John Adams was one of the leaders in America's struggle for independence and second president of the United States. When he was to be minister to England after the achievement of independence, a foreign diplomat asked him, "You have been often in England?" "Never but once in 1783," Adams told him. "You have relations in England no doubt," said the diplomat. "None at all," said Adams. "None!" exclaimed the diplomat, "how can that be? You are of English extraction?" "Neither my father or mother, grandfather or grandmother, great grandfather or great grandmother nor any other relation that I know or care a farthing for have been in England these 150 years," said Adams. "So that you see, I have not one drop of blood in my veins, but what is American." "Ay," nodded the diplomat, "we have seen proofs enough of that!"
約翰．亞當斯是美國獨立戰爭的一位領袖，也是美國第二任總統。美國獨立之後，他將要出任駐英公使，一外國外交官問他說：「你到過英國多次吧？」亞當斯說：「一七八三年到過一次，此外沒有到過。」那外交官說：「你一定有親戚在英國。」亞當斯說：「一個都沒有。」那外交官愕然說道：「沒有！這怎麼可能呢？你是祖籍英國的吧？」亞當斯說：「我父母、祖父母、曾祖父母或其他親戚，在我心中稍有分量者，過去一百五十年，都沒到過英國。由此可見，我是純美國血統。」那外交官點頭說：「不錯，我們至今所見的，已足以證明這一點。」