For someone who remains as relatively unknown as John Quincy Adams, his impact on how governments across the world run today is enduring. This article serves as a follow-up to an article published several months ago about the life of Frederick Douglas, and serves as an introspect into another influential historical mind who’s life story would potentially make for a decent Broadway adaptation.
Part I of this article covered Adams’ early life and his term as President. This article will cover the Election of 1828 and his later life. This article is a direct continuation of that one, and it is recommended the first part be read beforehand
The 1828 Election
In 1828, Jackson easily received the Democratic nomination to challenge Adams again. With Crawford and Clay behind Adams, the election turned into a two-way rematch of 1824.
All throughout the year, the two sides viciously attacked one another, Jackson using his supporters in the press to paint Adams as an out-of-touch New England elitist who had only gotten his position thanks to his father, while National Republicans attacked Jackson’s marriage and labelled him a murderous tyrant who would destroy the infrastructure developed under the Adams administration.
The 1828 campaign marked the first widespread usage of “mudslinging”, or negative campaigning, in history; a strategy that is still widely used across the world today.
In the end, Jackson prevailed over Adams, taking 178 electoral votes and 55.5 percent of the popular vote. Adams would win only 83 electoral votes, and carry 44 percent of the popular vote.
Not long after entering office, Jackson reversed many of Adams’ initiatives, working to cut funding for infrastructure, dismantle the America System, and remove all Native Americans from the eastern and southern regions of the United States.
Defeated and resentful, with the America System in ruins, Adams considered retiring from public life, but decided instead to keep the fight up against Jackson. In 1830, he was elected to the House of Representatives, becoming the first former President to win an election after their term had ended. In Congress, he fought for the revival of the America System by using his influence to control the government’s tax rate on foreign imports, setting high rates to the dismay of Jackson and the south.
In 1832, he unsuccessfully ran for a non-consecutive second term as President, being denied the nomination due to his perceived unpopularity. The following year, he’d unsuccessfully run for Governor of Massachusetts, ultimately deciding to abandon attempts of winning higher office to focus on his service in the House.
Later Years
His time in the House strengthened his anti-slavery stances, soon making him one of the countries’ strongest early abolitionists. Adams once said, in a victory speech after a successful re-election campaign, he sought to “bring about a day prophesied when slavery… shall be banished from the face of the Earth.”
In response to his abolitionist views, in 1836, the Democrats introduced a “gag rule”, banning any discussion of slavery from taking place on the House floor and banning any motion or bill which sought to change the government’s policy over slavery.
Adams countered this by publicly ridiculing slave owning southerners and the gag rule, until he eventually led its successful repeal in 1844, at the age of 77. Additionally, Adams became a supporter of women’s rights and continued to advocate against government policies against Native Americans.
Adams would remain in the House until his death on Feb. 23, 1848, at the age of 80. In all, he would serve 16 years in Congress. During his final term, he would meet and befriend fellow U.S. Representative and future President Abraham Lincoln, who would also attend to Adams during his final moments.
Historically, Adams is remembered as an average President, with an ahead-of-its-time agenda that was unfortunately blocked from passage. However, although the America System may not have survived his term, it laid the framework for a large portion of how all modern governments function, including how welfare programs and infrastructure development initiatives work today.
Albeit inconsequential during his time, Adams’ accomplishments are among some of the most impactful in history. The story of his life, and the legacy which he’s left behind, make him more than a suitable adaptation for the big stage, should Lin-Manuel Miranda ever turn again to history for his next play.
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