The United States of America has had 45 different presidents in its lifetime. Sure, we know and appreciate all the presidents that highlight everything America stands for, for example, Washington, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, or Truman. However, we often tend to brush off other presidents that have done a lot for this country, and the biggest example of this is John Quincy Adams, 6th president of the United States and son of John Adams.
One of Quincy’s crowning traits is that unlike every president before him, he detested slavery. He would frequently speak out against the immoral act and played a big part in abolitionists history. In 1836, the Gag Rule was passed, which forbade the discussion of slavery in a court of law. Adams heavily opposed the law, fighting it for 8 years while in Congress. Eventually, he succeeded, and the rule was repealed.
During his presidency, Adams was eager for the US to lead itself into scientific research and the arts. Namely, he had been in full support of the idea of a federally owned Smithsonian Institution. While the plan was fully put into action during Andrew Jackson’s presidency, John Quincy was the heaviest advocate for it. He had also pushed for additional transportation methods, such as the introduction to the C & O Canal reaching from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland.
Working as Secretary of State, Quincy handled foreign problems with care. Namely, he was a prime factor in handling relations with Britain, Spain, and preached neutrality of the US, which would become the basis for the Monroe Doctrine.
Additionally, while acting as president, he had dealt with Native American affairs quite well, too. He believed that the country would be able to learn from and properly integrate Native American culture and land in the country without force.
Overall, Quincy definitely deserves recognition for the relatively modern ideals he held with geopolitical affairs and scientific ideals. The question is, why doesn’t he get discussed as often as the other presidents?
Firstly, it’s important to recognize that the Quincy Adams Administration fell in between Monroe, the final founding father acting as president, and Andrew Jackson, a far more interesting and wild person. Additionally, he’s also the son of second president John Adams, worldly known as being one of our most lackluster presidents.
Moreover, it may be that Quincy’s presidency has been overlooked by the state itself. During the 1824 election, New Jersey actually voted for his rival candidate Andrew Jackson. In the 1828 election, Jersey voted for Quincy, but not only was the vote much closer than in 1824, Jackson won that year’s election. Jackson’s presidency is discussed much more in the state (those in APUSH I should know), so it’s understandable how Quincy would remain in the shadows.
When Quincy is discussed, however, it is usually on the topic of abolition. During that discussion, the elimination of the Gag Rule tends to be overshadowed by the stories and more grueling efforts of people like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and others.
Finally, Adams tends to be overlooked due to the fact that most of his biggest accomplishments had occurred before and after his presidency. He pushed for scientific and transportative progress in the nation while president, but his legacy in abolition and geopolitics remained mostly out of that position.
All in all, it’s true that there were better presidents in our history. However, President’s Day is a time to reflect on our history and the presidents that guided us along the way. I think it’s only fair that we start respecting the presidents that deserve it, and John Quincy Adams is one of the most deserving of it.
Sources: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-quincy-adams/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202946/http://newsdesk.si.edu/sites/default/files/James_Smithson_biographical_info.pdf https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/artifact/representative-john-quincy-adamss-motion-denouncing-gag-rule-unconstitutional-may-27-1836#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20Pinckney%20Resolutions,declaring%20the%20gag%20rule%20unconstitutional. http://bikewashington.org/canal/#:~:text=The%20184.5%20mile%20long%20Chesapeake,and%20ending%20in%20Cumberland%2C%20MD. https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1828&f=1&off=0&elect=0&fips=34&submit=Retrieve EDEL, C. N. (2014). Nation Builder: John Quincy Adams and the Grand Strategy of the Republic. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qdt8k 2 - CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=937608
