Happy President’s Day – John Quincy Adams
Happy
Presidents’ Day! As you know,
Presidents’ Day is officially known as “Washington’s Birthday” in honor of
America’s first president, who was born on February 22nd. In many regions, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday
(February 12th) is also celebrated.
Over
the years, the holiday has expanded to become a celebration of all presidents—hence the name
“Presidents’ Day.” And while Washington
and Lincoln still tend to get the most press, I think it’s good to remember
that many others have served as Chief Executive, too. So many of the rights, freedoms, and
privileges we enjoy today are due to men and women whose names and deeds are
shrouded by history. This is even true
of presidents. Some presidents were better
than others were, of course, but all deserve to be commemorated.
For
example, take President John Quincy Adams.
He’s not as well-known as many of the presidents who served before and
after him, but he looms large in American history as a man who strived to
create a stronger, more modern United States.
The “Most
Valuable American Abroad”
As
the son of John Adams, John Quincy was earmarked for greatness almost from the
cradle. When he was only eleven years
old, he accompanied his father on a diplomatic mission to France. At age 14, he left his father to serve as
secretary to the U.S. envoy in Russia.
By the time he reached adulthood, he was already fluent in French,
Dutch, Latin, Greek, and other languages.
These experiences would serve him well later.
It
was clear that great things could be expected of Adams, and a career in
politics seemed inevitable. But Adams
wanted none of it, preferring to live a quiet life of study—the exact opposite
of what fate intended for him. When
President Washington appointed Adams as the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands,
Adams initially refused. Finally
persuaded by his father, Quincy served for three years, fell in love, married,
and returned home … only for Washington to appoint him Ambassador to
Portugal. Again, he would have refused,
until he heard the reason for Washington’s reliance on him. Said Washington, “[Adams] is the most
valuable of America’s officials abroad.”
Despite
his disinclination, Washington’s high regard for him seems to have convinced Adams
that his destiny did indeed lie in politics.
His ability to balance a sense of duty with a lack of personal ambition
makes him one of the most unique politicians in American history.
Entry into
Politics
What
followed was a dizzying succession of posts and offices. After returning home, he served a brief stint
in the Massachusetts State Senate before winning election to the United States
Senate. In 1809, he went abroad again,
this time as the U.S. ambassador to Russia, then later to England. By 1817, Adams’ skills were in such high
demand that a new president, James Monroe, appointed him Secretary of
State.
Even
if Adams never did anything else, his performance as Secretary would guarantee
him an honored place in American history.
Most scholars agree that he was one of the most outstanding diplomats of
all time. As Secretary of State, Adams
negotiated the Adams-Onis Treaty, bringing Florida into the Union. He also ended many long-standing conflicts
with England. Most importantly, he wrote
the “Monroe Doctrine,” a defining piece of American foreign policy, which
effectively denied European states the right to meddle with the affairs of
independent North American countries.
As
the 1824 presidential election drew near, Adams’ New England friends persuaded
him to enter the race. His opponents
included famous names like Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Andrew
Jackson. It was a tight contest. In the end, Jackson received the most
electoral votes, but not enough to secure a technical “majority.” Per the Twelfth Amendment, this meant the
House of Representatives were responsible for electing one of the top three
candidates. They chose Adams.
President
of the United States
Like
his father, Adams only served one term.
This was largely for two reasons.
First, Andrew Jackson accused Adams repeatedly of making a “corrupt
bargain” to steal the White House. This
badly damaged Adams’ reputation.
(Nowadays, many experts think Adams won the election fairly.) Second, Adams’ dislike for traditional politics
hampered his chances for a second term.
As a man who would have preferred a life of quiet study, he declined to
play “the game” of securing favors and maintaining a political support machine. As one historian put it, “Seldom has the
public mind been so successfully poisoned against an honest and high-minded
man.”1
Still,
Adams exerted an enormous influence on America’s future during his four years
in office. He pushed for a system of
“internal improvements” designed to transform the United States into a more
modern, self-sufficient nation.
“Internal improvements” meant better roads, ports, canals and
bridges. It meant investing in
education, specifically in science. He
even reduced the national debt by almost 70%.
While Jackson’s supporters tried to block many of his proposals, the
work he started gained momentum and would be carried on by his successors. Adams’ programs also made commerce easier and
more profitable.
Final
Years
Jackson
defeated Adams in 1828. Instead of
retiring, Adams ran for the House of Representatives. While in Congress, Adams continued the work
he had begun as President. He worked
hard to advance America’s commitment to science and was instrumental in
creating the Smithsonian Institution.
Also, he became one of the country’s leading voices against
slavery. After some Congressmen imposed
a “gag rule” against even bringing up the topic of slavery, Adams used every
trick in the book to bring the issue up for debate.
While
other politicians stayed silent, Adams relentlessly attacked the idea of
slavery, declaring it evil and immoral.
Perhaps his greatest triumph was the Amistad
case. Representing a group of
African slaves who had revolted and seized a slave ship, Adams spoke for four
hours and convinced the Supreme Court to declare the Africans free.
On
February 21, 1846, a now elderly Adams collapsed on the floor of the
House. Having served his country both at
home and abroad in almost every office imaginable, his work was finally done. He died two days later inside the
Capitol.
His
last words were, “I am content.”
Presidents’
Day is not just a chance for a day off.
It’s also a chance to remember the people who shaped our country’s past,
present, and future; a chance to celebrate the good they did and learn from the
bad; a chance to commemorate not just well-known names like Washington and
Lincoln, but all the other presidents, both famous and obscure, who labored to
make our great nation what it is today.
Have
a happy Presidents’ Day!
