evidence: John Adams is often credited with the quotation: "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. There is no record that Adams ever said it. [...] President John Adams is quoted as saying, "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. [...] JOHN ADAMS, the second U.S. president, said: ‘There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation… one is by the sword, the other is by debt.’ How apt is the second part of that statement. Our bankers, developers and politicians have enslaved us for generations to come and have been rewarded for doing so. True patriotism is a distant memory.