John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1849) was an American statesman, politician, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist. He served as the 6th president of the United States from 1825 to 1829. Before becoming president, he served as the eighth Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825. He was the eldest son of John Adams, who was the second president from 1797 to 1801, and First Lady Abigail Adams.

Adams was a Federalist and later a Democratic-Republican and served in the administrations of all of the presidents who were before him. He was the Secretary of State under President James Monroe, Adams's predecessor. Adams began his service when he was only 27 in 1794, when he was named United States Minister to the Netherlands by President George Washington.

Adams was later elected to the House of Representatives and led the fight against slavery in Congress.^[2] In 1838, at age 71, he spoke for the African slaves of the slave ship Amistad and won the case. He also said that the gag rule, which banned all petitions against slavery from being heard in Congress, was illegal and saw through its removal in 1844 after an eight-year struggle against it.

He was born on July 11, 1767 in Braintree, Massachusetts. As a child he watched the Battle of Bunker Hill, a fight of the American Revolutionary War, from his family's farm. When his father, John Adams, traveled to Europe, John Quincy went with him as his secretaryand became good at speaking other languages. Aside from English, he was fluent in Latin and French and had partial knowledge of Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Russian.^[3]

He went to Harvard College and became a lawyer. When he was only 26, he was appointed Minister to the Netherlands and then went to Berlin. In 1802, he was elected to the Senate. Six years later, President James Madison appointed him as Minister to Russia.

As Secretary of State when James Monroe was president, Adams organized joint control of the Oregon Territory with the United Kingdom and helped get Florida from Spain. He also came out with the idea begind the Monroe Doctrine.

Adams was elected president by the House of Representatives after the 1824 presidential election gave nobody a majority of electoral votes. People who supported Andrew Jackson claimed there was a deal between Adams and Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry Clay for Adams to make Clay his Secretary of State. Supporters of Jackson called it a "corrupt bargain."

Adams passed a law for U.S. improvements as part of what he called the "American System," and he created roads and canals and used high tariffs, taxes on foreign goods. Among his proposals were the creation of a national university,^[4] a naval academy,^[5] and a national astronomical observatory.^[6] Adams fought Congress many times as many supporters of Jackson did not like his support of a national bank and tariffs. Criticism of Adams peaked when he passed the Tariff of 1828, also known as the "Tariff of Abominations" by opponents.

Adams lost the 1824 presidential election to Jackson. The election was noted for the many personal attacks that were made by the candidates against each other.

In the 1830s, slavery emerged as an increasingly-polarizing issue in the United States. A longtime opponent of slavery, Adams used his new role in Congress to fight it, and he became the most prominent national leader opposing slavery. After one of his re-election victories, he wrote in his private journal that he must "bring about a day prophesied when slavery and war shall be banished from the face of the earth." He wrote there in 1820:

The discussion of this Missouri question has betrayed the secret of their souls. In the abstract they admit that slavery is an evil, they disclaim it, and cast it all upon the shoulder of… Great Britain. But when probed to the quick upon it, they show at the bottom of their souls pride and vainglory in their condition of masterdom. They look down upon the simplicity of a Yankee's manners, because he has no habits of overbearing like theirs and cannot treat negroes like dogs. It is among the evils of slavery that it taints the very sources of moral principle. It establishes false estimates of virtue and vice: for what can be more false and heartless than this doctrine which makes the first and holiest rights of humanity to depend upon the color of the skin?

In 1836, partially in response to Adams's consistent presentation of citizens' petitions requesting the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, the House of Representatives imposed a "gag rule" that immediately postponed debate any petition on slavery. The rule was favored by Democrats and Southern Whigs but was largely opposed by Northern Whigs like Adams.

In late 1836, Adams began a campaign to ridicule slave owners and the gag rule. He frequently attempted to present anti-slavery petitions, often in ways that provoked strong reactions from Southern representatives. The gag rule remained in place, but the discussion ignited by his actions and the attempts of others to stop him raised questions of the right to petition, the right to legislative debate, and the morality of slavery. Adams fought actively against the gag rule for another seven years and eventually moved the resolution that led to its repeal in 1844.

In 1841, at the request of Lewis Tappan and Ellis Gray Loring, Adams joined the case of United States v. The Amistad. Adams went before the Supreme Court on behalf of African slaves who had revolted and seized the Spanish ship Amistad. Adams arrived on February 24, 1841, and the 73-year-old former president spoke for four hours. His argument succeeded since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Africans, who were declared free and returned to their homes.

Adams returned to Massachusetts shortly after he had lost the presidency. He returned to Washington D.C., in 1831 after he was elected to the House of Representatives. He was a leading opponent of slavery. He remained in Congress until he died on February 23, 1848.

On February 21, 1848, Adams suffered a stroke in the House chamber. He collapsed and died in the House two days later on February 23, 1848. He was 80 years old. It was only the sixth death of a U.S. president, but his importance, especially in his later years, made it arguably one of the most significant presidential deaths up to that point.

Adams is known today as someone who was a good diplomat, Secretary of State and representative. It is argued that he was one of the best, if not the best Secretaries of State in history. However, his presidency was at best average. However, that was likely because Jackson's opponents in Congress limited what he could do, which stopped Adams not from getting some things done.