A Further Look At John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (1767 -- 1848), the sixth president, has been receiving increased attention in recent years through histories and biographies. I read Harlow Giles Unger's biography, "John Quncy Adams" as a result of a book-reading trade with a friend. I had read Fred Kaplan's 2015 biography, "John Quincy Adams: American Visionary" while my friend had read Unger's book. We each agreed to read the other's book. My friend was first in fulfilling her part of the bargain. Kaplan's book, which she read, is lengthy and detailed while Unger's book moves along quickly. Unger has written many books on early American history geared to a broad audience.
The strength of Unger's book lies in its writing. His biography is lively and accessible with a good deal of particular detail and storytelling that helps the reader appreciate a frequently curmudgeonly figure and his place in his times. Unger offers a flowing account of JQA and the people in his life including his illustrious parents, John and Abigail Adams, his wife Louisa, his family, and the many political, international, and educational figures that were important in Adam's life and career.
JQA may have been the most intellectually gifted and highly educated person to hold the presidency. As Unger shows, he was driven by his parents to succeed from his earliest years; and, at a large emotional cost, he did. From a young age, Adams was a scholar of languages and literature and also had a great interest in scientific advancement. He was a companion of the intellectual and political elite from his teens. Spending much of his youth in Europe, JQA developed a flair for diplomacy. He spent many years as United States minister to Russia, for example, and was the lead American negotiator with Britain in ending the War of 1812. He served for eight years as Secretary of State under James Monroe and was instrumental in the development of the Monroe Doctrine before his highly-contested election to the presidency. By virtually all accounts, his presidency was unsuccessful. JQA remained in public life as a Congressman from Massachusetts and pursued an independent course. He attained renown for his opposition to the "gag" rule and to slavery.
Unger stresses JQA's autonomy and integrity which, together with his emotional temperament and stubbornness, made it difficult for him to function in the pragmatic world of party politics. In addition, Unger emphasizes that JQA's lifelong work with intellectual and cultural elites in diplomacy and education had given him little understanding of how to relate to ordinary Americans of his day. JQA's America was made of struggling farmers and tradespeople who had little use for Latin authors or for JQA's fascination with astronomy and the telescope. The qualities which made JQA a superb diplomat at the highest levels and a scholar were not the qualities that stood him in good stead as a popular leader. JQA remains an extraordinary person and as Kaplan's book emphasizes a "visionary" American leader who was both behind and ahead of his times. Americans still have much to learn from JQA.
It is valuable to study important figures that one admires from a variety of perspectives. Thus I enjoyed revisiting JQA with Unger just as I had learned from Kaplan and other students of JQA. It was rewarding for my friend and me to share our admiration for JQA by broadening our approaches and sharing books.
Robin Friedman
