Ranking John Quincy Adams

Ranking the President’s of the United States can be a very complex endeavor – however the Siena Research Institute does it every few years or so. Their most recent results came out in 2010. They typically survey a large number of historians and politicos and ask them to rate the presidents on 20 different categories on a scale of 1 to 5. They then weigh these categories to come up with the overall result and compare.

For 2010 he is overall ranked #19, but let’s take a look at where he fell in each category:

Background (family, education, experience): 2nd
Party Leadership: 34th
Communication Ability (speaking, writing): 20th
Relationship with Congress: 35th
Court Appointments: 16th
Handling of US Economy: 14th
Luck: 30th
Ability to Compromise: 29th
Willing to Take Risks: 23rd
Executive Appointments: 13th
Overall Ability: 15th
Imagination: 11th
Domestic Accomplishments: 18th
Integrity: 4th
Executive Ability: 21st
Foreign Policy Accomplishments: 16th
Leadership Ability: 26th
Intelligence: 5th
Avoid Crucial Mistakes: 20th
Your Present Overall View: 21st

Overall Ranking: 19th

Every time there is a discussion about John Quincy Adams he is referred to as un unsuccessful president, yet he ranked 19th with many others falling behind him.  If he ranks 19th, why is he perceived as being such an unsuccessful president? 

I think the results were spot on with regards to Background, Integrity, Relationship with Congress, Ability to Compromise, and Intelligence.  What better background to have than having a father who was president (although also not an effective one) and he had extensive experience as a foreign diplomat.  I think he should have been more highly rated in terms of Communication Ability.  He was a professor of rhetoric at Harvard! 

What do you think of these rankings – agree/disagree?

Data obtained from the 2010 Siena Research Institute's 5th Presidential Expert Poll. 2010.

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Historical Spotlight: John Quincy Adams and The Amistad

Growing up in Connecticut I was exposed to the requisite amount of history class time spent learning about the Amistad.  For those of you that don't know, the Amistad was a slave ship that was overtaken by the Africans on-board and eventually came to be docked in New Haven, Connecticut.  From there a trial occurred to determine whether these Africans were free or if they should be returned to Spain or slavery.

One of the requisites of my 8th grade history class was to watch the movie version of Amistad - it had come out only a year or so before.  I remember the movie being powerful and moving, however I need to see it again to refresh my memory.  To that effect, I didn't remember that John Quincy Adams was involved in the Amistad trial until I read it in Paul C. Nagel's John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life.

John Q. Adams was the principal attorney for the Africans and defended their right to be free and not returned to Spain.  He made a speech that was approximately 8 hours long before he finally closed their argument.  His arguments ultimately won them their freedom.

Did you know that he never changed anyone for his legal fees?

I wanted to share some awesome references that I found in relation to JQA and this historic case:

Here is JQA's 8 hour speech-

Here are visuals of a letter written by JQA requesting the papers in relation to the lower court proceedings for this case which came prior to the Supreme Court - Pg 1 and Pg 2 -

And finally, here is a video clip from the Amistad movie representing JQA's 8 hour speech as performed by Anthony Hopkins:

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life

John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel

Unabridged, 18 hr. 48 min.

Blackstone Audio, Inc

Jeff Riggenbach (Narrator)

October 8, 2009

★★★★☆

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Source: Downloaded audio from my local library

“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.”

John Quincy Adams is one of the presidents that we learn about in school mostly under the preface of “he was the son of John Adams” and his failure of a presidency and time spent as a Congressman are sometimes highlighted. One aspect that we are almost never treated to is his private life, interactions with his parents, his wife, and his children. Paul C. Nagel sets out to provide us with an insight into Adams private life as well as feature his public life. There is a nice preface to the book where Nagel spell out exactly what he sets out to do any why – the why is the part you almost never get and it was a nice touch.

The first thing that I enjoyed about this book was the fact that the author frequently refers to John Quincy Adams as JQA – which made me feel like we were in-sync because that is what I always refer to his as too! This book also really made me feel for JQA as a person. I sort of felt bad for him – he wanted a left very different than that which he led. He wanted to be a writer and would much rather have been left to his rhetoric and learning than to be pushed into politics.

We also get to see a much more personable side to one who is always portrayed as a cold person. We see a loving relationship with his wife, Louisa, which is not common in other sources and the relationship feels more real. We see how his relationship with his mother was contentious, at best, as she was always sticking her nose into his life and pushing him to be what she wanted.

The author did a great job and portraying JQA as someone that was flawed but could still be admired and brought a personable portrayal that was long overdue.

★★★★☆

I don’t have much to say about the narration of the audio – it was standard reading – nothing flowery etc. Not bad but not exciting either.

You can listen to a sample from the audio below (links to Audible).

Reviews of this book by other bloggers: 

• Life is Short, Read Fast
• Man of La Book

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Paul C Nagel:

The Adams Women

Descent from Glory

The Lees of Virginia

This Sacred Trust

One Nation Indivisible

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court  

Visit the Birthplace of Two Presidents - John Adams and John Quincy Adams

I always knew that you could go and visit Montpelier (James/Dolley Madison’s home), Mount Vernon (George/Martha Washington’s home) and even Monticello (Thomas/Martha Jefferson’s home). Maybe it’s just me, but I never once thought about being able to visit Peacefield – John/Abigail Adams’ home! It is even more shocking to me that I never thought about this before because I live in New England – and in Massachusetts – only about 1 ½ hours from Peacefield.

I was so excited to realize this that of course I wanted to go right away – but guess what? They close for the season today so I have to wait for 2012 – big bummer! Anyway, in the meantime I figured I would share some of my excitement with you all by sharing some of the information I found out about visiting Peacefield. And when I visit in April/May I will be sure to tell you all about it!

There is a lot to do when visiting the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is really 4 separate buildings and the grounds as well as transportation by trolley. Guided tours are available for the buildings but make sure you get there early – I hear they can sell out fast!

John Adams birthplace (R) and John Q. Adams birthplace (L)

First stop on this tour – the home where John Adams was born. This house was built in 1735. Right next door is the house where John and Abigail moved to following their marriage and the home where the future president John Quincy Adams was born. The tour of these homes lasts approximately ½ hour.

Peacefield or The Old House

From there you head back to The Old House “Peacefield”. Here you will be able to partake in an hour long tour. You can then leisurely stroll around the grounds or visit the stone library filled with very old texts.

The Stone Library

They are open for business April 19th to November 10th and admission is $5.00 for adults and children under 16 are free.

Now if you are already going to be in Quincy and you want to do some more sightseeing while there – head up the street to the United First Parish Church. Here you can find the resting places of John Adams, Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Louisa Catherine Adams (inside the church). They appear to be open during the same time period and tours are offered of the church as well for a small fee.

If you happen to visit during the summer (particularly July 1 – Labor Day) you can stop by the Abigail Smith Adams Birthplace in Weymouth, Massachusetts (not to far from the Adams National Historical Park). Tours are offered of this house too for $5.00.  They are open from 1-4 PM so make this your last stop of the day.

Abigail Adams Birthplace

By the end of the day you will have learned something about 2 Presidents and their First Ladies from birth to death.  

Have any of you been to these places?  I would love to hear about it!

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court