Product Description

Following his single term as President of the United States (1825-1829), John Quincy Adams, embittered by his loss to Andrew Jackson, boycotted his successor's inauguration, just as his father John Adams had done (the only two presidents ever to do so). Rather than retire, the sixty-two-year-old former president, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and Harvard professor was elected by his Massachusetts friends and neighbors to the House of Representatives to throw off the "incubus of Jacksonianism." It was the opening chapter in what was arguably the most remarkable post-presidency in American history.

In this engaging biography, historian Joseph Wheelan describes Adams's battles against the House Gag Rule that banished abolition petitions; the removal of Eastern Indian tribes; and the annexation of slave-holding Texas, while recounting his efforts to establish the Smithsonian Institution. As a "man of the whole country," Adams was not bound by political party, yet was reelected to the House eight times before collapsing at his "post of duty" on February 21, 1848, and then dying in the House Speaker's office. His funeral evoked the greatest public outpouring since Benjamin Franklin's death. Mr. Adams's Last Crusade will enlighten and delight anyone interested in American history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109407 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Review
"A convincing brief for reconsidering this prescient, fearless public figure." -- Kirkus, December 1, 2007

"Wheelan has written a solid and entertaining account of Adams's 17-year congressional career" -- Boston Globe, February 24, 2008

"[Wheelan] artfully interprets the life of this conscience-bound President as one ironically to be fulfilled by his congressional career" -- Library Journal, January 15th, 2008

About the Author
Joseph Wheelan, a former Associated Press reporter and editor, is the author of Invading Mexico: America's Continental Dream and the Mexican War, 1846-1848, Jefferson's War: America's First War on Terror, 1801- 1805, and Jefferson's Vendetta: The Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary. He lives in Cary, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

American Hero
John Quincy Adams is never on any list of great presidents. But he should be near the top of any list of great Americans, right up there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Joseph Wheelan's excellent new book explains why. Adams had an extraordinary political career, both before and after his single term as president. Wheelan's book focuses on Adams's seventeen-year Congressional career, which began in 1831, two years after Adams left the White House. During this period, Adams fought for women's rights and against President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Bill, which forced Native Americans to give up their traditional lands. Adams was also an unrelenting enemy of slavery, and did all in his power to fight it (see the movie Amistad). His many speeches against the "peculiar institution" caused northerners to refer to him affectionately as "Old Man Eloquent". Southerners sent him hate mail and death threats, and called him by a different name: The Madman From Massachusetts. Adams became the conscience of Congress and of the very nation itself.
Joseph Wheelan has written an important, very well written book that rescues one of America's greatest men from near obscurity. Adams is far more deserving of immortality than his arch-rival, Andrew Jackson. Read Joseph Wheelan's outstanding book and you will understand why.

A Remarkable Life
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.

The "Extraordinary" in the Title is No Exaggeration
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.