Rights of Man, Thomas Paine, May 31, 1984, Philosophy, 281 pages. Presents Paine's political writings about the French revolutions..

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2 John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life, Paul C. Nagel, Harvard University Press, 1999, , , 432 pages. Nagel probes deeply into the psyche of this cantankerous, misanthropic, erudite, hardworking son of a former president whose remarkable career spanned many offices: minister to Holland, Russia, and England, U.S. senator, secretary of state, president of the United States ( ), and, finally, U.S. representative (the only ex-president to serve in the House). On the basis of a thorough study of Adams' seventy-year diary among a host of other documents, the author gives us a richer account than we have yet had of JQAs life - his passionate marriage to Louisa Johnson, his personal tragedies (two sons lost to alcoholism), his brilliant diplomacy, his recurring depression, his exasperating behavior - and shows us why in the end, only Abraham Lincoln's death evoked a greater outpouring of national sorrow in nineteenth-century America. We come to see how much Adams disliked politics and hoped for more from life than high office; how he sought distinction in literary and scientific endeavors, and drew his greatest pleasure from being a poet, critic, translator, essayist, botanist, and professor of oratory at Harvard; how tension between the public and private Adams vexed his life; and how his frustrations kept him masked and aloof (and unpopular).. DOWNLOAD HERE John Quincy Adams, Lynn Hudson Parson, 1998, Biography & Autobiography, 284 pages. In this concise biography, Parsons masterfully chronicles the dramatic and prolific career of one of America's most absorbing figures.. Descent from Glory Four Generations of the John Adams Family, Paul C. Nagel, 1999, Biography & Autobiography, 400 pages. There has never been any doubt that the Adams family was America's first family in our politics and memory. This research-based and insightful book is a multigenerational... Rights of Man, Thomas Paine, May 31, 1984, Philosophy, 281 pages. Presents Paine's political writings about the French revolutions.. John Quincy Adams, Debbie Levy, 2004, Juvenile Nonfiction, 112 pages. Traces the life and accomplishments of the sixth president of the United States, discussing his policies, anti-slavery view, and life after his presidency.. Mr. Adams's Last Crusade John Quincy Adams's Extraordinary Post-presidential Life in Congress, Joseph Wheelan, 2008, Biography & Autobiography, 309 pages. Chronicles the political achievements of John Quincy Adams in the years following his presidency, discussing his service in the House of Representatives, where he was a fierce... John Marshall Definer of a Nation, Jean Edward Smith, Mar 15, 1998, Biography & Autobiography, 784 pages. Chronicles the life, career, and contributions of the man who sat on the United States Supreme Court for thirty-five years and who was instrumental in molding the court into... John Quincy Adams A Personal History of an Independent Man, Marie B. Hecht, 1995,, 682 pages. A study of the sixth president's private and public lives based on his journals, correspondence and memoirs. John Quincy Adams and American Global Empire, William Earl Weeks, Oct 1, 2002, Biography & Autobiography, 252 pages. This is the story of a man, a treaty, and a nation. The man was John Quincy Adams, regarded by most historians as America's greatest secretary of state. The treaty was the... John Quincy Adams Policymaker for the Union, James E. Lewis, Jan 1, 2001, Biography & Autobiography, 164 pages. John Quincy Adams played an extensive role in foreign policy during his years as Secretary of State and as President of the United States. This book analyzes Adams's... John Quincy Adams the critical years: , Robert Abraham East, 1962, Biography &

3 Autobiography, 252 pages.. Mr. Jefferson's Hammer William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy, Robert Martin Owens, 2007, Biography & Autobiography, 311 pages. Often remembered as the president who died shortly after taking office, William Henry Harrison remains misunderstood by most Americans. Before becoming the ninth president of... Thomas Jefferson Third President , Mike Venezia, Sep 1, 2004,, 32 pages. An introduction to the life of Thomas Jefferson, a man whose ideas helped create a new kind of government and who became the nation's third president.. John Quincy Adams was raised, educated, and groomed to be President, following in the footsteps of his father, John. At fourteen he was secretary to the Minister to Russia and, later, was himself Minister to the Netherlands and Prussia. He was U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, and then President for one ill-fated term. His private life showed a parallel descent. He was a poet, writer, critic, and Professor of Oratory at Harvard. He married a talented and engaging Southerner, but two of his three sons were disappointments. This polymath and troubled man, caught up in both a democratic age not to his understanding and the furies of passion, was an American lion in winter. Who is the real John Quincy Adams? The brilliant secretary of state, prime mover behind the Monroe Doctrine, and principled opponent of slavery, defender of the Africans shanghaied aboard the Amistad? Or the ineffectual president stymied by a hostile Congress and his own self-righteousness, the vindictive political foe famed for his cold, disagreeable character? Paul C. Nagel, author of two previous books about the Adams family, seeks to give readers a more human Adams ( ) whose complex nature contained many contradictions. John Quincy Adams is a valuable revisionist biography of a misunderstood figure at the crossroads of American history. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Of all American public figures, none led a more remarkable life than John Quincy Adams. The son of a president, Adams was an elected congressman, an accomplished diplomat, a president himself, and, after vacating the White House in virtual disgrace, a congressman once again from 1831 until his death in He was a man of letters, had a passion for science and technology, and, more important for the historian, kept a diary for nearly 70 years. With this excellent biography, Nagel continues a string of successful books on America's first families?the Adamses and the Lees (e.g., Descent from Glory, LJ 12/1/82, and The Lees of Virginia, LJ 6/15/90). Nagel focuses more on the private Adams, utilizing diary entries to provide keen insight into this extraordinary man, who often suffered from severe depression. The result is a fascinating psychobiography. Highly recommended for all libraries.?boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala. It's a matter of debate who was our most intelligent President: Lincoln, Madison and Jefferson would certainly garner their share of votes. But John Quincy Adams warrants serious consideration: he was an intellectual titan with an astounding breadth of intellect. He was impossibly well-read, sober, amazingly articulate with a rapier-like ability to demolish opponents or defend his position. It's debatable whether he was, in fact, America's most brilliant President, but this book goes a long way in making that case. Nagel wisely delves into Adams' private side and quotes extensively from his own words. If you are looking for a glum recitation of Adams' political life, look elsewhere, this is a more human biography. There was a refreshing amount of material focusing on Adams' boyhood, and the chapters covering his Congressional years are especially interesting. His story reads like something from a novel: failed President transformed into one of the most influential Congressmen who ever serve in the House. It's almost hard to fathom all the public positions held by JQA in his life. From a legislator in Massachusetts, to a long and distinguished career as a diplomat in Europe - most notably Russia where he was a close confidant of the Tzar Alexander - to Secretary of State, sixth President of the

4 United States, and U.S. Congressman. He even turned down an appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Relying heavily on a very personal diary JQA kept nearly his entire adult life, this biography delves deeply into the psyche and private life of JQA, giving us an intimate portrait of his personality, family life, religious beliefs, and even some of the things that shaped his thoughts and personality. We literally follow JQA in his day to day life. The biography, as it stands, is extremely interesting. The downfall of the book is that it does not deal enough with JQA's politics. We end up knowing far more about JQA's religious beliefs at the end of the biography than we do about his political thought. A perfect example is that JQA, as Secretary of State, was the primary influence behind the Monroe Doctrine dictating that European powers could no longer attempt to influence politics or colonize countries in the Western Hemisphere. Other than crediting JQA for this, the author does nothing to explore the details of how this extremely important political stance came about. Further, while JQA's presidency may have been somewhat of a failure - mostly because he was a president elected not only by a minority of voters but a minority of the electoral college as well - it certainly deserved more than one chapter of the book. And that chapter is almost devoid of political analysis. (Note the House of Representatives ended up choosing the president since none of the candidates had a majority of electoral college votes, therefore JQA's power was significantly weakened and his presidency was one where the legislative branch was dominant). This biography begs for second volume just about JQA's public or political life. Two pieces of trivia that many readers probably know. John Adams and John Quincy Adams were the only father and son to both be President of the United States until George Bush and George W. Bush. Secondly, JQA is the only ex-president to subsequently become a member of Congress (in this case the House of Representatives). Read more Given the author's stated intention, this book is as much character analysis as historical biography. Other reviewers of this book listed below have criticized Nagel for neglecting an in-depth accounting of JQA's public accomplishments. Clearly, they didn't read the preface (in which the author clearly lays out the focus of the book) and would have been much better off reading a different volume on Adams' life, such as Samuel Flagg Bemis' masterwork, "John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy," which won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and provides a comprehensive analysis of JQA's many public achievements. Using JQA's private diary as the primary source, Nagel describes a talented but conflicted man tormented by a life of extreme self-doubt and merciless self-criticism. From an early age JQA was groomed for greatness by his parents. But that preparation - which included a stint as secretary to the US Minister to Russia while only 14 years old, the best classical education a young American of his time could dream of, and close contact with many heads of state and intellectuals - proved to be more curse than blessing in a nation rapidly shifting toward the popular democracy of Jacksonianism. The intense pressure to succeed and a public increasingly hostile to his aristocratic upbringing and bearing caused JQA a lifetime of great personal anguish and ultimately national rejection. For those interested in learning more about Adams' role as chief negotiator at Ghent during the War of 1812, his storied tenure as Monroe's secretary of state, his disastrous presidential administration, or his controversial career in the House in later life, there are much better volumes to read than Nagel's. However, few biographies exceed Nagel's insight into Adams' personal life - his pettiness, self-pity, disappointment, and grief. Read more I can't decide if this book is as good at David McCullough's biography of John Adams (a five-star book for sure), but if not, it is very, very close. Drawing on John Quincy Adams' diaries, Paul Nagel has written a very readable account of a not so likable man and does such a thorough job of showing every side of the man that I came away feeling respect, admiration and sympathy for JQA.

5 One of the surprises to me in this account of the eminent Adams family is that Abigail Adams was overbearing with her children and possibly did not command the affection of her eldest son, JQA. (Maybe I'm thick, but I didn't get an inkling of this in the McCullough biography of JQA's father.) What may not be quite so surprising is that JQA had little respect for woman in general, apart from their role as mothers and housekeepers. Nagel makes the observation that JQA's wife Louisa, who was apparently literate and intelligent, would have surpassed her husband in ability had she been provided a similar education. A book about their relationship and the social mores that kept them together would be fascinating! The story of JQA's life might be described as replete with conflicts. His struggle between a scholarly career vs. a political career is well documented and ongoing until the last years of his life. Obviously, he finally came to realize that he needed the political forum since he spent the last 17 years in the House of Representatives, the only former president to do so. His four years as president were probably the most miserable of his life, but he wanted to be re-elected. He constantly berated himself for indolence while generating more work than several people put together. He was quite a character, habitually swimming in the Potomac River (almost drowning while he was president)and walking several miles a day, timing himself while doing so. In his seventies and suffering from a malady that produced ugly boils on his bald head, he appeared at dinner parties wearing a turban. And he absolutely loved to antagonize his fellow congressmen by taking the floor of the House of Representatives. What's sad about JQA is that he was not satisfied with what he accomplished. It seems that even more than his father, he resented not have a "proper place in history". He wanted to be another Caesar, but realized that he was not endowed by nature with sufficient abilities. Given everything that he had accomplished as foreign diplomat, college professor, Secretary of State, President and, finally, Congressman (to say nothing of being a devoted family man), it's really too bad he couldn't relax and enjoy himself more. Read more A good biography must be more than a summary of dates and events; the best would not only relate an individual's achievements, but also his motivating influences and internal conflicts. Because John Quincy Adams kept a very detailed, and intimate, diary for 70 years of his life, the author had a wealth of information upon which to draw, the result being a dynamic exploration of the sixth president. Well-traveled from a young age and educated in European schools, Adams found it difficult to later settle into Harvard life and the tedium of a law practice. His relationship with politics could be termed one of reluctant compulsion - consistently disavowing any interest in public service, he nevertheless pursued it relentlessly, and with great skill. His time as a US representative to Russia and England, two terms as Monroe's secretary of state, and a long stint in the House of Representatives during his later years were productive and earned him great respect. His ineffective presidency seems like a brief dip in an otherwise successful career. Personally, he was plagued with issues of self-esteem, never believing that his efforts were appreciated by the public, or that he even merited respect. Despite going through periods in which he pared down his slumber to four hours a night, he was never satisfied with his level of productivity, and frequently berated himself for wasting time. His greatest desire was to contribute in the areas of literature or science, a dream not realized despite his best efforts. He suffered bouts of crippling depression, but managed to elude the familial curse of alcoholism, which claimed both of his brothers and two of his sons. There is a phrase in the United States that asks, "How good does one have to be in order to bad in the NBA?" The answer to this question is "pretty damn awesome!" To be bad in the NBA, the MLB, or the NFL one has to be an incredible ball player. Only by being great at the lower levels can one find the opportunity to be bad as a professional. I think you can take this same view with American statesmen and the presidency. The American

6 presidency is the highest office that any American can possibly obtain. If an American becomes the President he (or, someday, she) has their picture in the back of every U.S. history textbook, their names are added to the president rap, and presidential history buffs such as myself make it a point to learn interesting details about their lives. In order to become president the statesmen have to use the electoral process to convince the nation that they should be the leader. Even presidents who achieve the presidency through vice presidential succession do so because to be elected vice president is to be elected stand-by leader[1]. Just doing that is amazing. In some ways my analogy fails because I would not say the presidency was the professional level but rather the presidency, Congress, state governors, and Supreme Court justices are all part of that professional league. The presidency is simply an instant ticket to the Hall of Fame located in the back of American history textbooks. Yet someone can become president and be considered a failure because their administration was unsuccessful. And that, why factual true, is morally wrong. Yes, it is hard to imagine Millard Fillmore as a winner, but men like Herbert Hoover who had public careers that were enormously beneficial to the nation should not be written off as failures. John Quincy Adams is one of these individuals. He was serving his country since he was a boy when he worked for his father on the elder Adams' foreign ministries during the American Revolution. He would rise to be a senator, a diplomat in his own right, and at the peak of his first career he would become the Secretary of State. "Amid this hue and cry, Adams calmly insisted that it would be wiser if the nation remained alone in warning the world that the Western Hemisphere was on longer to be intruded upon. He added that if Europe should tamper with strivings for independence in Latin America, the United States must consider such action as hostile. He proposed the same response to Russia's encroachment in the Northwest quarter." (p.270)