Synopses & Reviews
This book is a brilliant portrait of a remarkable man and his age. Most defeated ex-presidents disappear from public life soon after their presidencies. John Quincy Adams was an exception: two years after losing the election of 1828 to Andrew Jackson, he ran for the House of Represnetatives and served there until his death seventeen years later. During his spectacular congressional career, Adams became a folk hero in much of the North, hailed by some as "Old Man Eloquent", by others as "the conscience of New England" and by still others as a "bruiser" who loved a good fight. He was feared in the South and regarded by many as a traitor and "the archest enemy of slavery that ever existed". His enemies included most of the great names of his day--men such as Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun. But he had allies too, and with their support, he savaged congressmen and presidents who wanted to gut the tariff, silence the antislavery movement, take lands from Indians, annex Texas, make war against Mexico, and add a covey of slave states to the Union. Sometimes he won, often he lost, but, win or lose, he and his cohorts were a vital force in the turbulent politics of the day. This book is partly a vivid character portrait of a famous curmudgeon, but it is also a knowledgeable, dramatic study of congressional politics in the 1830s and 1840s. Obsessed by the slavery issue, Adams was given poor marks as a political analyst by most twentieth-century scholars. With a new perspective on the times, historians now wonder if he was more right than wrong.
Synopsis
Richards' study presents not only a vivid portrait of John Quincy Adams but also provides an insightful exploration of American politics in the 1830s and 40s. Examining one of the few presidents who sustained a political career after his term in the White House, Richards depicts how two years after losing the presidential election to Andrew Jackson, Adams ran for the House of Representatives and served there until his death seventeen years later.
During his outstanding congressional career, Adams became a folk hero in much of the North--hailed by some as "Old Man Eloquent" and "the conscience of New England" by others--while much of the South feared him, regarding him as a traitor and the "archest enemy of slavery that ever existed." Richards explores in detail Adams' battles with such prominent figures as Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster on the issues of slavery, the Indians and their land, the annexation of Texas, and the potential war against Mexico. Highlighting his importance in the anti-slavery movement, Richards reassesses Adams' role as a political analyst and as a vital force in the turbulent politics of the day.
About the Author
About the Author:
Leonard L. Richards is Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of several books, including Gentlemen of Property and Standing.