| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of our best statesmen,
By
This review is from: John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy (Hardcover)
It is ironic that the thing that reflected poorest on John Quincy Adams, his tenure as president, is what he is today remembered for. In fact, his most outstanding achievements were in the field of foreign affairs and civil liberties. Professor Bemis's book addresses the first of these (the second is handled in vol. 2).Because of his father's career as a diplomat during the American Revolution, John Adams probably had the best education in foreign affairs of any statesmen in early America. While charges of nepotism haunted Adams, it was money well-spent in terms of results. Adams was posted to Prussia, Russian and Great Britain during the Napoleonic War. He managed to secure a peace treaty with Britain which was threatening to send over the Duke of Wellington to resolve the war of 1812. As Secretary of State, Adams established the principles that later became enshrined as the Monroe Doxtrine. His vision of Western Hemispheric solidarity was designed to allow the new American Republic to stand up to the more powerful nations of Europe. Adams did much to establish anti-colonialism as the hallmark of American Foreign Policy up to the Second World War. The job of Secretary of State was seen as the springboard to the presidency in the "Era of Good Feelings." Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe had held this office. The rise of Adams was overshadowed by that of Andrew Jackson. However, given the nature of politics at the time neither he nor Adams were able to achieve a clear victory in electoral college. The inconclusive results of the election of 1824 led to the ultimate decision resting with the House of Representatives. When the fourth runner up and Speaker of the House, Henry Clay was in a position to decide the outcome. The result was the famous "corrupt bargin" in which Adams came in as president and Clay was appointed to be secretary of state. The hint of "political hanky panky" undermined the presidency of John Quincy Adams. There were a number of good ideas proposed, a national university, a system of observatories, internal improvements featuring a national network of canals and roads that would have opened up the west and promoted greater regional ties and interdependence. Unfortunately these good ideas were ineffective against the charisma of Jackson and the political machinations of Van Buren, the first national political boss. The presidency of John Quincy Adams was ineffective against well-organized congressional opposition. Beemis is excellent on all points. He correctly assesses the highlights of his career. This is intended to be a scholarly biography, not a popular representation. The level of detail and the flow of the narrative may drag at times, but this book is well worth the effort.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Our first (underappreciated) career diplomat,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy (Hardcover)
John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy, by Samuel Flagg Bemis, presents a detailed history of US foreign policy during the early years of the republic, roughly 1790-1830, using Adam's career as a central theme. This approach is appropriate since Adams was really America's first career diplomat and was involved in virtually every diplomatic development during these years. His efforts were highly instrumental in expanding US territory westward to the Pacific. After reading this (and several other books by Professor Bemis), I have concluded that Adams' role in early US history is greatly underappreciated. Rather than write a detailed review supporting this conclusion, I'm just going to summarize Adams' career and diplomatic accomplishments in the following lists which I think make this point as well as I could:
Adams' Career: Minister to The Netherlands, 1794-95 Minister to Prussia, 1797-1801 US Senator from Massachusetts, 1801-06 Minister to Russia, 1809-12 Minister to Great Britain, 1815-17 Secretary of State, 1817-25 President, 1825-29 Major Treaties and Policies: 1. Treaty of Ghent (with Britain, 1814) Ended the War of 1812 Generally restored the status quo ante bellum between Britain and the US even though Britain had the stronger military position at the war's end 2. Treaty of 1818 (with Britain - 1818) Reestablished US fishing rights off Newfoundland that had been restricted during the War of 1812 Resolved numerous boundary disputes between US and British Canada Established an agreement on US and British naval forces on the Great Lakes 3. Transcontinental Treaty (with Spain - 1819) Transferred Florida from Spain to the US Established the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase with Spanish Mexico Extended southern boundary of Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean 4. Monroe Doctrine (Unilateral Declaration - 1823) Announced by President Monroe, heavily influenced by Secretary of State Adams US opposes establishment of new European colonies in western Hemisphere US abstains from involvement in European conflicts US opposes European interference in Western Hemisphere 5. Alaskan Agreement (with Russia - 1827) Established the southern boundary of Russian Alaska at 54 deg 40 min latitude Removed Russia as a contender for the Oregon country, leaving US and Britain as the remaining claimants (Spain had renounced its claim in the Transcontinental Treaty in 1819)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of our best statesmen,
By
This review is from: John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy (Hardcover)
It is ironic that the thing that reflected poorest on John Quincy Adams, his tenure as president, is what he is today remembered for. In fact, his most outstanding achievements were in the field of foreign affairs and civil liberties. Professor Bemis's book addresses the first of these (the second is handled in vol. 2).Because of his father's career as a diplomat during the American Revolution, John Adams probably had the best education in foreign affairs of any statesmen in early America. While charges of nepotism haunted Adams, it was money well-spent in terms of results. Adams was posted to Prussia, Russian and Great Britain during the Napoleonic War. He managed to secure a peace treaty with Britain which was threatening to send over the Duke of Wellington to resolve the war of 1812. As Secretary of State, Adams established the principles that later became enshrined as the Monroe Doxtrine. His vision of Western Hemispheric solidarity was designed to allow the new American Republic to stand up to the more powerful nations of Europe. Adams did much to establish anti-colonialism as the hallmark of American Foreign Policy up to the Second World War. The job of Secretary of State was seen as the springboard to the presidency in the "Era of Good Feelings." Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe had held this office. The rise of Adams was overshadowed by that of Andrew Jackson. However, given the nature of politics at the time neither he nor Adams were able to achieve a clear victory in electoral college. The inconclusive results of the election of 1824 led to the ultimate decision resting with the House of Representatives. When the fourth runner up and Speaker of the House, Henry Clay was in a position to decide the outcome. The result was the famous "corrupt bargin" in which Adams came in as president and Clay was appointed to be secretary of state. The hint of "political hanky panky" undermined the presidency of John Quincy Adams. There were a number of good ideas proposed, a national university, a system of observatories, internal improvements featuring a national network of canals and roads that would have opened up the west and promoted greater regional ties and interdependence. Unfortunately these good ideas were ineffective against the charisma of Jackson and the political machinations of Van Buren, the first national political boss. The presidency of John Quincy Adams was ineffective against well-organized congressional opposition. Beemis is excellent on all points. He correctly assesses the highlights of his career. This is intended to be a scholarly biography, not a popular representation. The level of detail and the flow of the narrative may drag at times, but this book is well worth the effort.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
|
|
