In an incredible career spanning the nation's first fifty years, when its survival and destiny hung in delicate balance, John Quincy Adams served as foreign minister, senator, Secretary of State, President, and finally as congressman. He acted in all these posts with an unselfish devotion to duty as rare as it is inspiring; few men have ever matched his ability and patriotism.

Growing up during the Revolution, at eleven John Quincy went to France with his father. There he had his first lessons in diplomacy, and at fourteen became secretary to the American Ambassador to Russia. After the war, George Washington appointed him foreign minister, a post he continued to hold when his father became the President of the United States. John Quincy traveled all over Europe, steering America clear of the conflict touched off by the French Revolution.

Secretary of State under Monroe, he engineered the acquisition of Florida and expansion of the nation to the Pacific. One of his greatest acts was to write the statement of American policy that came to be known as the Monroe Doctrine. In 1824 he became President. Ignoring the dictates of sectionalism and political patronage, he devoted himself to the good of the nation as a whole, which hurt his personal popularity, but his program laid a firm foundation for his country's growth. It was only when, late in life, he entered the House of Representatives that his greatness was truly appreciated by his fellow citizens. For sixteen years he fought the forces of slavery and secession, becoming the hero of all freedom loving Americans.

John Quincy Adams stands as an embodiment of those qualities of heart and mind which preserved and shaped our United States.

From the dust jacket