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Rating: 
Summary: A juvenile biography of John Quincy Adams, 6th President
Review: Zachary Kent provides a more than solid introduction to John Quincy Adams in this volume in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series. The story begins with Adams as the most hated man in Congress because of his insistence on presenting the House of Representatives petitions by citizens demanding an end to slavery. Kent then covers Adams's distinguished career as a diplomat which saw postings in Prussia, Russia and Great Britain before he became James Monroe's Secretary of State. His one term as President actually becomes the least important part of his political career. Adams actually died in the House of Representatives, collapsing before a vote in 1848.Kent does a nice job of making it clear that for John Quincy Adams duty and character were more important that popularity. When he was elected to the Senate as a Federalist, Adams often supported the policies of President Thomas Jefferson, such as the Louisiana Purchase. When his party actually nominated somebody else to run for the Senate in his place, Adams immediately resigned. This episode is certainly representative of the quality of the man. This is not a slick looking book but it does provide more than adequate coverage of the life of its subject, which is supposed to be its purpose. There are better looking juvenile biographies of Adams, but they do not provide the amount of information students will find here. This volume is illustrated with dozens of black and white illustrations, mostly engravings and paintings from Adams's lifetime, as well as maps, pamphlets and signatures. The book contains a detailed Chronology of American History that lists virtually ever year from the birth of Washington in 1732 to the crash of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, when this book was published.
Rating:
Summary: A juvenile biography of John Quincy Adams, 6th President
Review: Zachary Kent provides a more than solid introduction to John Quincy Adams in this volume in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series. The story begins with Adams as the most hated man in Congress because of his insistence on presenting the House of Representatives petitions by citizens demanding an end to slavery. Kent then covers Adams's distinguished career as a diplomat which saw postings in Prussia, Russia and Great Britain before he became James Monroe's Secretary of State. His one term as President actually becomes the least important part of his political career. Adams actually died in the House of Representatives, collapsing before a vote in 1848. Kent does a nice job of making it clear that for John Quincy Adams duty and character were more important that popularity. When he was elected to the Senate as a Federalist, Adams often supported the policies of President Thomas Jefferson, such as the Louisiana Purchase. When his party actually nominated somebody else to run for the Senate in his place, Adams immediately resigned. This episode is certainly representative of the quality of the man. This is not a slick looking book but it does provide more than adequate coverage of the life of its subject, which is supposed to be its purpose. There are better looking juvenile biographies of Adams, but they do not provide the amount of information students will find here. This volume is illustrated with dozens of black and white illustrations, mostly engravings and paintings from Adams's lifetime, as well as maps, pamphlets and signatures. The book contains a detailed Chronology of American History that lists virtually ever year from the birth of Washington in 1732 to the crash of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, when this book was published.
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