This selection of the major state papers of our greatest Secretary of State reveals his vision of the American future. It also includes a number of personal documents, drawn from Adams' private diary and personal letters, which display the man's personal motivations and frustrations. In the introductory essay, Prof. LaFeber suggests the central themes and objectives of Adams' life: his initial preoccupation with the expansion of America followed by a renunciation of this expansion in a desperate effort to forestall the Civil War. 157 pages.
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States from March 4, 1825 to March 4, 1829. He was also an American diplomat and served in both the Senate and House of Representatives. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties.
During his term as president, however, Adams achieved little of consequence in foreign affairs. A reason for this was the opposition he faced in Congress, where his rivals prevented him from succeeding.
Among the few diplomatic achievements of his administration were treaties of reciprocity with a number of nations, including Denmark, Mexico, the Hanseatic League, the Scandinavian countries, Prussia and Austria. However, thanks to the successes of Adams' diplomacy during his previous eight years as Secretary of State, most of the foreign policy issues he would have faced had been resolved by the time he became President.
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