John Quincy Adams: Freedom Fighter

John Quincy Adams  

President from: March 4, 1825 - March 3, 1829

Age at inauguration: 57

Political party: Federalist, Democratic-Republican, Whig

What I read:

Two books! John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger, and The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin.

Health & Appearance: He experienced depression most of his life and sought treatment early on, but was otherwise healthy. He wore a powdered wig in his youth, but later became the first president to adopt a short haircut rather than the usual long hair tied at the back of the neck. He was the also first POTUS who didn't wear knee breeches, opting to wear long trousers. At 78, he was still serving in Congress and suffered a stroke. He made a full recovery after a few months and when he returned to Congress everyone in the House chamber gave him a standing ovation.

Age at death: 80

Cause of Death: He was engaged in a heated debate in the House of Representatives when he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage. With his wife by his side, he died two days later in the Speaker's Room inside the Capitol Building. He literally served his country until his last breath. 

Pre-Presidency: John Quincy Adams was by far the most traveled president (until Grant). The eldest son of President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams, he spent his formative years in Massachusetts, and the latter part of his youth in Europe, during his father’s time as a diplomat. He was educated first by private tutors, then in Denmark and Germany. He was fluent in English, French, Greek, Latin, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, and Russian. 

He was able to gain financial independence from his parents by starting his own successful law practice in Boston, and for a while, he managed to stay out of politics. He married Louisa Johnson, who his parents initially disapproved of because she was raised in England. They had one daughter, Louisa, who died in infancy, and three sons. They named their oldest after George Washington, who died at 27 from suicide (or a tragic accident) after battling alcoholism. Their second son, John, died at 31 from an illness. Their youngest son Charles became a prominent political activist who fought against slavery.

John Quincy Adams served four presidents in high-level diplomatic positions. President Washington appointed him as the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands in 1794. When his father John Adams became President, John Quincy served as Secretary in France, then as the U.S. Ambassador to Prussia. President Madison appointed him twice to diplomatic posts, first as U.S. Ambassador to Russia (1809) and then as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1815). He also served as part of the American delegation that negotiated an end to the War of 1812. In 1817, President Monroe selected Adams as his Secretary of State, which made him the heir apparent to the presidency. As Monroe’s SOS, John Quincy Adams co-authored the Monroe Doctrine and negotiated the Adams–Onís Treaty, resulting in the American procurement of Florida. 

Historians and psychologists estimate that John Quincy Adams had the highest I.Q. of any U.S. president. Unfortunately, his arrogant personality (like his father) hurt him politically. During Jefferson's presidency, Federalist leaders in Massachusetts pushed for Adams's 1802 election to the U.S. Senate, but John Quincy disagreed with the Federalist Party over foreign policy and it cost him re-election. Unfortunately, this would not be the last time his political dissent and air of superiority would cost him personally.

Doomed Presidency: The Election of 1824 had 16 states voting with the popular vote (White men that is) and General Andrew Jackson knew how to work a crowd. As Jackson campaigned, John Quincy did what past candidates had done--very little overt campaigning. Jackson won the popular vote and was leading in the electoral college but did not have an electoral majority, so the election went to the House of Representatives to decide. Adams won by one vote. ONE VOTE. Infuriated Jackson played the gracious loser in public but behind the scenes he and his allies destroyed President J. Q. Adams’ political ambitions by working against his policies, not because they were bad, but simply because they were JQA’s policies. (Sound familiar?)

Major accomplishments:  The Erie Canal was completed during his term. Adams also started the first conversations about building a canal through Nicaragua to connect the Atlantic and Pacific. It took until Teddy Roosevelt to break ground for what became the Panama Canal.

John Quincy Adams increased education to the masses and especially championed astronomy, getting the first U.S. planetarium built.

After his presidency, John Quincy Adams served as a Senator and a Congressman for nearly 20 years until his death.

He, like his father did not own slaves, and was a vocal anti-slavery legislator and attorney. In 1841, he won the case for freedom in the United States vs. The Amistad Supreme Court case (and if you haven’t seen the movie, you should watch it) with the following argument:

“The Africans were in possession, and had the presumptive right of ownership; they were in peace with the United States: ...they were not pirates; they were on a voyage to their native homes... the ship was theirs, and being in immediate communication with the shore, was in the territory of the State of New York; or, if not, at least half the number were actually on the soil of New York, and entitled to all the provisions of the law of nations, and the protection and comfort which the laws of that State secure to every human being within its limits.”

Are you kidding me? He used to skinny dip in the Potomac River every morning.

After Andrew Jackson and Jackson’s allies kept him from being re-elected to a second term as President, John Quincy Adams boycotted Jackson’s inauguration.

He was the ONLY President to be elected Senator and Congressman after serving as President. (see also, Cause of Death).

His diary has been studied by generations of scholars because of its detail of the times he lived.

He was so adamantly opposed to slavery that the Congressional Gag Rule was started because of him. He kept pushing for the end of slavery, so, at the start of every congressional session they gagged debate on slavery to stop him from bringing it to the floor!

What I learned:

The more I read, the more I saw similarities to recent political dynamics between those who appreciate education and those who prefer plain spoken-ness. If he'd been able come across less arrogant to get along with those he disagreed with politically, at least enough to get re-elected to a second term, he may have been able to end slavery (or significantly limit it) nearly forty years before Lincoln. However, his well-rounded education, sharp legal arguments, and vehement opposition to slavery were exactly the reasons he was way ahead of his time. 

PRECEDED BY: James Monroe

SUCCEEDED BY: Andrew Jackson