Primary sourceDocument15 August 1797

Ship Passport Signed by John Adams

John Adams · 15 August 1797

A 1797 sea passport for the brig Minerva, signed by President John Adams as part of routine executive business.

Adams personally signed this passport as president, showing his everyday executive duties.

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Black and white scan of a 1797 ship passport. An engraved vignette at top shows a stone lighthouse on a rocky island with a large sailing ship and a smaller ship nearby. Below is ornate script text naming the brig Minerva of Newburyport and granting passage, signed John Adams and countersigned Timothy Pickering, Secretary of State. — Ship passport for the brig Minerva, signed by John Adams, 15 August 1797. National Archives.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed ship passport dated August 15, 1797, granting safe passage to the brig Minerva of Newburyport, captained by Ambrose Davis. It is signed by President John Adams and countersigned by Secretary of State Timothy Pickering, and includes an engraved image of a lighthouse and sailing ships.

Why it matters

Sea passports like this protected American merchant ships from being seized as enemy vessels during a time of international tension. The document shows the ordinary, practical duties of the presidency, signed personally by Adams, alongside the more famous political decisions of his term.

Look closer

What does this document suggest about the dangers facing American ships overseas in 1797?
Why would a president need to personally sign a passport for a single ship?
What does the partnership between Adams and his Secretary of State reveal about how government worked?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Adams on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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