Scholars Lecture - John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit

James Traub, John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit.

Scion of a political dynasty and our 6th President, Adams also served the country as a diplomat, Secretary of State and member of Congress. He saw the country ride through recessions and populist rebellions; assert a role on the world stage; play wedge politics among the great powers of the day; and struggle with nation-building in countries without a tradition of self-government. He finally and painfully recognized that the problem of slavery would have to be faced directly. He was unpopular, passionate, stubborn, difficult as a husband and father, and in his wife’s words “magnificent.”