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John's heart sank. A British man-of-war was plowing through the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean in hot pursuit of his ship. If the British caught up with the Boston, John would be hanged. He had proudly signed the Declaration of Independence and was carrying the colonies' secret papers. He couldn't be captured now!

"Growing up in Massachusetts, longing to be a farmer like his father, John Adams never imagined the vital role he would one day play in the transformation of the colonies into an independent American nation. As the injustices of British rule stirred up the colonists to revolution and independence, this rising young lawyer became and influential member of the Continental Congress and a passionate advocate for freedom.

As a foreign diplomat for the young United States, first vice president, and second president, this true American patriot held firmly to his integrity and left an uncompromising legacy: Independence forever." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

John Adams "Independence Forever" by Janet & Geoff Benge
I don't think the recommended age for any books written by Janet and Geoff Benge be limited to high school age.These books are packed with chronological details and additive stories.You can't put them down until you are finished.John Adams wanted to be a farmer and his father insisted he get a good education.Who knew he would be one our most important founding fathers?You will soon discover details of John's life that leads up to him being a great man.All curiosity about the subjects of the "Heroes of History" books is satisfied because the authors start at the beginning of their lives until the very end.They are quick reads - packed with valuable, well-researched life stories.I recommend that any age group start ordering these books, and if you want to get your kids hooked on historical figures, this is the way to go.You will want to read everything they have penned. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dangling from the Golden Gate Bridge and Other Narrow Escapes
This is a great book - true stories about extreme situations where there is no hope or chance of survival, and yet there are a few who have survived and told their tales.It is hard to put down, and yet each story is short enough to enjoy in snippets.

A forgotten book that should be revisited and I'd LOVE to read it's sequel... ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

a classical? musical tour of the 60's and beyond
I really enjoyed this book. There is history, biography,discussion of musical history and style- all written in an engaging style.Since I performed a few if this composer's works i was especially interested in knowing how those pieces came to exist.In addition, the author is relaxed and openabout his human imperfections, so the reader can laugh, groan, whatever is appropriate, right along with John Adams.

The book is a keeper.

Good book
My spouse loved this book, and I got points for getting it for her for Christmas.She is not a musician but loves classical music.Well written, entertaining, informative were her comments.Adams' philosophy of music and views on modern classical music.

Composer as Storyteller
John Adams' background, rise, and development to perhaps the foremost American classical composer alive is well examined in this autobiography. A fan of his compositions from the outset and having seen many of their performances sometimes with Adams conducting, I find additional resonance with his rich and lively descriptions of nearby locales, characters, musics, and events, since I, just two years his senior, had lived under similar and often the same musical and socio-cultural influences in the Bay Area. Adams' takes on John Cage, early electronica, and Miminalism's Steve Reich and Philip Glass are keen, full of peer insights. Adams acknowledges that he discovered his voice, his own unique compositional style, at age 30 after a long series of avant-garde experimentation. His influences besides classical composers, including Wagner and Ives, were psychedelic rock (e.g., Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrex, Janis Joplin, and the Grateful Dead) as well as jazz greats (e.g., Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Eric Dolphy, and John Coltrane). Adams is a Boomer composer who lived the alternative and experimental musical life. In 1981, his choral symphony "Harmonium" premiered at the inaugural of Davis Symphony Hall of the San Francisco Symphony. It launched him, providing an international reputation and a major record label, Nonesuch. (Later, his "Dharma at Big Sur" celebrated the opening of Disney Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.) His second punch was "Grand Pianola Music", whose conceptual source was an LSD memory of his attending a Rudolf Serkin concert of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto; the keyboard of Serkin's Steinway seemed to be continually expanding.

The early years of Adams' upbringing, training, surviving with odd jobs, and becoming established were the most interesting for me, as it illustrates the social forces and dispositions that make the person. The later and current years are the increasing successes of an international musical leader, and the parade of orchestras, conducting, travels, and assorted musical stars are as we expect, although much of the details of creating a composition and performance are particularly worthy. I found his perspectives on music, musicians, and the actual work and struggle of composing always edifying. Reading the autobiographies and biographies of composers have a historical and analytical purpose, but this nontechnical book is contemporary in every way, making it attractive to the general reader, not just the musicologist or classical music fan. Adams is only in his early 60s and far from retirement. There will probably be a future updated account of life long after we revel in his forthcoming compositions.

Hallelujah Junction
This item was a gift for my son.As far as I know he liked the book. I am always pleased with Amazon's service.

Hallelujah Junction
A wonderful insight into the life of America's greatest living composer.The book is a joy to read and a must for any fan of this wonderful composer. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (14)

A great contribution to the Adams canon
After David McCullough brought the second president into vogue with his wonderful "John Adams," one might wonder what James Grant could contribute in "Party of One." McCullough is a superb writer who has a knack for narrating history as a series of engaging stories. While Grant doesn't top him in this area, he's no slouch. He lacks McCullough's literary flair, but those who prefer a straight biography (without so much adoration for the subject) will likely be happier with "Party of One."

Grant manages to do his work a few hundred pages faster than McCullough. He gives more emphasis to Adams' importance as a diplomat and--as he calls him--a junk bond trader. Grant gives rich, yet clear, descriptions of the loans Adams brokered and provides an understanding of how vital those loans were to the illiquid new nation. He examines Adams' writings and his political philosophies. He also discusses Adams' personal finance and points out how much a life of civil service cost a man who would have otherwise been quite wealthy.

Because of the areas they emphasize and their manner of doing so, Grant and McCullough provide complimentary portrayals of "His Rotundity." There's room enough for both of them.

Good read...
Mr. Grant's bio of our second president does a very good job of portraying the "man" and is at least as good (if not better) than David McCullough's heralded work/mini-series. Having read most of Adams' 4 volume Diary & Autobiography, I was pleased with Mr. Grant's choice to quote Adams at length, for Adams speaking in his own voice lends clarity to the man and his times. In addition, Abigail Adams is quoted at length and her influence and love (true passion) shines through the years. Our Republic could use men of Adams' character, intelligence, and resolve these days.
Highly recommended.

Excellent biography
James Grant provides a refreshing new analysis of John Adams that captures his role in the revolution accurately.Adams developed as his own party throughout the years following the revolution.This book can truly stand on its own and covers all the years of Adams life.From his law days in Boston, to the drafting of the Massachusetts constitution to his years as a diplomat in Europe the early years are well covered.The second half looks closer at his time in high political office from vice presidency to presidency to the retirement years.Overall it tracks closely the integral characters of his life.From Abigail to John Quincy to Alexander Hamilton the author develops each well and shows how they impacted John Adams.The one drawback is there are a lot of modern references which are not needed however they are not enough to knock a full star off.If you want a new perspective on John Adams this is a great way to go.

Perhaps Analyzing Adams Is too Great a Task.
First and Foremost, Adams is a fascinating subject, and Grant is a highly qualified historian.

However, it is disappointing that several of the reviews of Mr. Grant's book find it necessary to compare it to D.McCullough's effort.Certainly the latter did create a mania of sorts a few years back, which in turn led to a golden period for historians with a Revolutionary preference.

But having read both, the one thing that seems clear is that Adams is difficult to contain.

Grant's work is a nicely crafted, eminently readable depiction of John Adams, and one that features many interesting and unique observations regarding the revolutionary that Americans have only recently, it seems, elevated to an appropriate level amongst the founding deities.

But too often, Grant's book begins to develop around a certain point about Adams' life or achievements, only to suddenly trail off, leaving the thought unfinished, and the reader wondering if perhaps they'd skipped a page.Yet,this is no brief inquiry.Grant covers the great expanse of Adam's adult life, but fails to acutely identify very many of the key productions of that life.

It is as if there is too much about Adams to be treated adequately in this sort of Comprehensive Biography.

McCullough's work in many ways suffered from the same affliction, but I would measure his prose a little more lyrical, if somewhat less inquiring.

Both authors are absolutely convincing in terms of identifying Adams as a major force in the shaping of the nation, a bold and dynamic personality who left his large fingerprints clearly evident on so many chapters of that formation, and definitely deserving of Franklin's famous assessment of the man's virtue and insanity.Each one of the chapters of Adams' life are so worthy of their own in depth analysis that the soup to nuts biography only serves to (as George Clooney's character says in O Brother Where Art THou) arouse the appetite of the reader without taking him or her to bed.

Grant would have done well to get his fingernails a little dirtier on issues like the Alien & Sedition debacle; the Paris years with Franklin; etc., instead of leaving them too soon.Too many unanswered questions.Too many superficial or unfinished portrayals.Adams deserves more.

A Lot I Didn't Know About John Adams
I found a lot here not available in other recent books about John Adams, and I read one chapter in this book then a chapter in a longer book.Two examples on information covered only here are details of the loans he arranged in Europe after teaching himself the financial trade, and his role in the beginning of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

This is not a shorter version of a more detailed book, but a complete biography by an author with expert knowledge of the financial world of John Adams.I recommend this book to anyone interested in John Adams. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A great biography of a forgotten Statesman
This book is truly first rate. JQA played a major role in the early diplomatic history of this country- from negotiations with Britain to end the War of 1812 to stints as Ambassador to Russia and the Netherlands to his two terms as Secretary of State under Monroe. After his one term Presidency he returned to the House of Representatives where he fought the slave powers in Congress over slavery and the right of the people to petition their government. As this book makes clear he did all of this while being a man willing to stand alone for what he felt was right, a man like his father who had little use or need for political parties. If you have read McCullough's John Adams you will see that JQA was truly his father's son. If you enjoyed that book I think you will likewise enjoy this one. While most people only know of JQA as a failed one term President this book tells the whole story and it is a fascinating tale indeed peopled with all of the great men of our country's early history. For Adams worked with or fought against almost every historic figure from the Revolution until his death in the Polk Presidency. This is a must read for anyone interested in the history of this time period in America!

John Quincy Adams A Personal History
While her book is the best I have found on this former President, I find she is the best on the politcal side and presents him in a much better light than Nagal does in his book. When I compare the two books Nagal tries and fails to present Adams as a malajusted man who blames all his problems on his mother. To get a true idea about him you must read both books.

John Quincy Adams, A Person History of an Independent Man
After seeing the movie Amistad I was curious about this president who was pretty much passed over in our history books. This Hecht book satisfied all my curiosities plus some I didn't think of.She covers the public andpersonal lives of JQA.All the public figures of the time, great and neargreat,American and European, walk through thesepages. And, yes, theAmistad story is there.I have limited vision so I save wear and tear onmy eyes each day in order to be able to read this great book in bed beforeI go to sleep. Minor criticism:I have to keep paging back todeterminethe year of given happenings.The author could have repeated dates alittle more generously.Otherwise it would be a five-star!

John Quincy Adams, A Person History of an Independent Man
After seeing the movie Amistad I was curious about this president who was pretty much passed over in our history books. This Hecht book satisfied all my curiosities plus some I didn't think of.She covers the public andpersonal lives of JQA.All the public figures of the time, great and neargreat,American and European, walk through thesepages. And, yes, theAmistad story is there.I have limited vision so I save wear and tear onmy eyes each day in order to be able to read this great book in bed beforeI go to sleep. Minor criticism:I have to keep paging back todeterminethe year of given happenings.The author could have repeated dates alittle more generously.Otherwise it would be a five-star! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Following his single term as President of the United States (1825-1829), John Quincy Adams, embittered by his loss to Andrew Jackson, boycotted his successor's inauguration, just as his father John Adams had done (the only two presidents ever to do so). Rather than retire, the sixty-two-year-old former president, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and Harvard professor was elected by his Massachusetts friends and neighbors to the House of Representatives to throw off the "incubus of Jacksonianism." It was the opening chapter in what was arguably the most remarkable post-presidency in American history.

In this engaging biography, historian Joseph Wheelan describes Adams's battles against the House Gag Rule that banished abolition petitions; the removal of Eastern Indian tribes; and the annexation of slave-holding Texas, while recounting his efforts to establish the Smithsonian Institution. As a "man of the whole country," Adams was not bound by political party, yet was reelected to the House eight times before collapsing at his "post of duty" on February 21, 1848, and then dying in the House Speaker's office. His funeral evoked the greatest public outpouring since Benjamin Franklin's death.Mr. Adams's Last Crusade will enlighten and delight anyone interested in American history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

A long neglected account
"Mr. Adams's Last Crusade" is an account of the long neglected vital influence of John Quincy Adams on the history of the U.S. from 1767-1848. Joseph Wheelan's evaluation of Mr. Adams's intellectual prowess is revealing. Mr. Adams's prescience and warnings to the younger generation, the Jacksonians, proved him correct. The U.S. suffered then and continues to do so now because Mr. Adams was not heeded. This book should be read by those interested in U.S. history and especially by those who consider themselves scholars of same. Wheelan's sources are excellent and without any doubt this book ranks with biographical commentaries by son Charles Francis Adams and grandsons Henry and Brooks Adams.

I have found a new hero from history (a history teacher's review)
I've known about John Quincy Adams's post-Presidential career ever since I read Profiles In Courage. by JFK many, many years ago. However, what I most remember about that description of him was that that he argued against slavery in the Congress when he could have just coasted along in a comfortable poltical semi-retirement.

Joseph Wheelan does us all a favor by elaborating on John Quincy Adams's amazing career in this well-written, informative book.Wheelan briefly covers John Quincy Adams's early career in the first 65 pages. As a teenager, John Qincy Adams was an assistant to his father while he was an ambassador to Europe during the Revolutionary War. He served as ambassador to several European countries after the War and also as Secretary of State (the Monroe Doctrine is as much his as Monroe's) and finally President.

Oddly enough, that amazing career was only a prelude to his final post - Representative from Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress. He reports to Congress at age 64. Adams was vaguely opposed to slavery but was very much in favor of the rights to free speech and petition. The Congress was avoiding any discussion of the topic of slavery, including ignoring all petitions to end slavery in Washington, D.C. (Congress administers the District of Columbia so it could have outlawed slavery within it by simple passage of a law).

Adams was idignant that a basic part of the Bill of Rights was being ignored so he began to read the peitions on the floor. He was told to stand down but he kept on reading. He was shouted it, threatened and shunned but he kept on reading. He began to investigate slavery, discovered he loathed it and was motivated to read even more petitiions. In fact, the conservative "Adams had become the de facto chief spokesman for many of those denied a voice in government - abolitionists silenced by the Gag Rule, slaves, Indians and finally, women." (p. 150)

Finally, after years of these struggles, Adams was censured by Congress for treason for presenting "a petition espousing the dissolution of the United States because of the 'peculiar institution' that the South so desperately wished not to discuss." (p. 196) Adams was previously known to be a poor public speaker but in this cause he found his voice. He was put on trial in the Congress and he defended himself for nine days. He spoke with soaring words, withering sarcasm, humor and anger. Ralph Waldo Emerson described him as a "bruiser" (p. 197) when discussing his poltical speach-making skills and he was not wrong. The charges were dropped but Adams's speeches destroyed the political careers of some of those who brought the charges of treason against him. He found his voice and he used it to full effect everywhere he went.

The unpopular president who could not seem to connect with the common man on any level became a sort of folk hero - the man who stands against the crowd and fights the fight that he knows is right despite the odds - and wins!

Adams's role in the establishment of the Smithsonian is also well-covered in the text as well as plenty of details about his personal life.

Adams was sitting at his seat in the House when he suddenly collapsed. Two days later he died in the Capitol building. His funeral procession was the most elaborate until Lincoln's 17 years later. with his death, most felt that their last living connection with the Revolutionary War era had ended - the youngest of that generation had passed.

Well-written, informative and inspiring - this book is highly recommended.

Excellent Book!!!!
I have been reading and studying the presidents since a was 8 years old. Now that I'm in my adulthood, I have grown to admire some of the them, those that most history teachers talk the least about. John Quincy Adams,our sixth president, was considered a "failure" after he left office, after a being a sucessful secretary of state. Thinking his political career all but dead, he is elected by his constituents to be their representation in the US House of Representatives. From thereon his political genius flurished along with his principals and ideals. I believe that it was in this time of his life that really understood his purpose in life... be a man not of party, but of your country. Believe me I see JQA in total different way. I strongly recommend this book for all history and biography lovers.

Country First.
For the most part, historians treat John Quincy Adams very poorly. Having left behind a quite complete, daily diary which is the delight of various academic wordsmiths, spin doctors and second guessers, he is always treated as some form of dysfunctional slacker by those who have written his biographies. My view of him has never changed. I always thought of him as independent in the true American sense, grumpy to be sure, but a remarkably brilliant man who chose his country and what was right over party affiliation. Until Joseph Wheelan's Mr. Adams Last Crusade, I felt sorry for this remarkably honest, gifted man. The academic deck just seemed too stacked against Adams by supposedly intelligent men for Adams to ever be recognized for his extraordinary contributions to his country. But thanks to Joseph Wheelan, no more!

After a lifetime in public service which included ambassadorships to the Netherlands, Spain, England and Germany, 8 years as Secretary of State under Monroe and his own term as President, he retires disgruntled, a self described failure. However, he returns to public life on December 5, 1831 at age 64, the only past president to do so, recalled by his 12th Congressional District constituency as a freshman congressman in the US House of Representatives. For 17 more years he would serve Massachusetts and the Nation in a strident defense of human rights. He became known as "Old Man Eloquent" for his stands for women's suffrage and against slavery, Texas Annexation, and the Indian Removal Act. Derided by the nation as he left his one term Presidency, he would go on to become the soul of the House of Representatives. He eschewed political parties and politics. As a result, his positions were complex, little understood by friend and foe alike. A strong abolitionist, he refused to join abolitionist organizations, believing the abolitionists, while right, were out to destroy the Union!

His sword was words, always rapier like, sharp, pointed, sarcastic and cutting. His position on women's suffrage was undeniably succinct,"I hope no member of the House of Representatives will ever again be found to treat with disrespect the sex of his Mother."On slavery,"If the Union must be dissolved, slavery is precisely the issue upon which it ought to break." On Georgia's illegal assertion of authority over the Cherokees,"You have sanctioned all those outrages upon justice, law and humanity, by succumbing to the power and the policy of Georgia." When Southerners passed the Gag Rule, suspending freedom of speech within Congress by making it illegal to even discuss slavery in the House, he would spend the next eight years flogging Southern Representatives with their own rule. He would ensure the monies left to the United States by Englishman James Smithson would be used for their intended purpose. As custodian, he pledged to guard the monies from "the canker of almost all charitable foundations - jobbing for parasites, and sops for hungry incapacity." As a result, today's Smithsonian Institution graces the Washington Mall.

Seen by his enemies, i.e., anyone who trampled on human rights, as evil incarnate, he approaches his zenith in his defense of the Amistad slaves before the US Supreme Court. After freeing the defendants, Justice Story would state in a letter to his wife, "extraordinary argument...Extraordinary for its power and its bitter sarcasm, and its dealing far beyond the record and points of discussion."

John Quincy Adams was a remarkable man. A President and son of a President, a direct descendant of one of the Founding Fathers and a man who was on a first name basis with many of the Founders, he was a man who, as a young boy, watched the battle of Bunker Hill from his home. More than anyone of his era, he understood what his country stands for: Liberty and human dignity.

You will truly enjoy this book.

John Quincy's turn to shine
For 35 years, John Quincy Adams served his country selflessly in several capacities including, Diplomat, Senator, Secertary of State, and 6th President of the U.S. The consensus among historians seems to be that Adams' one-term in office was a failure, largely due to his perceived "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay. He left office isolated and unpopular. He could have easily retired to Massachusetts and lived out his life as a gentleman farmer. Thankfully for us, he decided to heed the call of his friends and neighbors and enter the House of Representatives. At 64, he was the oldest of 89 Freshman when he began serving in 1831. He died in his seat in 1848. It's these 17 years that are subject of Mr. Adams Last Crusade. Joseph Wheelan uses Adams' career as a jumping off point to discuss the entire Jacksonian Age, illuminating many of the critical flash points faced by politicians of this era. These included Slavery, Nullification, Indian removal and treatment, the Annexation of Texas and War with Mexico,and the settlement of the Oregon Territory. On most of these issues Adams led the principled opposition, regularly infuriating his southern counterparts. In addition he also chaired the committee in charge of spending James Smithson's $500,000 bequest. Thanks to Adams' recommendations and tireless championing The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846. One wonders how he ever found the time to consult on the Amistad case. This book contains the clearest synopsis of the issues involved in the case that I've read. When he died in 1848 at age 80, he was mourned by supporters and opponents alike, many considered him to be the greatest man of the age, and that's saying a lot considering who his contemporaries were.

I've read many Biographies of Presidents and Politicians, and this well written, informative gem ranks right up there near the top. It's my hope that it does for JQA what Mccollugh's Biography did for his father. Wheelan is slightly repetitive at times, but you'll barely notice as you are swept away by his engaging narrative. ... Read more

Product Description
During the depths of the Great Depression a handsome and gifted seventeen-year-old high school athlete saw his future shattered when his neck was broken in a football game. Few at the time thought the honor student, Eagle Scout, editor of his school paper, and president of his class every year since the seventh grade would survive. But John Allen Adams did survive and was able to adapt to his severe handicap and go on to lead a remarkably successful life. His story, woven from important strands of Arkansas and American history, reaches far beyond the community of Arkadelphia in which he lived. But while family history provides a dramatic backdrop for his story it cannot account for the remarkable character of John Allen Adams, a skilled poet and a tireless worker for world peace who found within himself the resources to build a life that made a difference, a difference reflected in the testimonies and memories of those whose lives he touched. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fortune Teller's Blessing
I read A FORTUNE TELLER'S BLESSING long into the night.
The Author captures a snapshot of Arkansas History.He is able to place you in small town Arkansas of the day.Yet, it is not a story of a small town high school football player turned quadraplegic. That is only where it starts. It is the true story of a strong, quiet, clear, bold, revolutionary, generous man who ran a bookstore from his wheelchair in a quaint Arkansas town for many years; and how he quietly reached into the souls of those University students and locals who came to his bookstore....and made each one he touched a better person on their journey.
Author Charles (Doc)Hughes is an excellent writer; he had me spellbound.I hated for the book to end. ... Read more

Product Description
Samuel Adams: America's Revolutionary Politician offers a fresh full-life biography of the man Thomas Jefferson once described as the helmsman of the American Revolution. In his study, historian John K. Alexander uses narrative history to argue that Samue ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A spellbinding biography of America's greatest political warrior
Samuel Adams comes alive in John K. Alexander's enthralling biography of the pioneer of American political warfare.

Separating myth (that Adams operated by mob rule) from reality, Alexander carefully shows how the Boston patriot - steeped in the ancient classics, John Locke and an abiding Christian faith - combined reason, rhetoric, political organization and perseverence to achieve the goal he arguably founded of American independence.

Alexander's book chronicles how Adams pioneered modern political agitprop by organizing the Committees of Correspondence to link Massachusetts towns, sympathizers in Europe and ultimately all the 13 colonies in a communications underground. It describes Adams' masterful political takeovers of town and colonial legislatures, hugely successful political theater, economic warfare, social stigmatization of enemy collaborators, and the creation of extralegal parallel institutions that usurped political power from the crown and empowered the common citizen.

Adams is an underappreciated Founding Father: he helped pen the Declaration of Independence, served on the Constitutional convention and almost singlehandedly wrote the original language of much of the Bill of Rights. Alexander acknowledges Adams' human flaws while demonstrating how the Boston revolutionary remained true to his beliefs for half a century without seeking personal profit or aggrandizement.

The book is unfortunately lacking in footnotes and it paraphrases Adams more than it quotes him, though it contains a substantial bibliographical essay.

Alexander has authored an important biography of the founder of American political warfare. He is one of the few Adams scholars who gets the nuances about Samuel's political warfare genius. In reading the book, one understands Thomas Jefferson's emphatic comment that, if anyone was the helmsman of the American Revolution, "Samuel Adams was the man."

Well-Written Political Biography
This biography focuses on the political life of Samuel Adams and his key role in leading Massachusetts to rebel against Britain to protect its liberties.Little is written about Adams' personal or family life and the coverage of his participation in the Continental Congresses is also slim, apparently due to a lack of sources, since Adams destroyed most of his correspondence and Congressional deliberations were secret.There are issues that I wished would have been discussed in more detail, e.g. the author has only a limited discussion of Adams' alleged role in replacing Washington as commander-in-chief (apparently a canard spread by his enemies).

The author explains well the development and sources of Adams' political philosophy and how it guided his actions before, during, and after the Revolution.

The prose is well-written with many short quotations from Adams.Overall, an informative and fairly interesting biography of a key and often overlooked figure of the American Revolution. ... Read more

Product Description
John Adams was an American patriot and Founding Father, and Abigail, his wife, was his most trusted adviser for more than fifty years. While John served in both Continental Congresses, Abigail managed their farm within earshot of cannon fire. She later advised her husband through amusing letters as he served as our first ambassador to Great Britain. And when John was elected America's first vice president and our second president, Abigail vowed to be his "fellow Laborer"--and she steadfastly lived up to her promise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

BOTH ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL


If you're looking for a quality picture book to give to a young friend, the name of David A. Adler should be high on your list.He has written well over 100 books for young readers - our favorites among those are in hisPicture Book Biography series.These books not only educate but entertain - Adler brings history to life, an initial introduction for many.

A PICTURE BOOK OFJOHN AND ABIGAIL ADAMS is Adler at his best, and also the fourth collaboration between father and son.We first meet Adams as oneof three sons living in Braintree (now Quincy) Massachusetts.It was here that he enjoyed being out of doors, whether it was swimming in thesummeror sledding in the winter.

As a young man he went with a friend to the home of Reverend William Smith, which was where he met Abigail who was "small, sickly, and just fourteen."Their initial meeting didn't impress eitherone of them but as John continued to come to the Smith house toborrow books from Reverend Smith's library their feelings changed.As we now know they married, and Abigail was "his most trusted adviser, his dearest friend for more than fifty years."

Adler traces their lives together through the BostonMassacre in 1770 and following when John displayed great skill as a lawyer.Hesoon represented Massachusetts at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and later served as a diplomat in France, spending much of the next ten years in Europe.Throughout this time Abigail managed their home and money.

Time passed, the American Revolution ended and John Adams was elected vice president serving with George Washington as president.While he was an American patriot and a great man ofhis time, Abigail was an amazing woman.

The book includes alist of important dates, source notes, and a selected bibliography.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

This is an excellent overview of John and Abigail Adams for the budding historical reader!
John Adams was an outdoor sort of boy and enjoyed playing outside with his two brothers.He was born in Braintree, Massachusetts on October 19, 1735.Naturally, as an outdoorsy type, he was interested in becoming a farmer, but his father insisted he have an education and wanted him to become a lawyer.By the age of sixteen he had enrolled in Harvard and soon after he graduated he briefly taught school before undertaking a law practice.In 1759 he chanced to meet Abigail Smith who was totally disinterested in him.The feeling was mutual, but in time they grew to appreciate and care for each other quite deeply.

Later their affection for one another led to marriage and they eventually had five children.In this book you will read about their lifetime partnership and will see how two people could influence the course of history.John, of course, is the main player in this book, however, as Abigail once wrote, "No man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife."The reader will learn about their personal lives, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, John's participation in the First and Second Continental Congresses, his ten year stint in Europe as a diplomat, his years as president, and more.

This is an excellent overview of John and Abigail Adams for the budding historical reader.This book naturally does not go into great detail in any facet of the Adams' lives, but I certainly was able to get a feel for their personalities.The highlights of their lives and political aspects of John's lengthy career are touched upon.This book would be an excellent stepping stone to further research on the Adams family for a young student wanting to attempt a report. The watercolors were very appealing and caught many details such as the period clothing and John's "short, overweight" physical characteristics.In the back of the book are a list of important dates, source notes, a selected bibliography, authors' notes and additional recommend website resources to explore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Fabulous Biography
John Adams by David McCullough is a fabulous biography of the second President of these United States.Mr. McCullough's characterization of the president and his wife really shines through; their relationship - which is equal by today's standards - is amazing and a reflection on their love, mutual respect and intelligence.

John Adams, an interesting figure, was a person with a high standard of integrity, a standard which drove him all his life.The president's relations with his contemporaries such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and especially Thomas Jefferson were intriguing and fascinating.

Among the pages there are excerpts from speeches, but I found his personal family letters most interesting.Those letters let us glimpse into the genius mind of Adams.In his letters Adams seems neurotic, worrisome and very opinionated - great material for a biography.For example, Adams constantly worries about being forgotten by history, he frets that Benjamin Franklin's "electrical rod smote the earth and out sprung General Washington. That Franklin electrified him with his rod and thence forward these two conducted all the policy, negotiation, legislation, and war".

How can you not love this guy?

How can you not respect a guy who took a possibly career ending case only to prove that the legal system is just and fair.He succeeded, and won the case, by defending the British soldiers accused of killing people in a riot organized by Sam Adams - known to us today as The Boston Massacre.The book follows Adams to Europe, where he served as an envoy accompanied by his son John Quincy.Their harrowing journey across dangerous waters, avoiding storms, fires and the British Navy is just as exciting as the diplomatic maneuvers through revolutionary Europe.

Upon his return, Adams become the first Vice President of the United States, "the most insignificant office ever known to man", as he so eloquently stated.Adams was awarded with the impossible and unenvious task of replacing George Washington as the nation's second president.

This biography is meant to be savored, I could not rush though this magnificent book, nor did I want to, due to the dense information presented.However, unlike textbooks, Mr. McCullough tells a fascinating story instead of throwing dates and facts in one's face.

There are several reproductions of important documents, art work and illustrations included in this Pulitzer winning book.

This book is what reading history is all about.

John Adams - A Life
This book is probably the definitive biography of John Adams.To know what one of our most important founding fathers had to suffer through, and what his family likewise had to bear, it is essential reading.It is far more detailed than any other biography I have read of John Adams, and it provides good glimpses of other Founders, particularly Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.If anyone decides to invest time in getting to know John Adams, this book is essential. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
In the 1830s slavery was so deeply entrenched that it could not even be discussed in Congress, which had enacted a "gag rule" to ensure that anti-slavery petitions would be summarily rejected. This stirring book chronicles the parliamentary battle to bring "the peculiar institution" into the national debate, a battle that some historians have called "the Pearl Harbor of the slavery controversy." The campaign to make slavery officially and respectably debatable was waged by John Quincy Adams who spent nine years defying gags, accusations of treason, and assassination threats. In the end he made his case through a combination of cunning and sheer endurance. Telling this story with a brilliant command of detail, Arguing About Slavery endows history with majestic sweep, heroism, and moral weight.

"Dramatic, immediate, intensely readable, fascinating and often moving."--New York Times Book Review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

One of the greatest books I've ever read
An absolutely brilliant book. Incredibly moving: the only book I've ever read that literally brought me to tears while reading it. But at the same time, wonderfully informative and evocative of the amazing historical events of the day. If you liked the movie "Amistad," you will love this second look at John Quincy Adams' incredibly brave stand during what William Freehling has called the "Pearl Harbor of the Civil War." I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Fantastic - a free bio of John Quincy Adams inside a larger book about a flashpoint of American history
Long before Sen. Charles Sumner spoke about Bleeding Kansas and was soon thereafter caned on the floor of the Senate by Congressman Preston Brooks, the Congressional waters had ben moving to an ever-higher boil on the slavery issue.

One of the leaders in the battle against slavery was Massachusetts Congressman and former President John Quincy Adams. Earning the sobriquet "Old Man Eloquent" on this issue, in this ever-heating contest, Adams finally got a House gag rule overturned that had prohibited antislavery petitions from the general public from even being discussed.

Adams had been a free-soiler, opposed to the expansion of slavery for many years. But his well-known legal defense of the Amistad defendants moved him beyond free-soiler to abolitionist.

Miller makes Adams fire on the floor Congress come alive, and puts into context.

Much of that context carries through to the 1860s and beyond.

For example, Miller points out that two decades before Lincoln thought of it, Adams opined that Presidentail war powers might be used to abolish slavery during a civil war.

At the same time, Miller reaches further back into history, to point out the early history of slavery in the North. (In the middle 1700s, New York's population may have been as high as 14 percent slave.) That's important to show how Southern arguments and fears that they A. could not do without slavery and B. would not know how to let such a large population go free, were groundless.

Here's a few more fascinating and important historical tidbits from the book.

Page 17 - Jefferson, while a member of the Confederation Congress in 1784, authored a provision to exclude slavery not just from the Old Northwest, but ALL Western territory on the far side of the Appalachians. It failed by one state's vote, which he claimed in turn was lost due to the illness of one delegate.

Page 349 - Showing a fine-tuned sense of satire, even sarcasm, during gag rule debate in the 25th Congress, Adams proposed Congress form a "Committee of Color," specifically designed to investigate Congressional bloodlines, with the "impure" to be summarily expelled.

Page 478 - A fine illustration of the morals of the white knights of the patrician South: Henry Hammond, southern ultra already at this time, in the House, and as Senator, deliverer of the "Cotton is King" speech, was a rou? first class. He took an 18-year-old slave with 1-year-old child as a mistress, then when the child turned 12 took her as mistress too. He also had some degree of attachment to the four teenage daughters of Wade Hampton II, father of the Civil War general.

Read this book, and find out just how entrenched Southern recalcitrance was 20, 30, 40 years before the shots at Fort Sumter.

Required reading for Southern apologists
Anybody who ascribes to the idiotic notion that Southern secession was all about states' rights and really had nothing to do with slavery needs to be reminded of two antebellum events:the Fugitive Slave Act, which was legislation that solely benefitted slaveowners while being a complete affront to the notion of states' rights; and the gag rule in Congress from 1836-1844, which essentially stripped citizens & Congressmen of their 1st amendment rights.

The gag rule was focused on the 1st Amendment right of petition, which was frequently utilized by US citizens in the early 19th century.The cause of the furor was a dramatic increase of abolitionist petitions that proposed the abolition of the slave trade within the District of Columbia, which was under the direct jurisdiction of the US Congress (DC was chosen because most people believed that the Constitution did not give the Congress jurisdiction in the individual states --- DC was another matter).

The Congress of that period was dominated by pro-slavery Southerners and sympathetic Northerners who would rather not stir up too much trouble.However, a small group of Congressmen, led by John Quincy Adams, waged an 8-year against the gag rule.Along the way, Adams & his cohorts, along with an increasingly organized & vocal abolitionist movement, undermined the neutral attitude most Americans had towards the issue of slavery.

Former president John Quincy Adams is clearly the central figure of the story, and it is pretty obvious that Miller likes the crochety old statesman.One cannot read this book and not come away with an increased respect for Adams, who has unfairly been relegated to historical obscurity.It is remarkable to think that through most of the gag rule battle, Adams was in his mid to late 70's, and almost never missed a day in Congress.The story also displays abundantly Adams' formidable intellect and parliamentary skills.

On the other side of the aisle were the Southern fire-eaters, who were capable of great oratorical flourishes but who possessed precious little strategic skill.Miller recounts how, time again, the pro-slavery forces miscalculated with their tactics.Instead of squelching debate about slavery, hotheads like Henry Wise & Waddy Thompson Jr succeeded only in inflaming the controversy.After 8 years, the leaders of the pro-gag forces were realizing that they might have unleashed forces beyond their control, and abandoned the fight to maintain the gag.

The story is presented in an entertainingly narrative style which I found to be quite enjoyable.Some reviewers have found the author's asides to be a distraction, but I found that they contributed well to the story for the most part.Indeed, some sections of the book (such as when Adams is facing down his opponents who are attempting to censure him) are real page-turners.

While the book was very entertaining, it is also quite sobering.One becomes aware of the appalling nature of the slave-owning bloc.So dedicated were they to preserving their own interests that they repeatedly violated the 1st Amendment & trampled on civil rights of WHITE citizens in general, through the censoring of private mail, violating the writ of habeas corpus (South Carolina had a law on the books for almost 40 years, allowing free black sailors to arrested & imprisoned for duration of their ship's stay in port, simply because they were free blacks and MIGHT incite the local slave population to rebel) and (ironically) violating the doctrine of states' rights --- as the right to due process was systematically denied to the citizens of other states (a free enfranchised citizen of Massachusetts, for example, was not due any rights at all under the constitution of Missouri if he happened not to be white).Eventually, the encroachment by the South on the civil rights of the rest of the nation's citizens became ominous enough for the average citizen in the North to become aware of the genuine threat that the expansion of slavery posed.Almost all of this starts with the fight over the gag rule in Congress.

Miller also examines how Southern politicians tried, with increasing difficulty, to reconcile their claims to being good republicans with their obvious anti-republican actions.Miller argues that the politicians of the South fought to prevent the mere discussion of slavery because they knew better than anyone that the institution & way of life they were defending could not be defended in the playing field was level.If violating the principles of the Constitution & the Declaration of Independence is what it took to defend the peculiar institution, then they would do it, but not without a great deal of moral & intellectual discomfort.It is amazing to read some of the tortured rationalizations of Southern statesmen during this period.

This should be required reading for the student of this period.It is not a dry subject, and fortunately the author writes with plenty of flair.If some devotee of the Lost Cause mythos starts blathering on about how the Confederacy was only about the defense of states' rights & tries to use the Constitution as a rationalization for secession, this book should provide you with plenty of ammunition for your debate.

Underrated Public Figures
John Quincy Adams is not on Mount Rushmore; he is not trumpeted in high school history textbooks as a messianic figure, a beacon of freedom and liberty.

Quite rightly so; he would probably have found that amusing.

Adams is subject to an almost criminal lack of coverage in history courses--he does not fit the traditional model of the good American politician, and teachers often don't like to introduce amniguity into their courses by suggesting that an 'elitist' can be a great public figure, and that greatness is distinct from political success. Washington was great because he "created the country." Lincoln was great because he "ended slavery." Adams was simply an extremely good Secretary of State, brilliant Represenative in the House, and--god forbid--knew what he was doing while he was President.

The problem really is that Adams, with all his abilities, was not a politician in the American sense: he was educated, cultured, and actually knew what he was doing. His successor, Andrew Jackson--a boorish man who disobeyed the law, helped wipe out a race of people, and pandered to the whims of "the masses"--is often hailed as a great figure in American politics, apparently because of said boorishness, refusal to obey the Constitution, and genocidal tendencies.

In Adams is a figure that really ought to be respected and aimed for in American politics: a man with a strongly defined sense of morality, well-developed mind and good education, vast experience, and ability to govern. The traits that made Adams such a great man--his refusal to do anything simply because "the people" wanted it, coupled with his disturbing tendency to pursue policies that were intelligent, necessary, beneficial, and incredibly foresighted--seem to doom him to obscurity.

Miller takes on the unenviable task of arguing in favor of Adams as a great man, although he limits himself to his time in the House; in doing so, he provides an accesible and much-needed glimpse into the life of a man by far one of the greatest public figures America has seen.

Don't miss this!
The other reviewers have it right. I first read this superb book when it was first published in 1995. I picked it up thinking the subject seemed a little dry, but found I couldn't put it down. Now, eight years later, I have reread it. Again I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more