Today's Articles

People, Locations, Episodes

Wed, 07.11.1787

John Quincy Adams, Politician, and Amistad Counsel born

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams was born on this date in 1767. He was a white-American diplomat, politician, an opponent of slavery, and the sixth president of the United States.

Adams was born in Braintree, MA, in a part of town that eventually became Quincy, MA.  Adams was the son of U. S. President John Adams and Abigail Adams. Much of Adams' youth was spent overseas accompanying his father, who served as an American envoy to France from 1778 until 1779 and to the Netherlands in 1780. He was educated at institutions such as the University of Leiden during this period.

As an adult, his party affiliations were Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Whig. He is most famous as a diplomat involved in many international negotiations and for formulating the Monroe Doctrine.  As president (1824 – 1829), he proposed a grand modernization and educational advancement program but could not get it through Congress.

After his presidency, rather than retire, he went on to win the election as a National Republican and Whig to the House of Representatives, serving for 17 years, from 1831 until his death.  In Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on Manufactures, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Adams was an important antislavery voice In Congress.  From 1836-37, Adams presented to Congress many petitions for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in the District of Columbia.  In 1834, he was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Massachusetts, losing to John Davis in 1841,

Adams represented the Amistad Africans in the Supreme Court of the United States. The Amistad Africans had seized control of a Spanish ship, where they were being held illegally as slaves. He successfully argued that Africans should not be taken to Cuba but should be considered free and have the option to remain within the U.S. or return home as free people.

John Quincy Adams died on February 23, 1848.

To Become a Political Scientist

To Become a Lawyer

Reference:

White House.gov

Britannica.com

The Encyclopedia Britannica, Twenty-fourth Edition.
Copyright 1996 Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.
ISBN 0-85229-633-0

New Poem Each Day

Poetry Corner

He waltzes into the lane ‘cross the free-throw line, Fakes a drive pivots, floats from the asphalt turf in an arc of black light, and sinks two in the chains. One on... MAKIN’ JUMP SHOTS by Michael S. Harper.
Read More