Finally, in 1825, the Unitarians split off as a separate denomination that included John and Abigail Adams.[338][339]
Adams always felt pressured to live up to his heritage. His family was descended from Puritans of the previous century. Strict Puritanism had profoundly shaped New England's culture, laws, and traditions. By the time of his birth, no one called themselves "Puritans" and all of the old severe practices were gone. Adams did praise the historical Puritans as "bearers of freedom, a cause that still had a holy urgency".[340] Adams recalled that his parents "held every Species of Libertinage in ... Contempt and horror", and detailed "pictures of disgrace, or baseness and of Ruin" resulting from any debauchery.[5]

The Adams family followed John. According to Dr. Sara Georgini:[341] from John Adams through his grandson Charles Francis, the Adams family creed was conventionally Unitarian. They believed in a guiding Providence. They trusted that human will empowered them to freely accept or reject God’s grace. They turned away from miracles and revelation, preferring biblical criticism and lay inquiry to broaden the mind beyond the passive reception of dogma. 