy was born on October 30, 1735, but, as short as he was, he would grow into a keen figure and a “big man” in his long foreseeing future. John Adams was born in 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts, into a middle-class family, where his father taught him the importance of education. Eventually, Adams’ interest led him to graduate from Harvard [Ed. Note: he later studied law under James Putnam of Worcester], while at the same time there was a crack forming between America and Great Britain. After Britain began to pass new tax laws like the Stamp Act, which made many colonists very angry, he used his law skills to argue against the taxes and say they were unjust or unfair. After the Boston Massacre happened, he was no longer some random lawyer from Harvard College; Adams became one of the most respected people of the time because of what he did. Through these early experiences, Adams had a sense of justice and independence that would eventually lead him to put his life [on the line] for this newly grown nation. By looking at his achievements in the Continental Congress and his time as the president, it is clear that John Adams was a very crucial part of the creation of this nation.
While the British and the American tensions kept growing and the anti-British rallies in Boston occurred, an incident happened that changed many people’s views. The event was called the Boston Massacre where, supposedly, the “lobsterbacks” (a name used by colonists referring to the British soldiers) killed random people just standing for no reason. Even though it was not true, the people brought it to court and the British troops had no one to defend them. That was until one man stepped up to the podium and took the job. That man’s name was John Adams, the same person who said the tax laws were unfair and unjust. He did not do it because he had to. Adams did it because he wanted to. Because of how much he believed in the law and in justice for the corrupt system he agreed to defend the soldiers. John risked his whole political career and reputation just because of the belief that justice requires a fair trial for all. With that he was very successful in his defense and he won the trial with the release of all eight soldiers with murder charges, but two were still charged with manslaughter.
After those trials were behind him, Adams went from defending the British law to help dismantle it. He became a delegate in Congress [which] made it possible to do it. He was not just a Boston lawyer at this point, but was seen as a key figure who started and encouraged it. John became one who pointed the colonies toward the declaration of independence. He didn’t just do this because he was one of the five who created it. Adams pushed people to it because he truly believed in it. He also did other things at his time in Congress. He was the one who nominated George Washington to lead the army and help unite the colonies. His efforts and long nights on over ninety committees gave him the name “Atlas of Independence”, showing everyone his commitment to the American cause.
While John Adams was sleep deprived and worked tirelessly day and night, he also came to the realization that the colonies would not survive with no way to defend their shores. This led him and a couple of others to the creation of the Continental Navy. Because of his creation of the American Navy, they called him the “Father of the American Navy” [Ed. Note: along with John Paul Jones]. Although the navy is a lot different now than back then, the first set of rules and regulations that he wrote are still used today.
Adams worked on protecting the new nation’s sea borders. He also was working on a legal foundation at home by drafting the Massachusetts Constitution in 1779. He made sure that no one person had too much power while writing it so he insisted that there would be three branches of government. But before all of that he made a list of individual rights in the description of the government, showing people that rights are more important than the state.
Adams knew that a great constitution would mean absolutely nothing if they lost the war, so he set off to Europe to get support. It was a very long way from home, going from Massachusetts to France, and then to the Netherlands, but it proved to help a lot. He showed his lawyer side in the Netherlands where he convinced them that they were struggling and they needed help. This win kept the American government from crumbling and going bankrupt. He also worked with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay to negotiate the Treaty of Paris (1783). This helped finally end the war between Great Britain and the newly independent nation of America.
After years of surviving as a representative and the nation’s first Vice President, Adams’ career reached its highest point when he was elected for the second president of the Untied States. He thought it wouldn’t be that hard but he had underestimated how hard it was to run a nation. Because of him also being the second president, he was always lurking in George Washington’s shadow and could not get out. While in his presidency though, his main goal was not to go to war with France. But that would prove to be difficult because of everything going on in France. First came the XYZ Affair, when the French made a huge scandal and tried to bribe American people and almost led to war. Next came the Alien and Sedition Acts which were a very controversial move. This is because they limited free speech and made it harder for immigrants to become citizens. Sadly, each thing he did in his presidency made the people and even his own party dislike him and hurt his reputation a lot.
In conclusion, John Adams was a needed stepping stone to have started this country, and did so much more than being the nation’s second president. Even though it was a mess, Adams’ dedication to this country left an impact that changed it for the better. He spent days and nights of his time to help this country, to defend this country. He let the people of the future have a starting point on the map rather than having us draw the map. He may have been a short, ambitious man, but his impact on the birth of the United States was undeniably massive.