5th Grade - U.S. Presidents
Place - Ryan C.
John Quincy Adams

The 6th President of the United States was John Quincy Adams (the "c" in Quincy is pronounced with the z sound, not the s sound). He was born on July 11, 1767 in Braintree, (now called Quincy) Massachusetts. His father was the second president named John Adams. He was tall with a serious personality. He was known for his accomplishments as Secretary of State. John Quincy Adams was an intelligent president and a great leader.

When John Quincy Adams was young, he helped his mother manage a large farm. He then learned many things because he moved from place to place with his father who served as an American envoy to France and the Netherlands. For seven and a half years he lived in Paris, Amsterdam, St. Petersburg and London. At the age of 15, because he knew French so well, he served as Secretary and translator to the American representative in Russia for two years. At 18, he returned home and finished his college education. He became a lawyer and a writer after graduating from Harvard college in 1787. He liked to write. He thought being a lawyer was boring. He became minister of the Netherlands at age 27. When he was 28 he met and then married Louisa Catherine Johnson in London. They later had four children. John Quincy Adams had an interesting and amazing childhood.

In his political career he did some interesting things. In 1794, President George Washington appointed Adams Minister of the Netherlands. Three days later the French invaded. In 1803, the legislature appointed him as a Senator. In 1807, when Congress passed the Embargo Act, the Federalists got angry at him so he resigned. He then switched parties and became a Republican. President Madison named him minister to Russia. He helped negotiate a peace agreement to end the War of 1812. He became Secretary of State and helped come up with the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European nations not to meddle in the affairs of America. He was Secretary of State for eight years.

John Quincy Adams served as President for four years, from1825-1829. He wanted the states in America to trade with each other and proposed to Congress to build roads, canals, and educational institutions. The Republican party split. Adams party wanted the government to pay for things that would make the country grow. Jackson's party, the Democrats, wanted a limited government. Adams wanted the government to purchase land from the Indians instead of taking it from them without pay. As a politician, Adams was determined to get things done for the country.

He had many different accomplishments. He accomplished learning seven different languages. He proposed the Tariff of Abominations, which was passed in 1828. It was to protect domestic manufacturing from European goods. The tariff was 62 % taxation on goods that were imported. He became the only president to be elected to the US House of Representatives in 1830 after serving as President. He supported the extension of the Cumberland Road, one of the first highways in the United States built by the Federal Government. They used the Cumberland Road for people to move west. John Quincy Adams accomplishments such as the Cumberland Road are still used today.

Interesting Facts / Most Unusual facts
John Quincy Adams was a very interesting president. He was fluent in seven different languages including Greek and Latin. He also named one of his sons, George Washington Adams, after our 1st President. He had a pool table in the White House. Adams and his father were both President in the White House. He went skinny dipping in the Potomac River every morning at 5 am. One time, Anne Royal sat on a rock by the river on the President's clothes until he gave her an interview. He had a pet alligator and silkworms in the White House. He wore the same hat for ten years. John Quincy Adams was an unusual President.

Later Years
After he was President, he became a representative in the House of Representatives. He gave speeches with the Republicans. He served as representative nine terms in a row. He earned the nickname "Old Man Eloquent" because he spoke extraordinary speeches against slavery. When he was 81 years old, he had his second stroke on the floor of the House of Representatives. Two days later he died, on February 23, 1848. He was buried at First Parish Church in Quincy, and his father, mother and wife were buried there too. When he died, he was remembered as a champion of freedom of speech.

I think he was a wise old man when he died. I think it was brave to try and stop slavery against a lot of people. I think it was important that he thought of building roads, canals and educational centers. I liked that he had a pet alligator and went skinny dipping in the river, but it would be freezing to swim every morning. I liked that he went to different places and learned seven different languages. I think it would be interesting to learn Greek and Latin. It was fun to learn about John Quincy Adams. I think he was very interesting and smart.

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