John Quincy Adams (The American Presidents Series) (Hardcover)

~ Robert V. Remini (Author), Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (Editor)
Key Phrases: United States, John Quincy, John Adams (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

John and Abigail Adams's son was arguably the most brilliant man ever to occupy the White House. He was also probably the least temperamentally fit to do so. Nevertheless, as this straightforward biography reminds us, John Quincy Adams (1767- 1848) led one of the longest, most illustrious and most consequential public careers in the nation's history. Remini, the great modern biographer of Andrew Jackson, might seem the wrong choice to write a life of one of Jackson's most implacable enemies. But in this addition to a series on the presidents edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Remini, a National Book Award winner, paints an admiring portrait of an extraordinary man. Depicting Adams as deficient husband and father and disputably holding his famous parents largely responsible for the torments in all their children's lives, Remini concentrates on Adams's 50-year public career, much of it spent abroad. Remini is surely justified in holding Adams out as the nation's greatest secretary of state, largely responsible for what we know as the Monroe Doctrine. Although Adams as president was out of touch with most of his fellow citizens, it's likely that no one could have succeeded in the White House given the political confusion of those years. Adams's post-White House years (he was one of only two ex-presidents to return to Congress) yielded some of his life's greatest triumphs. He laid the basis for the Free Soil movement that eventually helped defeat slavery, protected the bequest that gave us the Smithsonian Institution and, as many readers will know from the film, defended the Amistad slaves. No one who reads this fine, short study will fail to place Adams in the pantheon of Great Neglected Americans which is just what Remini hopes to achieve and does.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Remini, the author of many books on Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and the politics of the 1820s and 1830s, here offers a brief biography of the sixth president of the United States as part of the American Presidents series edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. John Quincy Adams's four-year presidency was the least satisfying period in a long public career. He served as diplomat and Secretary of State prior to his election and became the only former president to sit in the House of Representatives, where he remained for 17 years during the increasingly stormy sectional debate. Remini focuses on important incidents throughout Adams's life, demonstrating that he was not the failure he would have been if judged only by his presidential years. Adams has been the subject of two recent longer biographies: Paul Nagel's John Quincy Adams: A Public Life and Lynn Hudson Parsons's capable but generally overlooked John Quincy Adams. Though the book is brief, in keeping with the series, Remini still manages to stay true to his scholarly credentials while targeting a general audience. Some endnotes are included that do not interrupt the flow of each chapter. Recommended for major public or academic libraries. Charles K. Piehl, Minnesota State Univ., Mankato
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Times Books; 1st edition (August 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805069399
• ISBN-13: 978-0805069396
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,484 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not History's Favorite., December 21, 2003

By	Michael E. Fitzgerald (Kingwood, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is one of the few, possibly the only, early American President I am aware of who is consistently treated poorly by historians. It is almost like there is some unspoken conspiracy to paint the man as some kind of slacker. The closest we can come to this kind of consensual disapproval is how the American press treated Gerald Ford's athleticism. In Ford's case, this former center for the University of Michigan football team, an excellent recreational skier and a man who consistently shot golf in the low 70's was treated as an uncoordinated clod, who could not put one foot in front of another. Something similar is going on with the depiction of JQA.

Independent of his parents in Europe for 6 years, much of that time by his own choice, his biographers treat him as a mama's boy. That's right, the same man who undertook his first diplomatic mission for the United States at age 14! And it goes down hill from there.

Incredible successes as Secretary of State under James Monroe are glossed over, a Presidential vision for America that was the equal of Washington, Adams (his father), Jefferson, Madison and Monroe's combined, formulator of the Monroe Doctrine, extender of the Continental limits of the United States from sea to sea, ardent abolitionist who fought the Gag Rule in the House of Representatives for 9 years (that's right, he defends our most fundamental of freedoms, freedom of speech, and during a 9 year Congressional battle, defeats those who would have suppressed this freedom within our own Congress), founder of the Smithsonian, the list of this man's unbelievable accomplishments goes on and on.

Professor Remini should be embarrassed for this mediocre effort. Was JQA stiff, prickly and unyielding? Of course he was. Was he obstinate, arrogant and difficult? Again JQA is guilty. But after his outstanding works on Jackson, Webster, and Clay for Professor Remini to simply repeat Nagel's poor work and not take the time and opportunity to fairly and accurately report on this man's life accomplishments has got to be some form of academic bankruptcy. This book is only 155 pages long. And those pages are small. That should tell you something. Save your money.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best president, but important., June 11, 2005

By	Jack Lechelt "Jackyred" (Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Quincy Adams was one of the smartest and most educated men to serve as president. With all that intelligence, he really stunk up the White House. Remini points out how absolutely blind and deaf JQA was to politics. He would not campaign in even minor ways or do anything to help his chances for political success. Perhaps we could use more of that in today's world, but at the same time, politics is politics. If one truly believes in the importance of long term planning and success, he or she must be willing to make some short term sacrifices. With all that said, JQA's secretary of state years under President Monroe were incredibly successful. JQA practically created the Monroe Doctrine and made the case that sometimes preemptive action is necessary. Samuel Flagg Bemis is apparently the expert historian on JQA's State Department years, and Remini relies on his work for that chapter. John Lewis Gaddis also made use of John Quincy Adams's leadership of the State Department in a comparative look at grand strategies, along with FDR and GWB.

The book is interesting, short, and well-written. Little more can be asked for.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good short biography, April 28, 2003

By	mrliteral - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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John Quincy Adams was the first son of a President to become President himself. Although his family connections didn't hurt, they also weren't overly helpful; his break from his father's Federalist connections means that JQA had to attain the nation's highest office based primarily on his own resume, not his father's.

Ironically, Adam's tenure as President was in some ways, the low point in his career of public service. Prior to then, he was one of the best foreign relations people in American history, one of the primary authors of the Treaty of Ghent and the Monroe Doctrine. In his post-Presidential life, he was a prominent Congressman noted for his anti-slavery work (including his winning defense in the Amistad case) and his part in founding the Smithsonian Institute. As a President, however, he was at best mediocre and ineffective, his four years marred from the start by his controversial election and his unwise appointment of Henry Clay as Secretary of State (for Clay, it was equally unwise to have accepted the position).

Having read Remini's three volume biography of Jackson, it was interesting to read his depiction of one of Jackson's principal political enemies. Remini does a good job, but this is not as strong an effort as his other biographical works. The brevity of the book (which I believe was imposed by the American Presidents Series editors) makes this book more of an overview than a full biography. Remini does cover most of the major points, however, and does deal with Adams's personal life as well.

As stated before, John Quincy Adams was not a very significant President, but he is an important part of early U.S. history. This book is a good introduction to the man often recognized as the best Secretary of State ever. For a more detailed biography, however, Paul Nagel's recent work is a worthwhile read.