In this episode, John discusses the John Adams administration and the most significant events and developments of the period in which he presided as the second President of the United States. John begins by going over the factors that led to further political polarization, as the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans grew further and further apart on the issues. John explains the importance of the growing political press in the United States during the 1790s and the increasing demand for a more participatory democracy from Americans all over the country.

John goes on to discuss the very serious conflict that emerged between France and the United States just as the Washington administration was ending and John Adams was taking office. John breaks down the reasons that the French and the U.S. became embroiled in the "Qasi-War", what that looked like compared to a more traditional sort of war and how it affected various parts of American society. John closes out the episode with an explanation of the Alien and Sedition Acts, the response to that legislation as represented in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions and how the fighting between the U.S. and France came to an end in 1800.