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John Quincy Adams #2
John Quincy Adams and the Union
The second volume, resting like the first on full and unrestricted access to the Adams Family archives, concludes Professor Bemis's basic biography of John Quincy Adams. It covers the "Second Career" of this remarkable statesman and many-sided his election as sixth president of the United States, his program of Liberty with Power, his defeat by Andrew Jackson, the trials of his private life, his return to a humble seat in the House of Representatives from the Plymouth District of Massachusetts, his seventeen-year struggle there for the Union in the great sectional controversy over slavery, and his dramatic death on the floor of the House while protesting the decoration of generals who had won the War with Mexico.In this American Study, Samuel Flagg Bemis has combined the canons of historical scholarship with the interest of the novelist and the insight of the psychologist.
546 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1956
About the author
Samuel Flagg Bemis
65 books2 followersSamuel Flagg Bemis was an American historian and biographer. He earned a bachelor's and master's degree at Clark University, and a second master's and a doctorate at Harvard University. He taught at several post-secondary institutions, including Colorado College, Whitman College, George Washington University, and Yale University, where he was Sterling Professor of Diplomatic History and Inter-American Relations. He was also President of the American Historical Association and a specialist in American diplomatic history.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 9, 2019
Samuel Flagg Bemis' second volume on John Quincy Adams picks up as Adams is preparing to run for president in 1824. This election was one of the most disputed in American history, and is still the only one that had to be decided by the House of Representatives. Bemis shows how Adams, normally a highly principled man, misplaced many of his principles in his quest to live up to the mighty expectations placed upon him by his type-A personality parents. Being told that if you don't become president, you will have failed, is an almost impossible thing to live up to. Adams did, but only with the not-so-secret help of Henry Clay. Adams needed Clay to wield influence and have delegates who had voted for Clay, switch over to Adams so that he could beat Andrew Jackson in the electoral college, despite Jackson getting more popular and more electoral votes than Adams did when the states voted. Bemis comes down pretty squarely on the side that there was a “bargain” between Adams and Clay, even if it was an unspoken one.
After reading the first volume, I was expecting another relatively policy-based book, with scant attention paid to Adams' personal life. Fortunately, the first half of this book proves to be otherwise. Bemis writes at length about Adams' time in the White House, his strained relationship with his with wife Louisa, the tragic death of his son George Washington, and his concern with the carrying on of the Adams legacy. Adams, always a dour individual, could never bring himself to seemingly enjoy anything in life, even when he reached the pinnacle of power. Perhaps that is because Adams sacrificed his own lofty principles in order to attain that achievement. While Bemis does not pose this question, I wondered if Adams felt that he was somewhat of an illegitimate president. Obviously, Jackson was the overall #1 choice of the majority of the country. Nobody disputed that. So Adams should not have been rewarded with the office over someone who had a firmer stake to it.
Unfortunately, once Adams leaves the presidency in 1831, Bemis goes back to his formula of focusing very little on Adams' personal life, and mostly on his professional doings. Adams had an outstanding and highly respected second career in the House of Representatives. It is difficult to imagine a modern-day president holding any other office after he leaves office, but I like that Adams did not consider being a Congressman to be beneath him. He also tried for Senator and Governor of Massachusetts but failed in both of those attempts. The fact that the people of his district drafted him for the job, and kept reelecting him (normally without any serious opposition) until he died seemed to give him great pride. He embraced the fact that his hometown citizens looked to him for leadership and to represent their interests. I would like to see a former president in today's world go do something similar instead of creating another “foundation” and then traveling around the country and world making expensive speeches. Adams went right back to the people. Quaint, perhaps, but I like it.
Adams' wife disappears from the second half of the book and reappears only at the end when he dies. Bemis does a good job of covering his death and also the national reaction to it. Adams, who consistently received violent threatening letters (one letter writer said he would cut Adams' throat from ear to ear) from people in the South over his opposition to slavery, was mourned by almost everyone when he died. Very few people in our country's history could match Adams for the degree of public service that he provided. This man was in public life for over half a century in either elected or appointed office. George H. W. Bush is another person that comes to mind when thinking of Adams' longevity and accomplishments. But there aren't many others out there in the same league.
Bemis covers Adams' career in the House in-depthly, sometimes agonizingly so. He definitely did his research for this book, and at the time it was published it was no doubt the preeminent biography for this faithful patriot. But there have been many biographies written since then. That does not necessarily mean that they are better, but I suspect that they are more easily readable. Bemis' writing style, while not turgid, is somewhat dated now. His scholarship is top-notch, and if you were wanting to write a research paper about some aspect of Adams' life, you absolutely would want to consult one or both of these volumes. But entertaining reading it does not make. This is not an unworthy read by any means. But only if you are really interested in Adams or politics in the first half of the 19th century will you find this fulfilling.
Grade: B-
After reading the first volume, I was expecting another relatively policy-based book, with scant attention paid to Adams' personal life. Fortunately, the first half of this book proves to be otherwise. Bemis writes at length about Adams' time in the White House, his strained relationship with his with wife Louisa, the tragic death of his son George Washington, and his concern with the carrying on of the Adams legacy. Adams, always a dour individual, could never bring himself to seemingly enjoy anything in life, even when he reached the pinnacle of power. Perhaps that is because Adams sacrificed his own lofty principles in order to attain that achievement. While Bemis does not pose this question, I wondered if Adams felt that he was somewhat of an illegitimate president. Obviously, Jackson was the overall #1 choice of the majority of the country. Nobody disputed that. So Adams should not have been rewarded with the office over someone who had a firmer stake to it.
Unfortunately, once Adams leaves the presidency in 1831, Bemis goes back to his formula of focusing very little on Adams' personal life, and mostly on his professional doings. Adams had an outstanding and highly respected second career in the House of Representatives. It is difficult to imagine a modern-day president holding any other office after he leaves office, but I like that Adams did not consider being a Congressman to be beneath him. He also tried for Senator and Governor of Massachusetts but failed in both of those attempts. The fact that the people of his district drafted him for the job, and kept reelecting him (normally without any serious opposition) until he died seemed to give him great pride. He embraced the fact that his hometown citizens looked to him for leadership and to represent their interests. I would like to see a former president in today's world go do something similar instead of creating another “foundation” and then traveling around the country and world making expensive speeches. Adams went right back to the people. Quaint, perhaps, but I like it.
Adams' wife disappears from the second half of the book and reappears only at the end when he dies. Bemis does a good job of covering his death and also the national reaction to it. Adams, who consistently received violent threatening letters (one letter writer said he would cut Adams' throat from ear to ear) from people in the South over his opposition to slavery, was mourned by almost everyone when he died. Very few people in our country's history could match Adams for the degree of public service that he provided. This man was in public life for over half a century in either elected or appointed office. George H. W. Bush is another person that comes to mind when thinking of Adams' longevity and accomplishments. But there aren't many others out there in the same league.
Bemis covers Adams' career in the House in-depthly, sometimes agonizingly so. He definitely did his research for this book, and at the time it was published it was no doubt the preeminent biography for this faithful patriot. But there have been many biographies written since then. That does not necessarily mean that they are better, but I suspect that they are more easily readable. Bemis' writing style, while not turgid, is somewhat dated now. His scholarship is top-notch, and if you were wanting to write a research paper about some aspect of Adams' life, you absolutely would want to consult one or both of these volumes. But entertaining reading it does not make. This is not an unworthy read by any means. But only if you are really interested in Adams or politics in the first half of the 19th century will you find this fulfilling.
Grade: B-
March 13, 2010
The 5 star rating is for the two volume set. The best of the presidential biographies I've read so far. JQA was a giant figure in American history, much under appreciated. Although the two volumes weigh in at around 1200 pages, it seemed just the right length. It is, after all, the story of a diplomat, senator, secretary of state, president, and US representative. He turned down a seat on the Supreme Court and later argued a landmark case before it.
I didn't find any of the faults I've found in some of the other presidential biographies I've read. I would have enjoyed Malone's Jefferson books more at 1500 pages than 3000. Unger spent more words on the First Lady's dresses than he did on the Monroe Doctrine. The Madison book was just dull.
This was the right length. Bemis didn't waste my time on parties and dresses. I was engaged by the text, I never found it slow. Bemis was well balanced, not in thrall of his subject, and often points out Adams' inconsistencies and errors.
Highly recommended.
I didn't find any of the faults I've found in some of the other presidential biographies I've read. I would have enjoyed Malone's Jefferson books more at 1500 pages than 3000. Unger spent more words on the First Lady's dresses than he did on the Monroe Doctrine. The Madison book was just dull.
This was the right length. Bemis didn't waste my time on parties and dresses. I was engaged by the text, I never found it slow. Bemis was well balanced, not in thrall of his subject, and often points out Adams' inconsistencies and errors.
Highly recommended.
February 22, 2016
This was the first president I read a multi volume biography on, and the subject matter was certainly expansive enough to warrant it. John Quincy Adams was born and raised to become President, and so his career before entering the White House was impressive enough to earn him (by this biographer) the title of America's greatest diplomat. After serving as President, he returned the house of representatives for a few more decades in one of the most turbulent times in America's history leading up to the Civil War. After two very detailed books, here's my thoughts on our Sixth President.
Born into - Unlike his father, John Quincy Adams was raised by a scholar and a politician. By the time he was a young man, he was already from one of the three most famous families in the United States, and was fortunate enough to be brought along to Europe for peace talks during the Revolutionary War. His father obviously believed he would be a great politician himself, and as such he was groomed for it in terms of education and personal contacts. All of these circumstances make his rise to the Presidency the least remarkable of all the presidents, even surpassing James Madison. 1 out of 5.
Pre-president - Following reading about James Monroe, a man that held more key offices than any other president in U.S. history, it was a tall order for this biographer to impress me more with John Quincy Adams pre-presidency credentials. Overall, I would say he comes about as close to Monroe as possible, via a few of the following accomplishments: Adams wrote the definitive text on weights and measures of any American of his time; his role as Secretary of State for Monroe as the most powerful diplomat in the most important age for diplomacy in the history of the country culminated a career in diplomacy that included trumping Jefferson and Madison in shaping Monroe's views in the eventual Monroe Doctrine, negotiating the Transcontinental Treaty with Spain (or the Adams-Onis Treaty), considered the greatest victory in American diplomacy, being one of five key diplomats to negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, and the first major diplomat in United States/Russian relations. However, I can't give him full credit for all of his diplomatic accomplishments (as the author tried to do) as there were also many times it was Monroe's willingness to collaborate with others that allowed John Quincy Adams to flourish. 4 out of 5.
Presidential career - John Quincy Adams won his election that made the Bush/Gore election look downright boring. After losing to Andrew Jackson in every conceivable manner, the arcane rules of the era forced the plurality vote to go to the House of Representatives to determine the president. There, a secret agreement with Henry Clay to withdraw from the race in exchange for a position as Secretary of State allowed John Quincy Adams to slip into the White House fooling nobody in terms of what had happened. Being a man without a party, he was able to accomplish next to nothing of his stated goals of internal improvements. The lame duck President's least accomplished years of his entire political career seemed to be the four he spent in the White House. 1.5 out of 5.
Vice President - John Calhoun was yet another in the line of political rivals who served as Vice President due to the nature of elections in that era. Calhoun had a long and successful career as a politician and frequent rival of Adams, however as a Vice President he was more detrimental to his President than anything else. 2 out of 5
First Lady - Louisa Adams outlived her aged husband by five years and was also interesting in that she was an English woman he met while serving as a diplomat in Europe. Through two massive biographies however, I can only say her greatest accomplishments as First Lady were encouraging her husband to be less awkward in social settings and in willingness to assist her husband in his continued pursuit of political office until his death . 2.5 out of 5.
Post presidency - I don't foresee many presidents having the amazing second career that John Quincy Adams had. By far the best part of both volumes was Adams development as a Congressman in the House of Representatives, from a barely elected Massachusetts official to perhaps the preeminent face of the abolition movement, despite never declaring or running as an abolitionist! Where he differed from that party in terms of not openly campaigning for abolition of all slavery in the country, he succeeded as much as any politician in that era in advancing the cause. His eventual victory in overcoming the gag order (which prohibited all discussion of abolition while in session), as well as his greatest accomplishment of securing the right to petition allowed the issue to finally advance past its place as America's "unfortunate business." Adams also had an historically significant moment in terms of successfully arguing the Amistad case in front of the Supreme Court and played a major part in the construction of the Smithsonian institute. 5 out of 5.
Book overall - Book one (John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy) read much more like a text book and history of diplomacy than a president biography. I learned a lot from reading it but it was also not exactly a page turner. My favorite anecdote from book one was Adams writing an entire book to bury a political opponent who had faked a copy of a letter from their time together negotiating the Treaty of Ghent. Adams throughout his career would pay to publish any speech he gave that he believed significant or any paper he wrote that took him time to research. After publishing, he would distribute them to all members of congress as well as any paper that would have them. This book also showed Adams willingness to switch parties as needed to get ahead in the world; whereas he attributed it to being above the party system and a man of the people, it more often showed him as an opportunist with shifting ideals (much like Madison). 3/5
Book two (John Quincy Adams and the Union) was surprisingly completely different, with 90% of it being solid detailed biographical reading, with Adams voting records explained and his many rivalries examined. There was still about 10% of the book that was general background history to explain certain issues, but this history was much more specific to Adams than the diplomatic writings of volume one. Overall, John Quincy Adams and the Union was my favorite Presidential biography yet, amazing considering it started at his Presidency and quickly moves past it to his real career as congressman. 5/5
Born into - Unlike his father, John Quincy Adams was raised by a scholar and a politician. By the time he was a young man, he was already from one of the three most famous families in the United States, and was fortunate enough to be brought along to Europe for peace talks during the Revolutionary War. His father obviously believed he would be a great politician himself, and as such he was groomed for it in terms of education and personal contacts. All of these circumstances make his rise to the Presidency the least remarkable of all the presidents, even surpassing James Madison. 1 out of 5.
Pre-president - Following reading about James Monroe, a man that held more key offices than any other president in U.S. history, it was a tall order for this biographer to impress me more with John Quincy Adams pre-presidency credentials. Overall, I would say he comes about as close to Monroe as possible, via a few of the following accomplishments: Adams wrote the definitive text on weights and measures of any American of his time; his role as Secretary of State for Monroe as the most powerful diplomat in the most important age for diplomacy in the history of the country culminated a career in diplomacy that included trumping Jefferson and Madison in shaping Monroe's views in the eventual Monroe Doctrine, negotiating the Transcontinental Treaty with Spain (or the Adams-Onis Treaty), considered the greatest victory in American diplomacy, being one of five key diplomats to negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, and the first major diplomat in United States/Russian relations. However, I can't give him full credit for all of his diplomatic accomplishments (as the author tried to do) as there were also many times it was Monroe's willingness to collaborate with others that allowed John Quincy Adams to flourish. 4 out of 5.
Presidential career - John Quincy Adams won his election that made the Bush/Gore election look downright boring. After losing to Andrew Jackson in every conceivable manner, the arcane rules of the era forced the plurality vote to go to the House of Representatives to determine the president. There, a secret agreement with Henry Clay to withdraw from the race in exchange for a position as Secretary of State allowed John Quincy Adams to slip into the White House fooling nobody in terms of what had happened. Being a man without a party, he was able to accomplish next to nothing of his stated goals of internal improvements. The lame duck President's least accomplished years of his entire political career seemed to be the four he spent in the White House. 1.5 out of 5.
Vice President - John Calhoun was yet another in the line of political rivals who served as Vice President due to the nature of elections in that era. Calhoun had a long and successful career as a politician and frequent rival of Adams, however as a Vice President he was more detrimental to his President than anything else. 2 out of 5
First Lady - Louisa Adams outlived her aged husband by five years and was also interesting in that she was an English woman he met while serving as a diplomat in Europe. Through two massive biographies however, I can only say her greatest accomplishments as First Lady were encouraging her husband to be less awkward in social settings and in willingness to assist her husband in his continued pursuit of political office until his death . 2.5 out of 5.
Post presidency - I don't foresee many presidents having the amazing second career that John Quincy Adams had. By far the best part of both volumes was Adams development as a Congressman in the House of Representatives, from a barely elected Massachusetts official to perhaps the preeminent face of the abolition movement, despite never declaring or running as an abolitionist! Where he differed from that party in terms of not openly campaigning for abolition of all slavery in the country, he succeeded as much as any politician in that era in advancing the cause. His eventual victory in overcoming the gag order (which prohibited all discussion of abolition while in session), as well as his greatest accomplishment of securing the right to petition allowed the issue to finally advance past its place as America's "unfortunate business." Adams also had an historically significant moment in terms of successfully arguing the Amistad case in front of the Supreme Court and played a major part in the construction of the Smithsonian institute. 5 out of 5.
Book overall - Book one (John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy) read much more like a text book and history of diplomacy than a president biography. I learned a lot from reading it but it was also not exactly a page turner. My favorite anecdote from book one was Adams writing an entire book to bury a political opponent who had faked a copy of a letter from their time together negotiating the Treaty of Ghent. Adams throughout his career would pay to publish any speech he gave that he believed significant or any paper he wrote that took him time to research. After publishing, he would distribute them to all members of congress as well as any paper that would have them. This book also showed Adams willingness to switch parties as needed to get ahead in the world; whereas he attributed it to being above the party system and a man of the people, it more often showed him as an opportunist with shifting ideals (much like Madison). 3/5
Book two (John Quincy Adams and the Union) was surprisingly completely different, with 90% of it being solid detailed biographical reading, with Adams voting records explained and his many rivalries examined. There was still about 10% of the book that was general background history to explain certain issues, but this history was much more specific to Adams than the diplomatic writings of volume one. Overall, John Quincy Adams and the Union was my favorite Presidential biography yet, amazing considering it started at his Presidency and quickly moves past it to his real career as congressman. 5/5
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May 15, 2025I nearly cried when he died; what an infinitely fascinating figure, and what a well-written biography
January 27, 2025
This is the second part in a two-part biography of John Quincy Adams. I didn’t read the first part because I can’t find it at my library, but I thought the second part was extremely well written. I didn’t know how much Quincy Adams did to help and slavery, even though it wasn’t accomplished in his lifetime he helped the foundations for it. I would definitely be interested in reading more biographies about John Quincy Adams.
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