Customer Reviews

Mr. Adams's Last Crusade: John Quincy Adams's Extraordinary Post-Presidential Life in Congress

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the most part, historians treat John Quincy Adams very poorly. Having left behind a quite complete, daily diary which is the delight of various academic wordsmiths, spin doctors and second guessers, he is always treated as some form of dysfunctional slacker by those who have written his biographies. My view of him has never changed. I always thought of him as independent in the true American sense, grumpy to be sure, but a remarkably brilliant man who chose his country and what was right over party affiliation. Until Joseph Wheelan's Mr. Adams Last Crusade, I felt sorry for this remarkably honest, gifted man. The academic deck just seemed too stacked against Adams by supposedly intelligent men for Adams to ever be recognized for his extraordinary contributions to his country. But thanks to Joseph Wheelan, no more!

After a lifetime in public service which included ambassadorships to the Netherlands, Spain, England and Germany, 8 years as Secretary of State under Monroe and his own term as President, he retires disgruntled, a self described failure. However, he returns to public life on December 5, 1831 at age 64, the only past president to do so, recalled by his 12th Congressional District constituency as a freshman congressman in the US House of Representatives. For 17 more years he would serve Massachusetts and the Nation in a strident defense of human rights. He became known as "Old Man Eloquent" for his stands for women's suffrage and against slavery, Texas Annexation, and the Indian Removal Act. Derided by the nation as he left his one term Presidency, he would go on to become the soul of the House of Representatives. He eschewed political parties and politics. As a result, his positions were complex, little understood by friend and foe alike. A strong abolitionist, he refused to join abolitionist organizations, believing the abolitionists, while right, were out to destroy the Union!

His sword was words, always rapier like, sharp, pointed, sarcastic and cutting. His position on women's suffrage was undeniably succinct,"I hope no member of the House of Representatives will ever again be found to treat with disrespect the sex of his Mother." On slavery,"If the Union must be dissolved, slavery is precisely the issue upon which it ought to break." On Georgia's illegal assertion of authority over the Cherokees,"You have sanctioned all those outrages upon justice, law and humanity, by succumbing to the power and the policy of Georgia." When Southerners passed the Gag Rule, suspending freedom of speech within Congress by making it illegal to even discuss slavery in the House, he would spend the next eight years flogging Southern Representatives with their own rule. He would ensure the monies left to the United States by Englishman James Smithson would be used for their intended purpose. As custodian, he pledged to guard the monies from "the canker of almost all charitable foundations - jobbing for parasites, and sops for hungry incapacity." As a result, today's Smithsonian Institution graces the Washington Mall.

Seen by his enemies, i.e., anyone who trampled on human rights, as evil incarnate, he approaches his zenith in his defense of the Amistad slaves before the US Supreme Court. After freeing the defendants, Justice Story would state in a letter to his wife, "extraordinary argument...Extraordinary for its power and its bitter sarcasm, and its dealing far beyond the record and points of discussion."

John Quincy Adams was a remarkable man. A President and son of a President, a direct descendant of one of the Founding Fathers and a man who was on a first name basis with many of the Founders, he was a man who, as a young boy, watched the battle of Bunker Hill from his home. More than anyone of his era, he understood what his country stands for: Liberty and human dignity.

You will truly enjoy this book.

Wheelan has written an excellent book on the post-presidential career of John Quincy Adams. Some attention is given to Adams as our nation's sixth president, if merely to conform to other historians' assessments of the Adams presidency, who have mainly considered it a failure. The one problem with books like these is the obvious effort to throw the most favorable light on the author's subject. That being said, I found much to admire in John Quincy Adams and the author makes a good effort in bringing those qualities to light.

As would be shown later in this book, John Quincy Adams would come to represent one of the last vestiges of the founding generation. His father's career needs no mention from me. Any student of the American Revolutionary War period and the early republic will (hopefully) know about John Adams for his influential role. His son became a well-traveled and educated young man who would serve later administrations, perhaps most notably as James Monroe's Secretary of State.

I found it interesting how John Quincy Adams played with political parties; he didn't really follow any party line completely. He was a principled man who seemed to be moved more by his conscience than partisan politics. His ambivalence towards political parties, as the author mentioned, was one of the factors that inhibited his presidency. Adams, as the author mentioned, just could not adapt to the changing political realities. His ascendency to the presidency was certainly controversial enough, being he did not win a plurality of the popular vote and his electoral victory was decided by the Congress.

His post-presidential career was marked by 16 (roughly) years in the House of Representatives. In this capacity he fought for the right to petition, attacked slavery, gave vocal support to women and Native Americans, and opposed the annexation of Texas as a slave state and the resulting events leading to the Mexican-American War. Adams displayed a fearlessness in confronting his opponents in the House with often very little support. He fought a censure motion and won, and he eventually helped overturn the Gag rule, which had limited the right to bring petitions to the House. He became hated by many, seen as a champion by others, but usually won the respect of his colleagues through his forceful intellect and character.

It was during this period that Adams assisted the defense team for the black crewmen of the Amistad, who were trying to regain their freedom after being taken from their homeland illegally to be sold into slavery by Spanish authorities. Eventually, the U.S. courts decided for releasing these Africans and allowing them to return to their homeland.

It wasn't hard after reading this book to come to have a sympathetic view of this man. It is indeed a remarkable story of a remarkable life. Even if this book is overly praiseworthy of its subject, I think John Quincy Adams probably deserves some favorable press. A really good read.

For 35 years, John Quincy Adams served his country selflessly in several capacities including, Diplomat, Senator, Secertary of State, and 6th President of the U.S. The consensus among historians seems to be that Adams' one-term in office was a failure, largely due to his perceived "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay. He left office isolated and unpopular. He could have easily retired to Massachusetts and lived out his life as a gentleman farmer. Thankfully for us, he decided to heed the call of his friends and neighbors and enter the House of Representatives. At 64, he was the oldest of 89 Freshman when he began serving in 1831. He died in his seat in 1848. It's these 17 years that are subject of Mr. Adams Last Crusade. Joseph Wheelan uses Adams' career as a jumping off point to discuss the entire Jacksonian Age, illuminating many of the critical flash points faced by politicians of this era. These included Slavery, Nullification, Indian removal and treatment, the Annexation of Texas and War with Mexico,and the settlement of the Oregon Territory. On most of these issues Adams led the principled opposition, regularly infuriating his southern counterparts. In addition he also chaired the committee in charge of spending James Smithson's $500,000 bequest. Thanks to Adams' recommendations and tireless championing The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846. One wonders how he ever found the time to consult on the Amistad case. This book contains the clearest synopsis of the issues involved in the case that I've read. When he died in 1848 at age 80, he was mourned by supporters and opponents alike, many considered him to be the greatest man of the age, and that's saying a lot considering who his contemporaries were.

I've read many Biographies of Presidents and Politicians, and this well written, informative gem ranks right up there near the top. It's my hope that it does for JQA what Mccollugh's Biography did for his father. Wheelan is slightly repetitive at times, but you'll barely notice as you are swept away by his engaging narrative.

I've known about John Quincy Adams's post-Presidential career ever since I read Profiles In Courage. by JFK many, many years ago. However, what I most remember about that description of him was that that he argued against slavery in the Congress when he could have just coasted along in a comfortable poltical semi-retirement.

Joseph Wheelan does us all a favor by elaborating on John Quincy Adams's amazing career in this well-written, informative book. Wheelan briefly covers John Quincy Adams's early career in the first 65 pages. As a teenager, John Qincy Adams was an assistant to his father while he was an ambassador to Europe during the Revolutionary War. He served as ambassador to several European countries after the War and also as Secretary of State (the Monroe Doctrine is as much his as Monroe's) and finally President.

Oddly enough, that amazing career was only a prelude to his final post - Representative from Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress. He reports to Congress at age 64. Adams was vaguely opposed to slavery but was very much in favor of the rights to free speech and petition. The Congress was avoiding any discussion of the topic of slavery, including ignoring all petitions to end slavery in Washington, D.C. (Congress administers the District of Columbia so it could have outlawed slavery within it by simple passage of a law).

Adams was idignant that a basic part of the Bill of Rights was being ignored so he began to read the peitions on the floor. He was told to stand down but he kept on reading. He was shouted it, threatened and shunned but he kept on reading. He began to investigate slavery, discovered he loathed it and was motivated to read even more petitiions. In fact, the conservative "Adams had become the de facto chief spokesman for many of those denied a voice in government - abolitionists silenced by the Gag Rule, slaves, Indians and finally, women." (p. 150)

Finally, after years of these struggles, Adams was censured by Congress for treason for presenting "a petition espousing the dissolution of the United States because of the 'peculiar institution' that the South so desperately wished not to discuss." (p. 196) Adams was previously known to be a poor public speaker but in this cause he found his voice. He was put on trial in the Congress and he defended himself for nine days. He spoke with soaring words, withering sarcasm, humor and anger. Ralph Waldo Emerson described him as a "bruiser" (p. 197) when discussing his poltical speach-making skills and he was not wrong. The charges were dropped but Adams's speeches destroyed the political careers of some of those who brought the charges of treason against him. He found his voice and he used it to full effect everywhere he went.

The unpopular president who could not seem to connect with the common man on any level became a sort of folk hero - the man who stands against the crowd and fights the fight that he knows is right despite the odds - and wins!

Adams's role in the establishment of the Smithsonian is also well-covered in the text as well as plenty of details about his personal life.

Adams was sitting at his seat in the House when he suddenly collapsed. Two days later he died in the Capitol building. His funeral procession was the most elaborate until Lincoln's 17 years later. with his death, most felt that their last living connection with the Revolutionary War era had ended - the youngest of that generation had passed.

Well-written, informative and inspiring - this book is highly recommended.

This is a highly readable book about an Extraordinary man that most of us know next to nothing about! It is the fascinating story of the post-presidential life of John Quincy Adams. This is a man who fought with all his moral fiber in Congress to abolish slavery, well into old age. He was a lone voice in a large hall. Yet, while living a life doing great deeds for others, he consistently sees himself as a failure. This book is inspirational for anyone needing a perfect example of the power of persistence. Having always been glossed over in history classes, I had no idea that this gem of a man was sitting in our American past. Our children should be learning more about John Quincy Adams in school as a genuine example of Great Character.

"Mr. Adams's Last Crusade" is an account of the long neglected vital influence of John Quincy Adams on the history of the U.S. from 1767-1848. Joseph Wheelan's evaluation of Mr. Adams's intellectual prowess is revealing. Mr. Adams's prescience and warnings to the younger generation, the Jacksonians, proved him correct. The U.S. suffered then and continues to do so now because Mr. Adams was not heeded. This book should be read by those interested in U.S. history and especially by those who consider themselves scholars of same. Wheelan's sources are excellent and without any doubt this book ranks with biographical commentaries by son Charles Francis Adams and grandsons Henry and Brooks Adams.

I have been reading and studying the presidents since a was 8 years old. Now that I'm in my adulthood, I have grown to admire some of the them, those that most history teachers talk the least about. John Quincy Adams,our sixth president, was considered a "failure" after he left office, after a being a sucessful secretary of state. Thinking his political career all but dead, he is elected by his constituents to be their representation in the US House of Representatives. From thereon his political genius flurished along with his principals and ideals. I believe that it was in this time of his life that really understood his purpose in life... be a man not of party, but of your country. Believe me I see JQA in total different way. I strongly recommend this book for all history and biography lovers.

John Quincy Adams is one of only 2 former Presidents of the United States to have held public elective office subsequent to being President (Andrew Johnson served in the Senate after his term as President). In fact, Adams served for 17 years in the US House of Representatives, from 1831 to 1848, representing his home district in Massachusetts. Instead of quietly fading from public life after being ousted after only one term as President by Andrew Jackson, Adams became increasingly popular and polarizing as a champion of the people's right to petition congress and a number of other causes; most related, however tangentially, to the issue of slavery. Wheelan concentrates mainly on Adams's support of the abolitionist cause, although he shows how Adams came slowly to this position and it was not until very late in his life that he considered himself "officially" one of their number.

Wheelan's book gives an overview of Adams's life before Congress in the initial few chapters. These serve mainly to set the stage for the descriptions of Adams's post-Presidential career. Overall the tone is very respectful and supportive of Adams, whom Wheelan obviously regards very highly for his principles. More than once Adams is referred to as a "man of the whole country," a title he personally used to describe himself and a succinct summarization of his political philosophy. Adams's career spanned the decades where the old, 18th century gentlemanly politics gave way to the new, rough-and-tumble "politics of party" that Adams despised. While he was always a member of one political party or another, he frequently took positions that violated his party's official "platform" and often earned the enmity of erstwhile allies.

Wheelan makes extensive use of Adams's personal diary, a journal he kept almost his entire life from the time he was twelve. There were few periods in his life where diary entries were absent or spotty. The picture drawn is of a man who struggled to always do what he felt was right, who honored God and his country, and was all too well aware of his weaknesses and failings. Adams comes across in a very sympathetic light throughout the work.

Wheelan clearly admires Adams for opposing party politics, although he makes no bones about Adams's failure to change with the times that led to Jackson's landslide victory and Adams's ouster as President after only one term. The book gives a very interesting window into a time when "negative campaigning" was vicious and prevalent, something we tend to forget about in our day, thinking negative campaigning is a recent invention. This book shows it's certainly not.

Wheelan also casts the slaveholding states in a very unflattering light. He interprets their politics as nothing but a cynical defense of their "peculiar institution" and shows how they attempted, in his opinion, to trample on the people's constitutional right to petition congress by suppressing open debate in the House on the issue, and suppressing even the acknowledgment of petitions received.

Overall I think this is a book that is respectful to the founders and tries to understand their successes and failures in their proper historical light. Some parts of the book are truly moving, especially the chapter on the death of Adams. At his passing, the last of the first generation of revolutionary heroes was gone, and the link to the founding of the Republic was severed. Nothing more could be said for him than that some of his most inimical enemies in Congress gave moving eulogies at his passing. He is represented as a man who did what he thought was right without personal regard for his own welfare or prestige. Recommended.

John Quincy Adams flourished in his post-presidential career as a congressman, becoming the conscience of a nation. He finally "loosened" up to accept the increasing democratization of the country and helped open way for better treatment of less enfranchised Americans. In many ways, this farsighted Puritanical Renaissance man was the most modern of men. Wheelan's book is easy to read and it's impossible not to come away with the utmost respect for JQA. Yet this book is really for readers keenly interested in Adams or in the battles in Congress during the turbulent 1830s and 1840s. I read it after absorbing two other JQA bios, including the best available (Lynn Parsons).

I don't have much to add to other reviews, but I wanted to add another 5-star review for this wonderful book. No other book really focuses on JQA's post-presidential career as this book does, so this is a much-needed reappraisal. I found it quite inspirational (and relevant) to read about a principled man struggling against an overwhelmingly boorish and evil political system.

Readers unfamiliar with this period in American history and its issues may want to read "What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848" by Daniel Walker Howe before starting this book. That book is a very thorough and readable introduction to the period, and Howe makes a point of featuring JQA as one of the pivotal historical figures of the era. After reading that book, I was very eager to get more details, and was very happy when I stumbled onto this book.