John Adams and the Patriotism of Defending the Accused

By Semper Fi PI - Service Over Self

Most people know John Adams as a Founding Father, our second President, and one of the leaders of American independence. Fewer people remember one of the most courageous things he ever did long before the Revolution fully took shape:

He defended the accused.

And not just any accused.

Adams chose to represent the British soldiers charged in the Boston Massacre — men despised by the public, hated by the press, and condemned in the streets before they ever stepped into a courtroom.

For that choice, he was criticized, threatened, and branded a traitor to his own people.

He did it anyway.

Why? Because John Adams believed something that I believe today: ensuring a fair, competent defense for the accused is not unpatriotic — it is one of the most patriotic things an American can do.

Facts Are Stubborn Things

In his closing argument defending the British soldiers, Adams said words that still cut through the noise of public outrage

and snap judgment:

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

Those words could be written over every modern courtroom, every investigation file, and every piece of evidence in a criminal case.

Adams stood up in a room full of anger and demanded that the law, not emotion, decide the outcome. He refused to let mob opinion replace proof. He was not defending a uniform, a flag, or a side in a political argument. He was defending something much bigger:

The idea that truth is discovered through evidence, not emotion.

That justice requires listening to both sides, not just the loudest one.

That due process is for everyone, especially the unpopular.

As a criminal defense investigator today, that is my job as well.

The Pressure Hasn’t Gone Away — If Anything, It’s Louder

In Adams’ time, the crowd gathered in the streets.

Today, the crowd gathers online.

We still see high-profile incidents spread across social media within minutes. Narratives form long before the first interview is conducted. Headlines are written before reports are complete. People are declared guilty in the court of public opinion before they ever meet their attorney, let alone a jury.

Anyone who stands with the accused — defense attorneys, investigators, experts — is often misunderstood. We’re asked, “How can you defend someone like that?” or “Aren’t you just helping criminals?”

John Adams heard the same kinds of questions in his own way. His answer was simple:

If the law doesn’t protect the least popular person in the room, it doesn’t truly protect anyone.

Patriotism Isn’t Blind Obedience — It’s Moral Courage

Adams knew that taking the Boston Massacre case could cost him everything. It was bad for his reputation, risky for his career, and dangerous for his family.

He was called a loyalist sympathizer.

He was accused of siding with the enemy.

He was warned that history would remember him as a traitor.

History proved the opposite.

We now honor Adams as one of the clearest examples of what real patriotism looks like:

Standing for principle when it’s inconvenient.

Putting the rule of law above personal popularity.

Defending the process, even when you don’t like the people involved.

That same spirit is at the heart of competent, professional defense work today.

Why John Adams’ Example Guides My Work

When I conduct an investigation for the defense, I am not trying to “beat the system.”

I am trying to make sure the system works the way it was designed to work.

That means:

• Tracking down and interviewing witnesses others overlook.

• Challenging assumptions that have become “facts” just because they’re repeated.

• Verifying evidence instead of just accepting it at face value.

• Asking hard questions when reports, timelines, or statements don’t line up.

I don’t control who gets charged. I don’t write the reports. I don’t set the narrative. But I can make sure the defense has the same access to facts, evidence, and truth that the government does.

That’s not a favor to one person.

That’s a safeguard for everyone.

The Defense Is Not The Enemy Of Justice — It Is Its Guardian

Think about what kind of power the government holds in a criminal case:

• The power to investigate.

• The power to search.

• The power to seize.

• The power to arrest.

• And ultimately, the power to take away someone’s liberty.

Our Founders understood something dangerous: any power that strong must have checks. It must have scrutiny. It must have someone on the other side ready to say, “Prove it. Show us. Let us test it.”

That “someone” is the defense — attorneys, investigators, and experts working to ensure that the full truth is discovered, not just the convenient truth.

John Adams was one of the first to show that stepping into that role is a patriotic act. He didn’t defend the British because he liked them. He defended them because he loved the law and believed that if it didn’t apply to them, it wouldn’t truly apply to anyone.

The same is true today.

Why This Matters To Me As Semper Fi PI

“Semper Fi” isn’t just a business name — it’s a lifetime standard: Always Faithful.

Faithful to the truth.

Faithful to the Constitution.

Faithful to the idea that every person deserves a fair chance to be heard and defended.

As a criminal defense investigator, my loyalty is to facts, not to a story that’s already been decided. My job is to:

• Bring forward information that might otherwise be missed.

• Highlight inconsistencies in the record.

• Protect the integrity of the process by insisting on accuracy.

Sometimes that means confirming the state’s version of events. Sometimes it means challenging it. In every case, it means being honest about what the evidence actually supports.

That kind of work doesn’t always make you popular. John Adams knew that feeling. So does anyone who has stood beside the defense in a high-profile case.

But popularity isn’t the standard.

Patriotism is.

Integrity is.

A functioning system of justice is.

The Most Patriotic Thing You Can Do For Justice

John Adams taught us that justice is not about what the crowd demands. It is about what the law requires.

He showed that real courage is not screaming for punishment — it’s insisting on fairness.

When we ensure people receive a competent, professional defense, we are:

• Honoring the Constitution.

• Respecting the principles of due process.

• Protecting the innocent and the system itself.

That is why I do what I do.

That is why Semper Fi PI exists.

And that is why, in the spirit of John Adams, I believe this with everything in me:

Standing with the defense is not a betrayal of America.

It is one of the purest expressions of love for it.