Verified Document

John Quincy Adams Essay

John Quincy Adams The author of this report is asked to answer to one major question relating to John Quincy Adams, He had great success as Secretary of State but was not nearly as successful as President of the United States. The author is asked to ascertain why he might have done so well in the former role but so mediocre to poor in the latter role. This report will offer analysis based on personal conjecture and scholarly sources.

At first glance, the author of this report would offer a personal opinion. Secretary of States and President, at least in a more modern context, are entirely different jobs with the depth and breadth of the President's office being much more massive and expansive than Secretary of State. The Secretary of State, in modern days, is a catch-all ambassador and representative of the President's foreign policy and is indeed supposed to be a voice of the President. In contrast, the office of the President is responsible for guiding the Secretary of State's actions and void as well as the voices and actions of other departments like the Armed...

Perhaps the main reason for this failure was that he was unable to flourish when he was the "final say" on a decision rather than having a supervisor that could rein him in if he was making a rash decision. For example, the negotiations leading up to the Treaty of Ghent were an example of this in action as both sides made initial demands that did not match up to what was in their best interest.
One example, perhaps, of Adams perhaps being too good at diplomacy and negotiation was the fact that one of Adams' adversaries in the 1824 election, that being Henry Clay, becoming his secretary of state was a sign that he paid off people to be his allies.

Indeed, Andrew Jackson seemed on his way to winning the office and then Clay siphoned his votes to Adams and the latter ended…

Sources used in this document:
POTUS. (2013, September 26). John Quincy Adams - President of the United States (POTUS). POTUS -- Presidents of the United States. Retrieved September 26, 2013, from http://www.potus.com/jqadams.html

Miller Center. (2013, September 26). American President: Biography of John Quincy Adams. Miller Center. Retrieved September 26, 2013, from http://millercenter.org/president/jqadams/essays/biography/print

BigMo. (2013, September 26). Big Mo's Presidents Review: Number 6: John Quincy Adams. Big Mo's Presidents Review. Retrieved September 26, 2013, from http://thepresidentsatbigmo.blogspot.com/2007/03/number-6-john-quincy-adams.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

John Quincy Adams Was the
Words: 1082 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Adams ran for the presidency against Monroe. However, this was the Era of Good Feelings and Monroe was very popular with the public. In 1824, five men ran for Presidency. John C. Calhoun dropped out to be vice-president (McGrady, 2004). Since everyone was from the same party, there were no presidential tickets in this election. They voted for each separately. Jackson won the most votes, followed by Adams, William Crawford

John Quincy Adams
Words: 1878 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

President of the United States. Specifically it will discuss the life of President John Quincy Adams. The sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams was the first son of a former president Americans elected to the office. Historians do not see him as one of America's most outstanding presidents -- he faced adversaries and controversy while he served in office. However, looking back, he was a remarkable

Technology Impact on Henry Adams
Words: 1581 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Conversely, Paris and Rome were inspiring both aesthetically and spiritually. As a result, Adams spent many summers in Paris. Chiefly, London was the stimulus that shaped Adams' education and his historical viewpoints. Ironically, Adams shared his negative English stereotypes, starting in Chapter 12. "The English mind was one-sided, eccentric, systematically unsystematic and logically illogical. The less one knew of it the better."7 Surprisingly, Adams carried residue of a family

Abigail Adams Chapter 28 Starts
Words: 639 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Holton notes that years after Louisa's trip to Abigail's she confessed "that as the stagecoach carried her little family north toward Quincy, her sense of dread approximated that of a prisoner headed to the gallows." This isn't surprising that Abigail has this effect on her. Louisa feels inadequate around Abigail, which seems normal considering Abigail's intelligence and her independence as a woman. It probably was not normal for women

Abigail Adams in a Thorough,
Words: 1846 Length: 6 Document Type: Book Review

The manner in which she coped with the travails of traveling overseas in a time far before airplanes underscores the strength of character of this remarkable woman. The trip also marked the first time she had been away from her children for any length of time, solidifying her independence and contributing to her overall psychological development. Furthermore, Akers notes how Abigail was able to analyze, criticize, and incorporate ideas,

Abigail Adams the First Thing
Words: 698 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

It is quite disconcerting that Lovell has a wife whom he hasn't seen in four years, and this also bothers Abigail. The fact that Abigail would keep Lovell around, despite the fact that he is inappropriate with her shows her vulnerabilities as a woman at that time. Her husband is away and while she is good at acting strong and authoritative, she is a woman essentially doing what was a

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now