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John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People
A magisterial journey through the epic life and transformative times of John Quincy Adams
In this masterful biography, historian Randall B. Woods peels back the many layers of John Quincy’s long life, exposing a rich and complicated family saga and a political legacy that transformed the American Republic.
Born the first son of John and Abigail Adams, he was pressured to follow in his father’s footsteps in both law and politics. His boyhood was spent amid the furor of the American Revolution, and as a teen he assisted his father on diplomatic missions in Europe, hobnobbing with monarchs and statesmen, dining with Ben Franklin, sitting by Voltaire at the opera. He received a world-class education, becoming fluent in Latin, Greek, German, and French. His astonishing intellect and poise would lead to a diplomatic career of his own, in which he'd help solidify his fledgling nation’s standing in the world.
He was intertwined with every famous American of his day, from Washington to Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, Jackson, Calhoun, Clay, and Webster. He was on stage, frequently front and center, during the Revolutionary Era, the fractious birth of American party politics, the War of 1812, the Era of Good Feelings, and the peak of Continental Expansion. It was against this backdrop that he served as an ambassador, senator, secretary of state, and, unhappily, as president. The driving force behind both the Transcontinental Treaty and the Monroe Doctrine, this champion of Manifest Destiny spent the last years of his life fighting against the annexation of Texas because it would facilitate the spread of slavery.
This deeply researched, brilliantly written volume delves into John Quincy’s intellectual pursuits and political thought; his loving, yet at times strained, marriage to Louisa Catherine Johnson, whom he met in London; his troubling relationships with his three sons; and his fiery post-presidency rebirth in Congress as he became the chamber’s most vocal opponent of slavery.
In this masterful biography, historian Randall B. Woods peels back the many layers of John Quincy’s long life, exposing a rich and complicated family saga and a political legacy that transformed the American Republic.
Born the first son of John and Abigail Adams, he was pressured to follow in his father’s footsteps in both law and politics. His boyhood was spent amid the furor of the American Revolution, and as a teen he assisted his father on diplomatic missions in Europe, hobnobbing with monarchs and statesmen, dining with Ben Franklin, sitting by Voltaire at the opera. He received a world-class education, becoming fluent in Latin, Greek, German, and French. His astonishing intellect and poise would lead to a diplomatic career of his own, in which he'd help solidify his fledgling nation’s standing in the world.
He was intertwined with every famous American of his day, from Washington to Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, Jackson, Calhoun, Clay, and Webster. He was on stage, frequently front and center, during the Revolutionary Era, the fractious birth of American party politics, the War of 1812, the Era of Good Feelings, and the peak of Continental Expansion. It was against this backdrop that he served as an ambassador, senator, secretary of state, and, unhappily, as president. The driving force behind both the Transcontinental Treaty and the Monroe Doctrine, this champion of Manifest Destiny spent the last years of his life fighting against the annexation of Texas because it would facilitate the spread of slavery.
This deeply researched, brilliantly written volume delves into John Quincy’s intellectual pursuits and political thought; his loving, yet at times strained, marriage to Louisa Catherine Johnson, whom he met in London; his troubling relationships with his three sons; and his fiery post-presidency rebirth in Congress as he became the chamber’s most vocal opponent of slavery.
784 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2024
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October 15, 2024
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John Quincy Adams was one of the most intellectually gifted of our presidents and led an incredibly jam-packed life. But this presents a unique challenge to the prospective biographer. Does one skim the tops of the trees, compressing JQA's eighty-year life into a few hundred fascinating pages...or laboriously review everything of consequence he did during his half-century of public service?
In this case, Professor Woods seems to have done neither - writing a biography of JQA which is much lengthier and more detailed than most, yet leaving some readers feeling there is still more color and context that should have been provided. History buffs will find a great deal to chew on - the 702 pages of text provide an excellent template for further study. But fans of gripping biography will find the narrative lacks the verve and vitality of an enthralling story.
The longest of the eight biographies of JQA I've read, Wood's book proves comprehensive, thorough and refreshingly objective. But readers will find it more valuable for the author's fresh perspectives and diligent reporting than for its unique insights. There seems to be little, if anything, newly uncovered or revealed about Adams's life or legacy.
An astute historian, Woods is careful to ensure the reader never loses sight of the big picture. Accordingly, the narrative frequently zooms out from JQA's perspective to add visibility to national or world affairs pertinent to Adams. But readers unfamiliar with early American history (or European history of the time) may occasionally find the added context raises more questions than it answers.
In addition, Woods often makes interesting introductions to characters within JQA's orbit, such as Henry Clay, and he provides a particularly interesting comparison of the political and philosophical instincts of several founding fathers (notably John Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Alexander Hamilton). Finally, most readers will find Wood's writing style refreshingly clear and comprehensible; largely absent are the hundred-dollar words which can add a layer of stuffy erudition to some texts.
But many readers will find this to be more an articulate-but-dull history text than an engaging biography. JQA's uniquely fascinating life comes across surprisingly (and disappointingly) dull and flat. And while the famously dour Adams might approve of the narrative's consistently gray cast, many readers will long for the sonorous literary voice of Chernow, Meacham or Doris Kearns Goodwin.
And despite the attentive inclusion of historical context throughout the book, the level of detail provided varies substantially...and not necessarily in proportion to the gravity of the event. Some less important moments receive significant time and attention (or even their own chapter) while others, seemingly more critical, are dispatched with cold efficiency.
Finally, introductions to chapters - or brief summaries at their end - would be helpful to include in a book of this length and density. But there is rarely an attempt to provide a roadmap of upcoming terrain or to ensure readers have absorbed the primary themes or lessons of a chapter.
Overall, Randall Woods has written a judicious and informative biography of one of the most extraordinary people ever to serve as president of the United States. Anyone seeking a thorough introduction to the man and his times will come away enlightened. But readers seeking a captivating narrative that explores the world through JQA's eyes are likely to walk away disappointed.
Overall Rating: 3½ stars
John Quincy Adams was one of the most intellectually gifted of our presidents and led an incredibly jam-packed life. But this presents a unique challenge to the prospective biographer. Does one skim the tops of the trees, compressing JQA's eighty-year life into a few hundred fascinating pages...or laboriously review everything of consequence he did during his half-century of public service?
In this case, Professor Woods seems to have done neither - writing a biography of JQA which is much lengthier and more detailed than most, yet leaving some readers feeling there is still more color and context that should have been provided. History buffs will find a great deal to chew on - the 702 pages of text provide an excellent template for further study. But fans of gripping biography will find the narrative lacks the verve and vitality of an enthralling story.
The longest of the eight biographies of JQA I've read, Wood's book proves comprehensive, thorough and refreshingly objective. But readers will find it more valuable for the author's fresh perspectives and diligent reporting than for its unique insights. There seems to be little, if anything, newly uncovered or revealed about Adams's life or legacy.
An astute historian, Woods is careful to ensure the reader never loses sight of the big picture. Accordingly, the narrative frequently zooms out from JQA's perspective to add visibility to national or world affairs pertinent to Adams. But readers unfamiliar with early American history (or European history of the time) may occasionally find the added context raises more questions than it answers.
In addition, Woods often makes interesting introductions to characters within JQA's orbit, such as Henry Clay, and he provides a particularly interesting comparison of the political and philosophical instincts of several founding fathers (notably John Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Alexander Hamilton). Finally, most readers will find Wood's writing style refreshingly clear and comprehensible; largely absent are the hundred-dollar words which can add a layer of stuffy erudition to some texts.
But many readers will find this to be more an articulate-but-dull history text than an engaging biography. JQA's uniquely fascinating life comes across surprisingly (and disappointingly) dull and flat. And while the famously dour Adams might approve of the narrative's consistently gray cast, many readers will long for the sonorous literary voice of Chernow, Meacham or Doris Kearns Goodwin.
And despite the attentive inclusion of historical context throughout the book, the level of detail provided varies substantially...and not necessarily in proportion to the gravity of the event. Some less important moments receive significant time and attention (or even their own chapter) while others, seemingly more critical, are dispatched with cold efficiency.
Finally, introductions to chapters - or brief summaries at their end - would be helpful to include in a book of this length and density. But there is rarely an attempt to provide a roadmap of upcoming terrain or to ensure readers have absorbed the primary themes or lessons of a chapter.
Overall, Randall Woods has written a judicious and informative biography of one of the most extraordinary people ever to serve as president of the United States. Anyone seeking a thorough introduction to the man and his times will come away enlightened. But readers seeking a captivating narrative that explores the world through JQA's eyes are likely to walk away disappointed.
Overall Rating: 3½ stars
July 25, 2025
Sulfuric acid in his tea
John Quincy Adams was an early American politician who was at the center of events in the United States of America (and indeed, in the rest of the Americas) from the late 18th century until his death in 1848, only a few years before the cataclysm of the Civil War. He was the eldest son of founding father John Adams and founding mother Abigail Adams. In an age that included Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton he was one of America's foremost intellectuals. I would divide his career into three phases: diplomat: 1794-1825, President 1825-1829, and finally crotchety old congressman (1831-1848).
I have often read that in its early years, the USA was in grave danger of ceasing to exist, but before reading this biography, I never really understood why. The answers are actually quite simple: England and France. England, from the earliest years of the USA, regarded it somewhat as China now regards Taiwan: as a breakaway colony with no right of separate existence. France aided the American Revolution and expected its pound of flesh in return. But not long after the American Revolution France had its own revolution (inspired in part by the American one), which after a lot of complicated fuss that you've read about elsewhere, resulted in Napoleon coming to power in France. The USA was one of the bones over which these two big dogs fought. JQA served the USA in many roles during this time, but primarily as its most prominent diplomat. In this role he played England and France off against each other delicately in such a way as to prevent the baby USA from being swallowed.
He was at the center of many historical events. Prior to reading this biography, I had not realized that JQA was in St Petersburg serving as the US Ambassador to Russia during Napoleon's disastrous invasion in 1812. JQA was a diplomat in Paris during The Hundred Days when Napoleon escaped from Elba and tried to resume power. JQA's wife Louisa, who had been left behind in Russia because she was pregnant and travel was not safe, made her own way from Russia to Paris with a newborn daughter and arrived at Paris just as Napoleon did. (Frying pan/Fire!)
Subsequently JQA became Secretary of State (head diplomat) of the USA under James Monroe, where he had a dominant role in writing the Monroe Doctrine, which signaled that the USA would no longer be a chew toy fought over by England and France.
He then became President -- note, I don't say that he won the Presidential Election, because he didn't. No one did. Andrew Jackson won more electoral votes than any other candidate, but not a majority. The House of Representatives gave the Presidency to JQA. As President, he was pretty much a comprehensive failure. Jackson was what we would now recognize as the leader of an authoritarian cult, and his partisans controlled all the levers of power in Washington and thwarted JQA, who, whatever his gifts as a diplomat, was not and never would be a skilled politician.
Jackson succeeded JQA as president. JQA, however, was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served much against the will of his wife Louisa and son Charles. As a representative he fought the political battle against slavery. It was during this time that Ralph Waldo Emerson, witnessing JQA's rhetorical battles in Congress, wrote "He is an old roué who cannot live on slops, but must have sulfuric acid in his tea." He died of a stroke suffered on the House floor in 1848. Although slavery in the USA was to persist another 15 years, JQA contributed to the strength of the anti-slavery political movement. Indeed, Randall B. Woods writes, "Among those in the room who witnessed his demise was the young antislavery congressman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln."
Woods's biography doesn't have an epilog, but most Americans know what happened next. Lincoln became President in 1861, the slave states withdrew from the USA to form a new nation, the Confederate States of America, the USA made war on the CSA and won, abolishing slavery in the process, and everyone lived happily ever after. (OK, that's a lie. We're still fighting the Civil War.)
I enjoyed John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People, but was glad to reach the end. JQA is a fascinating subject, and Woods is careful to tell you every significant detail of his life, along with many that are less significant. I honestly found myself asking at many points, "Why are you telling us this?" If you are interested in American history (and I include in that North, Central, and South America), you will learn a lot from this biography.
Blog review.
John Quincy Adams was an early American politician who was at the center of events in the United States of America (and indeed, in the rest of the Americas) from the late 18th century until his death in 1848, only a few years before the cataclysm of the Civil War. He was the eldest son of founding father John Adams and founding mother Abigail Adams. In an age that included Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton he was one of America's foremost intellectuals. I would divide his career into three phases: diplomat: 1794-1825, President 1825-1829, and finally crotchety old congressman (1831-1848).
I have often read that in its early years, the USA was in grave danger of ceasing to exist, but before reading this biography, I never really understood why. The answers are actually quite simple: England and France. England, from the earliest years of the USA, regarded it somewhat as China now regards Taiwan: as a breakaway colony with no right of separate existence. France aided the American Revolution and expected its pound of flesh in return. But not long after the American Revolution France had its own revolution (inspired in part by the American one), which after a lot of complicated fuss that you've read about elsewhere, resulted in Napoleon coming to power in France. The USA was one of the bones over which these two big dogs fought. JQA served the USA in many roles during this time, but primarily as its most prominent diplomat. In this role he played England and France off against each other delicately in such a way as to prevent the baby USA from being swallowed.
He was at the center of many historical events. Prior to reading this biography, I had not realized that JQA was in St Petersburg serving as the US Ambassador to Russia during Napoleon's disastrous invasion in 1812. JQA was a diplomat in Paris during The Hundred Days when Napoleon escaped from Elba and tried to resume power. JQA's wife Louisa, who had been left behind in Russia because she was pregnant and travel was not safe, made her own way from Russia to Paris with a newborn daughter and arrived at Paris just as Napoleon did. (Frying pan/Fire!)
Subsequently JQA became Secretary of State (head diplomat) of the USA under James Monroe, where he had a dominant role in writing the Monroe Doctrine, which signaled that the USA would no longer be a chew toy fought over by England and France.
He then became President -- note, I don't say that he won the Presidential Election, because he didn't. No one did. Andrew Jackson won more electoral votes than any other candidate, but not a majority. The House of Representatives gave the Presidency to JQA. As President, he was pretty much a comprehensive failure. Jackson was what we would now recognize as the leader of an authoritarian cult, and his partisans controlled all the levers of power in Washington and thwarted JQA, who, whatever his gifts as a diplomat, was not and never would be a skilled politician.
Jackson succeeded JQA as president. JQA, however, was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served much against the will of his wife Louisa and son Charles. As a representative he fought the political battle against slavery. It was during this time that Ralph Waldo Emerson, witnessing JQA's rhetorical battles in Congress, wrote "He is an old roué who cannot live on slops, but must have sulfuric acid in his tea." He died of a stroke suffered on the House floor in 1848. Although slavery in the USA was to persist another 15 years, JQA contributed to the strength of the anti-slavery political movement. Indeed, Randall B. Woods writes, "Among those in the room who witnessed his demise was the young antislavery congressman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln."
Woods's biography doesn't have an epilog, but most Americans know what happened next. Lincoln became President in 1861, the slave states withdrew from the USA to form a new nation, the Confederate States of America, the USA made war on the CSA and won, abolishing slavery in the process, and everyone lived happily ever after. (OK, that's a lie. We're still fighting the Civil War.)
I enjoyed John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People, but was glad to reach the end. JQA is a fascinating subject, and Woods is careful to tell you every significant detail of his life, along with many that are less significant. I honestly found myself asking at many points, "Why are you telling us this?" If you are interested in American history (and I include in that North, Central, and South America), you will learn a lot from this biography.
Blog review.
August 4, 2024
As a lifelong student and admirer of John Quincy Adams, I have greatly enjoyed the minor renaissance he has been receiving from historians of late. And I have read every one. This one has many things to commend it. Thorough it certainly is, and I appreciated Woods's willingness to note that power of the slave states through the 3/5 compromise and that effect. Many historians have simply registered that Jackson finished ahead of JQA in 1824 and left it at that. Woods notes that Adams would have finished far ahead without the artificial inflation of the South's electoral power made possible by the 3/5 compromise. He is also willing to give Adams his due as an opponent of slavery while recognizing that JQA was not completely consistent on this throughout his long career. However, this book really could and should have been much shorter. The author chooses to take long meandering discussions of every figure that enters the story. Even when a young JQA returned to America for college, the chapters remain focused on what his parents and siblings were experiencing in Europe. The bulk of the very long book covers his career up until becoming Secretary of State and then covers this, his presidency and his career in the House much more broadly. This may have been a deliberate choice on the part of the author but he didn't really articulate that. The subtitle claiming that JQA was a "man for the whole people" is also pretty obscure and only referenced a few times while the overall thrust seems to be that while he was what passed for a nationalist in the early 19th century, he really never did appeal to the whole people. We aficionados of the 6th President will find a lot of good information in this book but as a birth to death biography or even an reimagination of JQA's significance, it comes in behind more focused and shorter offerings.
September 18, 2024
WHOOSH.
I have been an admirer of John Quincy Adams since I was a kid and read a middle-grade [and as I found out in the reading of this book, a deeply sanitized ] biography of him and so I jumped at the chance to read a full-blown biography of this [sigh] "amazing man".
Yeah...
Be careful what you wish for.
In reading this excellently written and meticulously researched biography, I encountered what many experience when reading about people they admire - a big ole slap in the face of the truth of who they really were and it is so very disheartening.
Was John Quincy Adams a brilliant man who did excellent work within his jobs as Ambassador, President of the United States, and then as a member of Congress? Absolutely. His work to abolish slavery [and his work behind the scenes of the Amistad affair was so amazing ] 30 years before that fight bubbled over into the Civil War is nothing short of amazing and his tenacity and doggedness in this often brought him death threats, threats of violence and censure from Congress and those around him; yet he never backed down [working until almost his death to abolish the gag order that restricted speech about slavery and new states being admitted as slave states ], no matter what was said or done to him. His love of country and of the Constitution and of his fellow man never wavers, no matter what is happening and I will forever admire that.
That said, it was his personal life that was most troubling for me - as well as being extremely selfish, self-centered, and often cold and dismissing [to both his children and his wife especially ], he is a classic [and unrepentant ] misogynist, a trait that lasted his whole life, and there were sections of this book that just made me cringe over and over [I cannot imagine having to write some of this - I can only hope the author found some of JQA's behavior as cringe as I did ]. Add in how he often ignored and dismissed his children [to be fair, though I am not condoning his behavior, much of this stemmed from how he himself was raised; his mother Abigail Adams believed that laughing and joy in general was not fitting for a believer and discouraged that amongst her children; that was a real WTAF moment for sure ] due to his work [when he was the Envoy/Ambassador to Russia, he and Louisa left their two younger children with friends and family in Concord for SEVEN YEARS, and when they came home, they were confused as to why they weren't close to them ::EYEROLL:: ] or because they were "not living up to their potential" [multiple children struggled with booze and infidelity and out-of-wedlock children ], how he expected Louisa to be something she wasn't [though she worked hard at it, even in the midst of all her own personal trials ] and to be joyful in having to pull up stakes and trek all over God's green earth [their whole Russian adventure was so harrowing at times and her solo trip back to the US from St. Petersburg was just crazy ], and essentially ignored her serious [and some not so serious ] health issues [I lost track of how many miscarriages/stillbirth's this poor woman suffered through - it was a true wonder that she lived as long as she did ] and was very selfish in regards to that area of their lives [re: he couldn't keep his...um...hands off of her and she was pregnant so many times ] and that just seemed to amplify all the other selfishness he presented over and over, and to be honest, this was some of the hardest parts of the book to read.
So, has my admiration for JQA changed? Well...yes AND no. I will always admire his stance against slavery and his deep abiding love of country and his willingness to do whatever it took to secure freedom for everyone and for all to be treated the same [weird considering his home life right? ].
BUT...will I ever think of him in glowing terms, especially regarding his personal life? No. And to be honest, even my admiration for his political work will be forever tainted by how he was at home [and with others ], and that is a huge disappointment for me.
IF you are looking for a fantastic biography [especially if you are looking for one about someone you "know" but don't REALLY know ], that is just fantastically written [and is truly a huge deep-dive into JQA's life ], this is the book for you. Even with my disappointment over the man, I am so glad I read this amazing book.
Very well done!!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Randall B. Woods, and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have been an admirer of John Quincy Adams since I was a kid and read a middle-grade [and as I found out in the reading of this book, a deeply sanitized ] biography of him and so I jumped at the chance to read a full-blown biography of this [sigh] "amazing man".
Yeah...
Be careful what you wish for.
In reading this excellently written and meticulously researched biography, I encountered what many experience when reading about people they admire - a big ole slap in the face of the truth of who they really were and it is so very disheartening.
Was John Quincy Adams a brilliant man who did excellent work within his jobs as Ambassador, President of the United States, and then as a member of Congress? Absolutely. His work to abolish slavery [and his work behind the scenes of the Amistad affair was so amazing ] 30 years before that fight bubbled over into the Civil War is nothing short of amazing and his tenacity and doggedness in this often brought him death threats, threats of violence and censure from Congress and those around him; yet he never backed down [working until almost his death to abolish the gag order that restricted speech about slavery and new states being admitted as slave states ], no matter what was said or done to him. His love of country and of the Constitution and of his fellow man never wavers, no matter what is happening and I will forever admire that.
That said, it was his personal life that was most troubling for me - as well as being extremely selfish, self-centered, and often cold and dismissing [to both his children and his wife especially ], he is a classic [and unrepentant ] misogynist, a trait that lasted his whole life, and there were sections of this book that just made me cringe over and over [I cannot imagine having to write some of this - I can only hope the author found some of JQA's behavior as cringe as I did ]. Add in how he often ignored and dismissed his children [to be fair, though I am not condoning his behavior, much of this stemmed from how he himself was raised; his mother Abigail Adams believed that laughing and joy in general was not fitting for a believer and discouraged that amongst her children; that was a real WTAF moment for sure ] due to his work [when he was the Envoy/Ambassador to Russia, he and Louisa left their two younger children with friends and family in Concord for SEVEN YEARS, and when they came home, they were confused as to why they weren't close to them ::EYEROLL:: ] or because they were "not living up to their potential" [multiple children struggled with booze and infidelity and out-of-wedlock children ], how he expected Louisa to be something she wasn't [though she worked hard at it, even in the midst of all her own personal trials ] and to be joyful in having to pull up stakes and trek all over God's green earth [their whole Russian adventure was so harrowing at times and her solo trip back to the US from St. Petersburg was just crazy ], and essentially ignored her serious [and some not so serious ] health issues [I lost track of how many miscarriages/stillbirth's this poor woman suffered through - it was a true wonder that she lived as long as she did ] and was very selfish in regards to that area of their lives [re: he couldn't keep his...um...hands off of her and she was pregnant so many times ] and that just seemed to amplify all the other selfishness he presented over and over, and to be honest, this was some of the hardest parts of the book to read.
So, has my admiration for JQA changed? Well...yes AND no. I will always admire his stance against slavery and his deep abiding love of country and his willingness to do whatever it took to secure freedom for everyone and for all to be treated the same [weird considering his home life right? ].
BUT...will I ever think of him in glowing terms, especially regarding his personal life? No. And to be honest, even my admiration for his political work will be forever tainted by how he was at home [and with others ], and that is a huge disappointment for me.
IF you are looking for a fantastic biography [especially if you are looking for one about someone you "know" but don't REALLY know ], that is just fantastically written [and is truly a huge deep-dive into JQA's life ], this is the book for you. Even with my disappointment over the man, I am so glad I read this amazing book.
Very well done!!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Randall B. Woods, and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2025
I love reading about John Quincy Adams - so much to admire about his life, but also a man of character flaws that are universal across centuries. I have read many biographies of JQA at this point and this was a very good one. Overall I definitely recommend it, but there were a few quibbles like the extended time focused on people and events outside of him like the early parts on his parents and their actions. Also, I am not a historian, but on the first page it refers JQA's father John Adams as an author of the Constitution - and then again 500 pages later when the narrative discusses his death - but that is simply not accurate. Just gives me pause in a book that I otherwise really enjoyed.
Currently reading
January 27, 2026Purchased @ Phinney Books Spring 2025.
September 12, 2024
4.5/5
I picked up this book immediately following McCullough's "John Adams" and enjoyed reading this book as effectively a sequel. McCullough is my favorite author and "John Quincy Adams" by Randall Woods can absolutely stand beside the former.
Pros:
This book was stupendously well researched and easy to read. Throughout the 700 pages, Woods takes care to give all necessary context and explain the impacts of significant events of John Quincy Adams life without ever getting too far into the weeds that it's hard to digest. From being a young diplomat, to a top statesman and the gold-standard Secretary of State under Monroe, the chapters are easy to read and flow nicely. I enjoyed experiencing how his presidency was really the low point of his career and how, while moving from the White House to the House of Representatives may have seemed like a demotion so late in his life, he was able to use the latter more effectively and passionately to fight for abolitionism.
Cons:
The only reason I deducted half a point is because the author, at times, seems as if he is personally annoyed at JQA. Several times throughout the book we are reminded of JQA's negative character traits in a way that feels like it's just being tacked onto the end of an otherwise well constructed paragraph. Such comments, while sometimes accurate, detracted from my enjoyment. But barely so! This book is still fantastic.
All in all, I highly recommend reading this book if you're a fan of American and Presidential history.
I picked up this book immediately following McCullough's "John Adams" and enjoyed reading this book as effectively a sequel. McCullough is my favorite author and "John Quincy Adams" by Randall Woods can absolutely stand beside the former.
Pros:
This book was stupendously well researched and easy to read. Throughout the 700 pages, Woods takes care to give all necessary context and explain the impacts of significant events of John Quincy Adams life without ever getting too far into the weeds that it's hard to digest. From being a young diplomat, to a top statesman and the gold-standard Secretary of State under Monroe, the chapters are easy to read and flow nicely. I enjoyed experiencing how his presidency was really the low point of his career and how, while moving from the White House to the House of Representatives may have seemed like a demotion so late in his life, he was able to use the latter more effectively and passionately to fight for abolitionism.
Cons:
The only reason I deducted half a point is because the author, at times, seems as if he is personally annoyed at JQA. Several times throughout the book we are reminded of JQA's negative character traits in a way that feels like it's just being tacked onto the end of an otherwise well constructed paragraph. Such comments, while sometimes accurate, detracted from my enjoyment. But barely so! This book is still fantastic.
All in all, I highly recommend reading this book if you're a fan of American and Presidential history.
February 12, 2025
A rousing tribute to an extraordinary statesman
March 3, 2025
happy two hundred years of presidency, my dear mr adams <3
November 23, 2024
John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People is a top notch biography of one of the most important individuals in the early years of the American republic.
John Quincy Adams traveled extensively around Europe as a child and teenager alongside his father, who at the time was a diplomat for a country floundering with the Articles of Confederation after an unexpected victory for independence against Britain. Young John Quincy spent time in France, Russia (as a translator with Francis Dana), Prussia, and the Netherlands while accompanying his father on a series of diplomatic prior to John Adams's election as the first vice-president and second president.
Historian Randall B. Woods details these years abroad extensively (it was during his time in Europe that he would meet Louisa Catherine Johnson, the daughter of another diplomat who would ultimately become his wife).
As great of a job as this book does talking about the diplomatic and political aspects of John Q. Adams's career, it is the attention given to his family life that really sets it apart. Maria would frequently struggle with difficult pregnancies, and two of their children-Susanna (one) and Elizabeth (stillborn)-died very young.
Quincy's brothers also played roles in the book. Alcoholism and mental health struggle seemed to run in the family. His brother Charles died in 1800 at the age of thirty, a passing largely thought to be brought on by excessive drinking, after being disowned by their father John.
Quincy's son George Washington Adams fell into hallucinations in his twenties and died a mysterious death, falling overboard from a steamer ship only to have his body wash ashore in New York weeks later. Another son, John Adams II, would die in his early thirties after struggles with alcoholism.
The book paints Quincy as a demanding-sometimes too demanding-father of his boys. He came across as a times unforgiving and possessing a pathology bordering as cruel to his children, a mindset which apparently did not play out well for two of his boys.
Another son, Charles Francis Adams, would become a lawyer and have a long career as a man of letters in Washingtonian society.
John Quincy Adams: A Man For the Whole People does exceptionally well putting Quincy's career in politics into its full perspective. His time as fifth president James Monroe's Secretary of State was particularly impactful, even more so than his own eventual time in the White House.
His eight years in this post saw an emphasis on what would eventually be called Manifest Destiny as the U.S. pushed westward into lands recently acquired from France via the Louisiana Purchase. Quincy's largest contribution to this actually came via the treaty he worked out alongside Spain's plenipotentiary Luis de Onis (the Adams-Onis Treaty) which ensured U.S. control of Florida and ended boundary disputes with Spanish Texas.
This section featured discussion of the Seminole Indians and General Andrew Jackson's questionable tactics in what was then Spanish-controlled Florida. This made for interesting reading, especially in light of the fact that the then Secretary of State and Tennessee militia general would face off for the presidency on two future occasions. This portion also brought in John C. Calhoun in his Secretary of War days in the Monroe administration, yet another of the side players author Randall B. Woods fleshes out during the course of a tale stretching five early American decades.
Although it would be named for the president under which he served, the Monroe Doctrine was actually crafted by Adams. The machinations behind this policy statement of warning toward future European New World colonization were, as with the Adams-Onis Treaty negotiations, skillfully laid out by Woods.
Strangely, Quincy's one term as president (1825-1829) proved anticlimactic.
He lost the popular vote to Andrew Jackson but narrowly beat him in the Electoral College, and he seemed hamstrung from the beginning of his term. Accusations of an unfair deal with Speaker of the House turned Secretary of State Henry Clay to aid in his winning the vote in the House gave the Jacksonians ammunition with which to pound the new president Adams.
The growing democratic, populist sentiment in the country was at odds with the long Adams family tradition of stodgy, Massachusetts-style Federalism which had been losing favor since the Hartford Convention days of the War of 1812.
The Jacksonian model of lashing together a constituency out of the slavocracy of the South with the poorer white settlers pushing westward proved too much for the staid, patrician Adams to contend with.
While the book shows him to be a man of high-minded rhetoric and a-mostly-consistent opponent of human bondage, Adams, both as president and Secretary of State, did not seem to be that skillful of a demagogue or, for that matter, back-slapping politician. He increasingly became the avatar of a dying age as democracy, for white males at least, became the name of the game in Washington.
The storyline takes an intriguing turn, however, in Quincy's years after being defeated for reelection in 1828.
He became the first, and up until the present, only, former president to be elected to the legislative branch. From 1831 until his death in 1848 Adams would serve as the U.S. Representative for his Quincy, Massachusetts, district.
From this post he became an increasingly outspoken opponent of slavery, coming close enough to the abolitionist cause to earn the ire of the Henry Wises and John C. Calhouns of the world.
He even spoke out against involvement in the Mexican-American War several years before his death; his pushback against President John Tyler's machinations to acquire the Republic of Texas, as well as his vocal opposition to the slave power, caused even allied Whigs to at times question his strategies.
This book does fantastic work painting a portrait of a man who was a booster of both American expansion and republican ideals. Quincy's love of his country coupled with his genuine conviction that its spread from coast to coast would be a net plus for civilization (and in this he took the Native American tribes more into account than the vast majority of his fellow white politician colleagues) came unmistakably through.
It seemed, however, that he was frequently fighting losing rearguard battles. Whether it was against his family's inner demons, Jacksonian democracy, or the Southern slavocracy and their doughface allies, the best intentions of Adams seemed unable to quell the very real struggles he was confronted with.
John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People needs to be read by all those who want to gain a better grasp of how republicanism and democracy evolved in the first half of the nineteenth century.
It shows a skillful diplomat with grand ambitions-some of which came to fruition during his lifetime, others which did not-seeking to steer the direction his young nation would take.
-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado
John Quincy Adams traveled extensively around Europe as a child and teenager alongside his father, who at the time was a diplomat for a country floundering with the Articles of Confederation after an unexpected victory for independence against Britain. Young John Quincy spent time in France, Russia (as a translator with Francis Dana), Prussia, and the Netherlands while accompanying his father on a series of diplomatic prior to John Adams's election as the first vice-president and second president.
Historian Randall B. Woods details these years abroad extensively (it was during his time in Europe that he would meet Louisa Catherine Johnson, the daughter of another diplomat who would ultimately become his wife).
As great of a job as this book does talking about the diplomatic and political aspects of John Q. Adams's career, it is the attention given to his family life that really sets it apart. Maria would frequently struggle with difficult pregnancies, and two of their children-Susanna (one) and Elizabeth (stillborn)-died very young.
Quincy's brothers also played roles in the book. Alcoholism and mental health struggle seemed to run in the family. His brother Charles died in 1800 at the age of thirty, a passing largely thought to be brought on by excessive drinking, after being disowned by their father John.
Quincy's son George Washington Adams fell into hallucinations in his twenties and died a mysterious death, falling overboard from a steamer ship only to have his body wash ashore in New York weeks later. Another son, John Adams II, would die in his early thirties after struggles with alcoholism.
The book paints Quincy as a demanding-sometimes too demanding-father of his boys. He came across as a times unforgiving and possessing a pathology bordering as cruel to his children, a mindset which apparently did not play out well for two of his boys.
Another son, Charles Francis Adams, would become a lawyer and have a long career as a man of letters in Washingtonian society.
John Quincy Adams: A Man For the Whole People does exceptionally well putting Quincy's career in politics into its full perspective. His time as fifth president James Monroe's Secretary of State was particularly impactful, even more so than his own eventual time in the White House.
His eight years in this post saw an emphasis on what would eventually be called Manifest Destiny as the U.S. pushed westward into lands recently acquired from France via the Louisiana Purchase. Quincy's largest contribution to this actually came via the treaty he worked out alongside Spain's plenipotentiary Luis de Onis (the Adams-Onis Treaty) which ensured U.S. control of Florida and ended boundary disputes with Spanish Texas.
This section featured discussion of the Seminole Indians and General Andrew Jackson's questionable tactics in what was then Spanish-controlled Florida. This made for interesting reading, especially in light of the fact that the then Secretary of State and Tennessee militia general would face off for the presidency on two future occasions. This portion also brought in John C. Calhoun in his Secretary of War days in the Monroe administration, yet another of the side players author Randall B. Woods fleshes out during the course of a tale stretching five early American decades.
Although it would be named for the president under which he served, the Monroe Doctrine was actually crafted by Adams. The machinations behind this policy statement of warning toward future European New World colonization were, as with the Adams-Onis Treaty negotiations, skillfully laid out by Woods.
Strangely, Quincy's one term as president (1825-1829) proved anticlimactic.
He lost the popular vote to Andrew Jackson but narrowly beat him in the Electoral College, and he seemed hamstrung from the beginning of his term. Accusations of an unfair deal with Speaker of the House turned Secretary of State Henry Clay to aid in his winning the vote in the House gave the Jacksonians ammunition with which to pound the new president Adams.
The growing democratic, populist sentiment in the country was at odds with the long Adams family tradition of stodgy, Massachusetts-style Federalism which had been losing favor since the Hartford Convention days of the War of 1812.
The Jacksonian model of lashing together a constituency out of the slavocracy of the South with the poorer white settlers pushing westward proved too much for the staid, patrician Adams to contend with.
While the book shows him to be a man of high-minded rhetoric and a-mostly-consistent opponent of human bondage, Adams, both as president and Secretary of State, did not seem to be that skillful of a demagogue or, for that matter, back-slapping politician. He increasingly became the avatar of a dying age as democracy, for white males at least, became the name of the game in Washington.
The storyline takes an intriguing turn, however, in Quincy's years after being defeated for reelection in 1828.
He became the first, and up until the present, only, former president to be elected to the legislative branch. From 1831 until his death in 1848 Adams would serve as the U.S. Representative for his Quincy, Massachusetts, district.
From this post he became an increasingly outspoken opponent of slavery, coming close enough to the abolitionist cause to earn the ire of the Henry Wises and John C. Calhouns of the world.
He even spoke out against involvement in the Mexican-American War several years before his death; his pushback against President John Tyler's machinations to acquire the Republic of Texas, as well as his vocal opposition to the slave power, caused even allied Whigs to at times question his strategies.
This book does fantastic work painting a portrait of a man who was a booster of both American expansion and republican ideals. Quincy's love of his country coupled with his genuine conviction that its spread from coast to coast would be a net plus for civilization (and in this he took the Native American tribes more into account than the vast majority of his fellow white politician colleagues) came unmistakably through.
It seemed, however, that he was frequently fighting losing rearguard battles. Whether it was against his family's inner demons, Jacksonian democracy, or the Southern slavocracy and their doughface allies, the best intentions of Adams seemed unable to quell the very real struggles he was confronted with.
John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People needs to be read by all those who want to gain a better grasp of how republicanism and democracy evolved in the first half of the nineteenth century.
It shows a skillful diplomat with grand ambitions-some of which came to fruition during his lifetime, others which did not-seeking to steer the direction his young nation would take.
-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado
July 31, 2024
This just released bio on JQA was very good and kept my attention, despite its 700 pages. The time and effort of the writer was clear. I particularly liked how he also wrote of the history surrounding the big moments in the subject’s life.
February 8, 2025
John Quincy Adams had one of the longest political careers in American history from serving as minister to the Netherlands for George Washington in 1794 to his death while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1848 Adams was rarely not holding a public position.
In this lengthy biography Randall Woods chronicles Adams' life and career. While Woods does a great job of this he often seems to focus on the concurrent rise of Adams, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson and the overlap as they came into contact and conflict with each other.
A good read but not a great one. I mostly enjoyed this book.
In this lengthy biography Randall Woods chronicles Adams' life and career. While Woods does a great job of this he often seems to focus on the concurrent rise of Adams, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson and the overlap as they came into contact and conflict with each other.
A good read but not a great one. I mostly enjoyed this book.
November 17, 2024
(1.5 stars)
This book is like your crazy Aunt who starts collecting spoons. At first you think it's cool, she has spoons from literally everywhere she's been and pretty soon everywhere anyone she knows has been. You get a little worried when she starts collecting coffee mugs and after that, the lions and tigers appear in every nook and cranny of her house.
Before too long, she's going to yard sales and coming home with all sorts of random stuff and pretty soon her house is bursting with wooden elephants, Elvis paintings, macrame plant holders and anything and everything else. So much stuff it starts to pour out the windows and you can barely get around the house because you have to thread your way between the boxes and boxes of deals that clutter everything.
The problem: She has too much stuff!
Mr. Woods clearly loves research because he is going to tell you everything, and I mean everything. How the weather was so cold two bottles of madeira froze. How their journey by ship—I forget the name, but Mr. Woods does not—took less than 24 hours and they arrived at 8pm. Multiply this ad infinitum and you have a good idea of this book. It's like reading the life of your crazy Aunt from 20 years before she was born to the day she died with weather reports, names of cruise ships, and memories of the Bordeaux wine she drank with the random man from Frankfurt while in the Caribbean island of St. Martin when she was thirty-seven. Do you care about any of this? Probably not.
The publisher's blurb will tell you that this biography is "A magisterial journey through the epic life and transformative times of John Quincy Adams." Instead it's a long-winded sufferfest full of needless detail about his life that drags so badly you will want to go pay your taxes instead of read it.
I have to say though, it could have been worse. I could be reading "English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek," like my oldest brother is.
This book is like your crazy Aunt who starts collecting spoons. At first you think it's cool, she has spoons from literally everywhere she's been and pretty soon everywhere anyone she knows has been. You get a little worried when she starts collecting coffee mugs and after that, the lions and tigers appear in every nook and cranny of her house.
Before too long, she's going to yard sales and coming home with all sorts of random stuff and pretty soon her house is bursting with wooden elephants, Elvis paintings, macrame plant holders and anything and everything else. So much stuff it starts to pour out the windows and you can barely get around the house because you have to thread your way between the boxes and boxes of deals that clutter everything.
The problem: She has too much stuff!
Mr. Woods clearly loves research because he is going to tell you everything, and I mean everything. How the weather was so cold two bottles of madeira froze. How their journey by ship—I forget the name, but Mr. Woods does not—took less than 24 hours and they arrived at 8pm. Multiply this ad infinitum and you have a good idea of this book. It's like reading the life of your crazy Aunt from 20 years before she was born to the day she died with weather reports, names of cruise ships, and memories of the Bordeaux wine she drank with the random man from Frankfurt while in the Caribbean island of St. Martin when she was thirty-seven. Do you care about any of this? Probably not.
The publisher's blurb will tell you that this biography is "A magisterial journey through the epic life and transformative times of John Quincy Adams." Instead it's a long-winded sufferfest full of needless detail about his life that drags so badly you will want to go pay your taxes instead of read it.
I have to say though, it could have been worse. I could be reading "English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek," like my oldest brother is.
November 22, 2024
You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.
Mr. Book just finished John Quincy Adams: A Man For The Whole People, by Randall Woods.
This book was published in June 2024.
This was an extremely thorough and very well researched biography of John Quincy Adams. It covered everything from his childhood through his career as a diplomat, his time as Secretary of State, his presidency and then his time in the House of Representatives.
In addition to Adams’s life, the book also covered so many other events happening in the country and the world at the time. Normally, a book this thorough and in depth would be a great candidate for an A+. But, this was one of the rare ones when less thorough, less researched would have been better. There were too many times when I felt overwhelmed by all of the details involving people that were only tangentially, if at all, connected to Adams.
For those reasons, I can only give this book an A.
Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on November 21, 2024.
Mr. Book just finished John Quincy Adams: A Man For The Whole People, by Randall Woods.
This book was published in June 2024.
This was an extremely thorough and very well researched biography of John Quincy Adams. It covered everything from his childhood through his career as a diplomat, his time as Secretary of State, his presidency and then his time in the House of Representatives.
In addition to Adams’s life, the book also covered so many other events happening in the country and the world at the time. Normally, a book this thorough and in depth would be a great candidate for an A+. But, this was one of the rare ones when less thorough, less researched would have been better. There were too many times when I felt overwhelmed by all of the details involving people that were only tangentially, if at all, connected to Adams.
For those reasons, I can only give this book an A.
Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on November 21, 2024.
December 6, 2025
Many reviews note that this book was exasperatedly long. I disagree. Beginning his diary at age 12, he truly has one of the most valuable chronicles of this era of America that ever was to exist. He and his family has been through the birth of our nation and helped cultivate it through its infancy and childhood. One of the most remarkable persons that I have read about. JQA shows that through education, observance, and openness, you can change your opinion on topics (I.e, slavery, voting rights, and much more). He does mention that he resents his past opinions and actions on a many various of things. Could inspire other persons to do the same. Although his values still would be extremely controversial today. I very much enjoyed his commentary, referenced in his personal diary, about major and even minor turning points of history. Even near his death, he continues to rally himself and others around him to keep working towards the betterment of society. Very inspiring.
“This is the end of the earth, but I am content”. -the last words of JQA. (Also interesting that a young Abraham Lincoln was in the room to hear these words).
“This is the end of the earth, but I am content”. -the last words of JQA. (Also interesting that a young Abraham Lincoln was in the room to hear these words).
March 14, 2025
Per another 2-star reviewer, Woods' research may be monumental, as reflected by the doorstop-sized nature of the book.
BUT?
Beyond it possibly being overkill, there's a
BIG old error on page 1.
John Adams, contra Woods, was NOT a co-author of the Constitution.
It would have been impossible, as he was in London, not Philadelphia, in the summer of 1787 as America's first minister to Great Britain.
He WAS, per the play and movie "1776," one of four co-authors, along with Thomas Jefferson, of the Declaration of Independence. (And yes, he, Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston, making extensive changes to Jefferson's first draft, were co-authors.)
But, not the Constitution.
This is an error that absolutely should not have been made by Woods.
And, reflecting the abysmal state of nonfiction copyediting, it's an error that should not have been missed, or allowed to stay in.
Having read a Quincy bio already, that was solid but not spectacular, I shut the cover again.
BUT?
Beyond it possibly being overkill, there's a
BIG old error on page 1.
John Adams, contra Woods, was NOT a co-author of the Constitution.
It would have been impossible, as he was in London, not Philadelphia, in the summer of 1787 as America's first minister to Great Britain.
He WAS, per the play and movie "1776," one of four co-authors, along with Thomas Jefferson, of the Declaration of Independence. (And yes, he, Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston, making extensive changes to Jefferson's first draft, were co-authors.)
But, not the Constitution.
This is an error that absolutely should not have been made by Woods.
And, reflecting the abysmal state of nonfiction copyediting, it's an error that should not have been missed, or allowed to stay in.
Having read a Quincy bio already, that was solid but not spectacular, I shut the cover again.
February 20, 2025
Much of the story is someone else’s. Whether it be his father, the second president, or his first boss Madison. Or Monroe who made him Secretary of State. Whether it be his rivalry with Clay, or Jackson.
It took half the book to get to his election, and his presidency was over in 3 chapters. I would like to see more of his term highlighted. I get the importance of other characters to his story, and his prolific career after.
The Amistad is a good climactic point. Where the younger Adams made his lasting mark on the abolition movement. Peak of his character arc, if this were a fiction review.
Overall I liked the book and its narrative structure. Good biography good history. I mentioned my issues above
I give the book 3.5 and round up to 4 for this apps start system.
RIP John Quincy Adams. You laid to rest having shaped your country and avoided its civil war.
It took half the book to get to his election, and his presidency was over in 3 chapters. I would like to see more of his term highlighted. I get the importance of other characters to his story, and his prolific career after.
The Amistad is a good climactic point. Where the younger Adams made his lasting mark on the abolition movement. Peak of his character arc, if this were a fiction review.
Overall I liked the book and its narrative structure. Good biography good history. I mentioned my issues above
I give the book 3.5 and round up to 4 for this apps start system.
RIP John Quincy Adams. You laid to rest having shaped your country and avoided its civil war.
March 23, 2025
An Amazing Patriot
John Quincy Adams born in 1767, (died in 1848) had an outstanding education in New England and abroad. He was conversant in many languages, French, German, Russian, Latin and Greek. He was exposed to the best of European culture and the most important leaders and people of his time. His leadership qualities were outstanding and he used those qualities in the best causes. He was a diplomat to Russia and England. He was the 6th President of the United States ( from 1825 to 1829). He was Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825. He was a member of both houses of Congress. He was the eldest son of John and Abigail Adams. He was married to Louisa Johnson and together they had four children. Mr. Woods give you an amazing picture of JQA, his life and times. And you learn a great deal of history in the process.
John Quincy Adams born in 1767, (died in 1848) had an outstanding education in New England and abroad. He was conversant in many languages, French, German, Russian, Latin and Greek. He was exposed to the best of European culture and the most important leaders and people of his time. His leadership qualities were outstanding and he used those qualities in the best causes. He was a diplomat to Russia and England. He was the 6th President of the United States ( from 1825 to 1829). He was Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825. He was a member of both houses of Congress. He was the eldest son of John and Abigail Adams. He was married to Louisa Johnson and together they had four children. Mr. Woods give you an amazing picture of JQA, his life and times. And you learn a great deal of history in the process.
May 13, 2025
It's an excellent book on the 6th president of the U.S. If ever I was in a book club, this would be an excellent book to discuss. The history is amazing. He was such a proponent of education, literature, a man for all seasons. It was amazing to read about all of his travels, and how he really encouraged his sons to study several languages. He was quite active physically, swimming in the Potomac and walking several miles every day. His sons were also difficult, as they were probably trying to live up to the father & to the grandfather (the 2nd president of the U.S.)
December 19, 2024
A thorough biography that does not short shrift the presidency of JQA as many other biographies do given how exciting his career before and after are. The author shines much light on Louisa Adams as well - particularly the epic journey she took overland from St Petersburg to Paris during Napoleon's One Hundred Days. This is, for now, the authoritative biography that will overshadow preceding coverage of JQA from Kaplan and others.
June 20, 2025
There is something paradoxical and contradictory in every great man. JQA was such a figure. A man who saw the American revolution and the dawn's first light of the civil war. Supreme intellect who could be cold and doggedly principled to his own harm. This biography leaves you wanting to know more about this complex figure, even as you learn so much about his role in the first half of American history.
March 15, 2025
Randall Woods’ John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People is simply a tour de force. Mr. Woods’ persistent study has paid well-deserved respect and tribute to the sixth President of the United States.
This biography has been emotionally, philosophically, and politically enlightening. I highly recommend picking up a copy.
This biography has been emotionally, philosophically, and politically enlightening. I highly recommend picking up a copy.
April 1, 2025
A wonderful book, Filled with history and the accomplishment of John Quincy Adam's but also his contemporaries along with anecdotes of his family. Not too overly scholarly in language , it was easier to read than I anticipated. And a timely read; things happening now we're happening them, oft-times with disastrous results.
August 2, 2025
What an amazing read. Longest book I have read, excluding The Bible. Felt like I have met and lived alongside JQA. This is my favorite of my President books so far. John Quincy Adams was probably one of the most qualified dudes to become president ever. And Louisa Adams was seriously so cool for her amazing journey to Paris from Russia.
December 1, 2024
Like many of the president's biographies this one was thorough, but maybe too much so. I would guess I spent over two hundred pages reading about the experiences of his wife, kids, and colleagues. I would rather have had a more concise read concentrated on the man alone.
August 5, 2024
Definitely a book to read ; learned a lot , presented in a very readable way.
September 6, 2024
A very detailed account of the life of John Quincy Adams.
October 3, 2024
Well written; thoroughly researched.
October 5, 2024
A brilliant and fascinating American, president, and statesman.
October 27, 2024
A very solid bio of a fascinating man. Balanced well the personal and political, painting a picture of a flawed, but noble, man.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews