3.0 

John Quincy Adams

By Robert V. Remini & Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
John Quincy Adams by Robert V. Remini & Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

A vivid portrait of a man whose pre- and post-presidential careers overshadowed his presidency.

Chosen president by the House of Representatives after an inconclusive election against Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams often failed to mesh with the ethos of his era, pushing unsuccessfully for a strong, consolidated national government. Historian Robert V. Remini recounts how in the years before his presidency Adams was a shrewd, influential diplomat, and later, as a dynamic secretary of state under President James Monroe, he solidified many basic aspects of American foreign policy, including the Monroe Doctrine.

Undoubtedly his greatest triumph was the negotiation of the Transcontinental Treaty, through which Spain acknowledged Florida to be part of the United States. After his term in office, he earned the nickname "Old Man Eloquent" for his passionate antislavery speeches.

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John Quincy Adams Reviews

3.0
“For the last 6 years I’ve read a presidential biography every January, based off a list The Washington Post published of the best bios for each president. I was excited to get to JQA’s biography because he was the first non-founder president and because I loved the biography about his father (our 2nd president). The American Presidents series takes presidential biographies and pares them down for the non-historian reader, so this was significantly shorter & less primary document based than what I usually read, which has both pros & cons. That said, it was interesting to learn about this president that is known for being an amazing Statesman (pre-presidency) and an impactful Congressman (post-presidency) but not a strong president. He refused the play the political game and saw himself as less important than democracy & the country, which I think is very commendable, but the political game was changing in America in the early 1800s, and while he refused to play, his opponents embraced the change. The contrast between JQA & Andrew Jackson who followed him is *stark* and I am looking forward to his bio in 2025!”
“3.5 stars. A very interesting time in American politics. A very fun read, with plenty of information still presented.”

About Robert V. Remini

Robert V. Remini is Professor Emeritus of History and the Humanities at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Called the foremost Jacksonian scholar of our time by The New York Times, he is the recipient of a National Book Award. His books include Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars.

Series editor, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., is the preeminent historian of our time. For more than half a century, he has been a cornerstone figure in the intellectual life of the nation and a fixture on the political scene. He served as a special assistant to John F. Kennedy; won two Pulitzer Prizes for The Age of Jackson and A Thousand Days; and in 1998 received the National Humanities Medal. he published the first volume of his autobiography, A Life in the Twentieth Century, in 2000.

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