President John Quincy Adams
6th President of the United States
interesting facts 
John Quincy Adams is the only son of a president (John Adams, 2nd President of the US) that served as President himself.
biography
John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts. He was the second child and eldest son of John Adams, who became second president of the United States in 1797. The young John Q. Adams became a diplomat for the United States in 1793 when war between France and Britain broke out. Washington appointed Adams to be diplomat for the Netherlands because he was quite qualified for the job - he spoke both Dutch and French fluently. From his post in the Netherlands, Adams reported events that occured during the French Revolution. While serving in the Netherlands, Adams married Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter of the U.S. consul in London, England. The couple had three sons.
In 1800, the same year his father was beaten, by Thomas Jefferson for the Presidency, John Q. Adams returned to the United States to practice law. In 1802 the Federalist Party leaders in Massachusetts, impressed by Adams's record as a diplomat and by the fact that he was the son of John Adams, helped him win election to the state senate. Shortly afterward, in 1803, the Federalists in the state legislature elected him U.S. senator from Massachusetts. As a Federalist Senator, Adams was highly inconsistent. When Thomas Jefferson relayed the voting of the purchase of the Lousiana Territory, Adams was the only Federalist that voted in favor of such an action. He knew that the power of his home section (New England) would be greatly diminished. However, with unselfish motives, he also knew that the purchase would greatly enhance the United State's economical, political and social power as a whole.
In 1809, Adams returned to foreign lands, as a Russian diplomat when President James Madison promoted him. During the War of 1812, Adams served to relieve tensions between Russia and France. At the end of the war, in 1813, Adams served to allay Russian desires with the "truce", as he called The Treaty of Ghent.
In 1817, Adams returned once again to the United States as Secretary of State under James Monroe. Adams took up the post at a turning point in American history. The country had begun a period of expansion and development, and for the first time since its founding, the United States was not involved in European struggles, because Europe itself was at peace. There were, however, difficult problems facing the new secretary of state. One that immediately confronted him was a conflict with Spain over its colony of Florida. Spain had confined its troops in Florida mainly to garrisons at Saint Marks, Pensacola, and Saint Augustine. The remainder of the territory was inhabited by the hostile Seminole people, runaway slaves, and outlaws. Spain was required by treaty to prevent these people from raiding across the U.S. border, but failed to do so. When U.S. troops entered Florida in late 1817 and burned a Seminole village, killing some of the residents, the Seminole retaliated by ambushing a U.S. hospital ship and killing 42 people. This act led to the First Seminole War (1817-1819). General Andrew Jackson was sent to subdue the Seminole. Jackson not only drove the Seminole back into Florida, but marched into Spanish territory and occupied Saint Marks and Pensacola. He captured, courtmartialed, and executed two British subjects who had encouraged the Seminole. As a result of Jackson's forceful action, Spain and Great Britain filed strong protests with the U.S. government. Adams was the sole member of Monroe's Cabinet to support Jackson. Insisting that Jackson had not exceeded his orders, Adams argued that the blame should be placed on Spain for its weak administration of Florida. He persuaded Monroe to accept his view and then instructed Spain either to govern Florida more effectively or cede it to the United States. Already troubled by revolts in its South American colonies, Spain, after long negotiations, agreed to the demands of Adams, and Florida was ceded to the United States. In the negotiations, Adams secured another important concession from Spain. The western boundary of the Louisiana Purchase had never been agreed on. Acting completely on his own, Adams persuaded Spain to agree that Louisiana ran all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The boundary began at the mouth of the Sabine River, ran northwest to the 42nd parallel (the northern boundary of California), and then extended directly west to the ocean. There still existed British and Russian claims to the Oregon country that could cut off this western ocean access; but the Spanish agreement removed the major obstacle to America's sea-to-sea expansion.
Adams ran for president in the election of 1824. Also running was Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, William H. Crawford of Georgia, and Henry Clay of Kentucky. The result of the noisy campaign were interesting but confusing. Jacson, the war hero in the War of 1812, clearly had the strongest appeal, especially in the west. He polled as many popular votes as the next two rivals combined. However, Jackson failed to poll enough, or in fact the majority of the electoral votes.
|
Candidate |
Electoral Vote |
Popular Vote |
Popular Percentage |
|
Jackson |
99 |
153,544 |
42.16% |
|
Adams |
84 |
108,740 |
31.89% |
|
Crawford |
41 |
46,618 |
12.95% |
|
Clay |
37 |
47,136 |
12.99% |
In such a case, the House of Representatives, as directed by the 12th Amendment must choose among the top three candidates. Thus, Clay was eliminated. However, at the same time, Clay was the speaker of the house and therefore had the ultimate fate as to who would win. Shortly before the final balloting, he met privately with Adams and assured him of his support. Decision day came early in 1825. The House of Representatives met amid tense exitement. On the first ballot, Adamsn was elected President. A few days later, Adams announced Clay as the new Secretary of State. The secretaryship of state at the time was the prize (much better than the vice presidency). Angered Jacksonians raised a roar of protest against the alleged "Corrupt Bargain" between Adams and Clay. Andrew Jackson began a lifelong hatred towards Adams, one which would grow stronger within time.
Adams was not a "political" president. He was concerned with a man's competence, not his political affiliation. Adams even appointed political enemies to important offices, and he remained so free of partisanship that one of his supporters later declared: "Mr. Adams during his administration failed to cherish, strengthen, or even recognize the party to which he owed his election, nor… with the great power he possessed did he make a single influential friend." Adams proposed a program to Congress to strenghten the nation's unity and to bind it closer together. He advocated internal improvements along with Henry Clay with his American System. He desired better roads, canals, a better navy and army, and better schools. Adams was far ahead of his time in believing that the federal government should finance projects that would serve and benefit the people and the nation as a whole.
Early in 1828, Adams passed the so-called "Tarriff of Abominations" or more formally, the Tariff of 1828. The first real tariff imposed on the American people, it was largely hated by southerners and loved by northerners as it was intended to protect Northern industrial products. Moreover, the tariff also hurt the south. In 1828, Adams again ran for president. However, the Tariff of Abominations had greatly hurt his support in the south and he lost to Andrew Jackson, who seeked retalliation from his loss four years ago. Adams was so bitter at his defeat that, like his father, he refused to remain in Washington for his successor's inauguration.Adams returned to Massachusetts, expecting to spend the remainder of his life in political retirement. However, in 1831 conservative Massachusetts political leaders persuaded him to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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events during john q. adam's administrations 1825-1829 |
cabinet and supreme court of john q. adams |
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