John Quincy Adams: American Visionary

Summary (from the publisher): In this fresh and lively biography, rich in literary analysis and new historical detail, Fred Kaplan brings into focus the dramatic life of John Quincy Adams - the little-known and much-misunderstood sixth president of the United States, and the first son of John and Abigail Adams - and persuasively demonstrates how Adams's inspiring, progressive vision guided his life and helped shape the course of America.

Kaplan draws on a trove of unpublished archival material to trace Adams's evolution from his childhood during the Revolutionary War to his brilliant years as secretary of state to his time in the White House and beyond. He examines Adams's myriad sides: the public and private man, the statesman and writer, the wise thinker and passionate advocate, the leading abolitionist and fervent federalist who believed strongly in both individual liberty and the government's role as an engine of progress and prosperity. In these ways - and in his energy, empathy, sharp intellect, and powerful gift with words both spoken and written - Adams was a predecessor of Lincoln and, later, FDR and Obama. This sweeping biography makes clear how Adams's forward-thinking values, his definition of leadership, and his vision for the nation's future is as much about twenty-first century America as it is about Adams's own time.

Meticulously researched and masterfully written, American Visionary paints a rich portrait of this brilliant leader and his significance to the nation and our own lives.

Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins.

In this detailed and meticulously researched biography, the little known life of America's sixth president is revealed. After reading his biography, I feel that history has done JQA a grave injustice, forgetting the forward thinking man who dedicated his life to serving his country. However, Adams was hardly just a politician - he was a gifted writer, public speaker, and poet. "'Literature has been the charm of my life,' he wrote in 1820, 'and could I have carved out my own fortunes, to literature would my whole life have been devoted. I have been a lawyer for bread, and a Statesman at the call of my Country."

From a young age, Adams spent years at a time abroad with his father, who was representing American interests abroad. Ever dutiful, Adams studied endlessly, despite lifelong eye inflammations, and wrote home, "sending moral and educational advice to his two brothers, setting the example of his own high standards, urging them to study French, and providing them in a long letter, mostly in French, with a list of the books that they study to learn French" (25). Adams also studied Greek and Latin, read Shakespeare and Pope, and studied lectures on law, natural science, and religion. JQA always served as a dutiful member of his family as well as his country, successfully entering Harvard as a junior, and entering law following his time in college.

John Quincy eventually married Louisa Johnson, who was plagued by illnesses and poor health throughout their marriage. Louisa suffered from numerous miscarriages but still managed to produce three sons who survived until adulthood. Unfortunately, and to the disappointment of their parents, none of their sons lived up to John Quincy's academic or political legacy. Two of John Quincy's sons died in middle age, much to John Quincy and Louisa's grief. Louisa and their sons' perhaps greatest frustration with JQA with his unwavering sense of duty to his country; he agreed to many assignment, including plenipotentiary to Russia, at great personal sacrifice, all in the name of service to his country.

It was amazing to think that Adams' life within politics spans the Revolutionary War to the brink of the Civil War with his death in 1848. Hated and misunderstood because of his forward thinking views, which included his belief in the necessity of a national system of roads, a standard weights and measurement system, and the end of slavery, history seems to have largely failed to vindicate him. When called, John Quincy believed he had an obligation to serve, and serve he did, becoming the only former President to go on to serve Congress. John Quincy died as he had lived - in service to his country. He suffered a fatal attack while at his desk in the house of representatives; "Members rushed from their seats and gathered around. He was carried to the front of the House, and placed on a sofa, which was carried out into the rotunda" (569).

I hope that this biography will help bring more public attention to the work of a president who has largely been forgotten. His political, academic, and scholarly work all highly recommend him, as does his personal morality, which made him a dutiful and honorable man, always striving to serve his family, country, and God. Through careful analysis of diaries, letters, and other archival documents, Kaplan has done an excellent job of detailing the life and times of one of America's early great presidents.

Stars: 4