Produced by Don Kostuch
L I F E
AND
PUBLIC SERVICES
of
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS,
SIXTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
WITH
THE EULOGY
DELIVERED BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE OF NEW YORK.
BY WILLIAM H. SEWARD.
[Transcriber's Notes:]
This text is an accurate reproduction of the original book with the
following exceptions. Obvious misspellings and typos have been corrected
but contemporary usage is unchanged, e.g. "centre". Sentences spanning
pages have been joined to facilitate searches and analysis.
I encourage you to forgive the verbose style that suggests authors were
paid by the word. The gems of character description and contemporary
viewpoints are worth the effort.
The book supports the observation "The news never changes, just the
names." I am encouraged that the tone of politics is not much different
today than it was at Adams' time. Things are no worse. In spite of
continual bickering, a few persons with good will, careful planning, hard
work and a thick skin can achieve wonderful results.
The following glossary contains unfamiliar (to me) terms.
abjuration
Renounce under oath; forswear. Recant solemnly; repudiate. Give up.
Abstain from.
abstemious
Eating and drinking in moderation. Sparingly used. Restricted to bare
necessities.
Aceldama
A place with dreadful associations.
animadversion
Strong criticism.
approbate
Sanction officially; authorize.
arbitrament
Arbitrating; arbitration. Judgment of an arbitrator or arbiter.
assiduity
Persistent application or diligence; unflagging effort. Constant
personal attention.
(a)thymy
(Not) abounding with thyme; fragrant.
barouche
Four-wheeled carriage with a collapsible top, two double seats inside
opposite each other, and a box seat outside in front for the driver.
barque
Sailing ship with three to five square-rigged masts, except the after
mast, which is fore-and-aft rigged. Small vessel propelled by oars or
sails.
benison
Blessing; a benediction.
cesural
Pause in a line of verse dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm
rather than by metrics. Pause in conversation.
chaplet
Wreath or garland for the head.
Circean (Circe)
A Greek goddess who turned Odysseus's men temporarily into swine but
later gave him directions for their journey home.
coeval
Originating or existing during the same period; lasting through the same
era. One of the same era or period; a contemporary.
condign
Deserved; adequate.
contemned
Viewed with contempt; despised.
contumelies
Rudeness or contempt arising from arrogance. Insolent or arrogant
remarks or acts.
cortege
Train of attendants of a distinguished person; a retinue. Ceremonial
procession. Funeral procession.
demurrage
Detention of a cargo conveyance during loading or unloading beyond the
scheduled time of departure. Compensation paid for such detention.
deputed
Appoint or authorize as a representative. Assign (authority or duties)
to another; delegate.
descant
Ornamental melody or counterpoint sung or played above a theme. Highest
part sung in part music. Discussion or discourse on a theme.
descried
Catch sight of (something difficult to discern). Discover by careful
observation or scrutiny; detect:
didactic
Intended to instruct. Morally instructive.
dilatory
Intended to delay. Tending to postpone or delay.
discomfited
Make uneasy or perplexed; disconcert. Thwart plans; frustrate.
disquisitions
Formal discourse, often in writing.
doit
Dutch coin, worth about half a farthing. A thing of small value.
effulgence
Brilliant radiance.
elegiac
Mourning for that which is irrecoverably past.
emoluments
Payment for an office or employment; compensation.
encomiums
Warm, glowing praise. Formal expression of praise; a tribute.
enervate
Weaken or destroy strength or vitality.
ephemeral
Lasting for a brief time. Living or lasting only for a day, as some
plants or insects.
Episcopal
Church governed by a bishop.
epithet
Term to characterize a person or thing or as a descriptive substitute
for the name or title of a person. Abusive or contemptuous word or
phrase.
erudition
Deep, extensive learning.
escutcheon
Shield-shaped emblem bearing a coat of arms. Plate inscribed with a
ship's name.
eternize
Make eternal. Protract for an indefinite period. Make perpetually
famous; immortalize.
eulogium
Formal eulogy.
evanescent
Vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor.
execration
The act of cursing. A curse. Something cursed or loathed.
exigency
Requiring much effort or immediate action. Pressing or urgent situation.
extirpate
Pull up by the roots. Destroy totally; exterminate. Remove by surgery.
fain
Happily; gladly.
garniture
Garnish; embellishment.
gratulation
To congratulate.
green withes
Cords or bowstrings used to bind Samson; Judges 16:8.
habiliments
Special dress or garb associated with an occasion or office.
hecatomb
Large-scale sacrifice; sacrifice to the ancient Greek and Roman gods of
100 oxen.
importunity
Importunate request; an insistent or pressing demand.
indefeasible
Cannot be annulled or made void.
ineffably
Incapable of being expressed; indescribable, unutterable, unspeakable,
taboo.
ingenuously
Lacking in cunning, guile, or worldliness; artless. Openly
straightforward or frank; candid.
importunate
Troublesomely urgent or persistent in requesting.
intendant
Administrative official serving a French, Spanish, or Portuguese
monarch.
Jacobin
Radical or extreme leftist. Radical republican during the French
Revolution.
meed
Fitting recompense. Merited gift or wage.
mensuration
Process of measuring. Measurement of geometric quantities.
mole
Massive stone wall constructed in the sea as a breakwater to protect an
anchorage or a harbor. Anchorage or harbor enclosed by a mole.
munificence
Liberal in giving; generous. Showing great generosity.
Nestor
Hero celebrated as an elderly and wise counselor to the Greeks at Troy
obsequies
Funeral rites or ceremonies.
octavo
Page size, from 5 by 8 inches to 6 by 9-1/2 inches, of a book composed
of printer's sheets folded into eight leaves. A book composed of octavo
pages.
odium
Strong dislike, contempt, or aversion. State of disgrace resulting from
hateful or detestable conduct.
panegyric
Formal public compliment. Elaborate praise.
parsimony
Unusual or excessive frugality; extreme economy or stinginess.
patronymic
Derived from the name of one's father or a paternal ancestor.
pertinacity
Persistent determination.
Plenipotentiary
Diplomatic agent, such as an ambassador, fully authorized to represent
his government.
Presbyterian
Church governed by elected elders.
probity
Complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness.
proconsular
Provincial governor of consular rank in the Roman Empire.
pusillanimity
Cowardice.
recusant
One of the Roman Catholics in England who incurred legal and social
penalties in the 16th century and afterward for refusing to attend
services of the Church of England. Dissenter; a nonconformist.
Sabine (River)
River flowing into the Gulf of Mexico just East of Houston, Texas.
sagacity
Discerning, sound in judgment, farsighted; wisdom.
Silesia
Region of central Europe in southwest Poland and northern Czech
Republic.
sinecure
Position or office that requires little work but provides a salary.
spoliations
Despoiling or plundering. Seizure of neutral vessels at sea by a
belligerent power in time of war.
stivers
Nickel coin used in the Netherlands and worth 1/20 of a guilder (about
0.4 Euros in 2006). Something of small value.
TETE D'ARMEE
Head of the Army.
thrall (thraldom)
Held in bondage; servitude; intellectually or morally enslaved.
tittle
Small diacritic mark, such as an accent, vowel mark, or dot over an i.
Tiniest bit; an iota.
umbrage
Offense; resentment. Something that affords shade or shade itself.
Vague indication; hint.
unction
Anointing as part of a religious, ceremonial, or healing ritual.
Ointment or oil. Something that serves to soothe; a balm. Affected or
exaggerated earnestness, especially in choice and use of language.
Unitarian
Believes in the oneness of God as opposed to the Trinity. Historic
Unitarians believed in the moral authority, but not the deity, of Jesus.
Free thinkers and dissenters, evolving their beliefs by rationalism and
humanism.
usurpation
Usurping, especially the wrongful seizure of royal sovereignty. Wrongful
seizure or exercise of authority. Encroachment.
vicissitudes
Change or variation.
vituperation
Abusive censure. Sustained, harshly abusive language.
votaries
Persons bound by vows to live a life of religious worship or service.
Devout adherents of a cult or religion. Persons fervently devoted to a
leader or ideal; faithful followers. Persons filled with enthusiasm, as
for a pursuit or hobby; enthusiasts.
[End of Transcriber's notes]
[Illustration: Portrait of John Quincy Adams.]
Engraved from a Painting by A.B. Durand.
John Quincy Adams
L I F E
AND
PUBLIC SERVICES
of
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS,
SIXTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
WITH
THE EULOGY
DELIVERED BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE OF NEW YORK.
BY WILLIAM H. SEWARD.
"THIS IS THE END OF EARTH--I AM CONTENT."
AUBURN:
DERBY, MILLER AND COMPANY.
1849.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by
DERBY, MILLER & COMPANY,
In the Clerk's Office for the Northern District of New York.
STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH,
216 WILLIAM: STREET, N.Y.
TO THE
FRIENDS OF EQUAL LIBERTY
AND HUMAN RIGHTS
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,
This Volume
IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The Publishers apologize for the delay in issuing this volume, which was
announced by them as in press, more than one year since, shortly after the
decease of its illustrious subject. Gov. Seward, in undertaking its
preparation, was well aware of the engrossing attention which his
professional duties required, but looked constantly for relaxation from
his multiplied business engagements, in the hope that he might be able to
complete the work commenced by him. It however became necessary for its
timely completion, to obtain the literary assistance of an able writer,
who has, under his auspices, completed the work. The Publishers
confidently believe, that it will in all respects, be received as a
faithful and impartial history of the Life of the "Old Man Eloquent," and
worthy a place in the library of every friend of liberty and humanity.
AUBURN, April, 1849.
PREFACE.
The claims of this volume are humble. For more than half a century JOHN
QUINCY ADAMS had occupied a prominent position before the American people,
and filled a large space in his country's history. His career was
protracted to extreme old age. He outlived political enmity and party
rancor. His purity of life--his elevated and patriotic principles of
action--his love of country, and devotion to its interests--his advocacy
of human freedom, and the rights of man--brought all to honor and love
him. Admiring legislators hung with rapture on the lips of "the Old Man
Eloquent," and millions eagerly perused the sentiments he uttered, as they
were scattered by the press in every town and hamlet of the Western
Continent. At his decease, there was a general desire expressed for a
history of his life and times. A work of this description was understood
to be in preparation by his family. It was not probable, however, that
this could appear under several years, and when published, would
undoubtedly be placed, by its size and cost, beyond the reach of the great
mass of readers. In view of these circumstances, there was an evident want
of a volume of more limited compass--a book which would come within the
means of the people generally,--and adapted not only for libraries, and
the higher classes of society, but would find its way into the midst of
those moving in the humbler walks of life. To supply this want, the
present work has been prepared. The endeavor has been made to compress
within a brief compass, the principal events of the life of Mr. Adams, and
the scenes in which he participated; and to portray the leading traits of
character which distinguished him from his contemporaries. It has been the
aim to present such an aspect of the history and principles of this
wonderful man, as shall do justice to his memory, and afford an example
which the youth of America may profitably imitate in seeking for a model
by which to shape their course through life. How far this end has been
attained, an intelligent and candid public must determine.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
The Ancestry, Birth, and Childhood of John Quincy Adams.
CHAPTER II.
John Quincy Adams studies Law--His Practice--Engages in Public Life
--Appointed Minister to the Hague.
CHAPTER III.
Mr. Adams transferred to Berlin--His Marriage--Literary Pursuits--
Travels in Silesia--Negotiates Treaties with Sweden and Prussia--
Recalled to the United States.
CHAPTER IV.
Mr. Adams' Return to the United States--Elected to the Massachusetts
Senate--Appointed U. S. Senator--Supports Mr. Jefferson--Professor of
Rhetoric and Belles Lettres--Appointed Minister to Russia.
CHAPTER V.
Mr. Adams' arrival at St. Petersburg--His Letters to his Son on the Bible--
His Religious Opinions--Russia offers Mediation between Great Britain
and the United States--Proceeds to Ghent to negotiate for Peace--
Visits Paris--Appointed Minister at St. James-Arrives in London.
CHAPTER VI.
Mr. Adams appointed Secretary of State--Arrives in the United States--
Public Dinners in New York and Boston--Takes up his Residence in
Washington--Defends Gen. Jackson in the Florida Invasion--Recognition of
South American Independence--Greek Revolution.
CHAPTER VII.
Mr. Adams' nomination to the Presidency--Spirited Presidential
Campaign--No choice by the People--Election goes to the House of
Representatives--Mr. Adams elected President--His Inauguration--Forms his
Cabinet.
CHAPTER VIII.
Charges of Corruption against Mr. Clay and Mr. Adams--Mr. Adams enters
upon his duties as President--Visit of La Fayette--Tour through the United
Slates--Mr. Adams delivers him a Farewell Address--Departs from the
United States.
CHAPTER IX.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson--Their Correspondence--Their Death--Mr.
Webster's Eulogy--John Q. Adams visits Quincy--His Speech at the Public
School Dinner in Faneuil Hall.
CHAPTER X.
Mr. Adams' Administration--Refuses to remove political opposers from
office--Urges the importance of Internal Improvements--Appoints
Commissioners to the Congress of Panama--His policy toward the Indian
Tribes--His Speech on breaking ground for the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal--Bitter opposition to his Administration--Fails of re-election to
the Presidency--Retires from office.
CHAPTER XI.
Mr. Adams' multiplied attainments--Visited by Southern Gentlemen--His
Report on Weights and Measures--His Poetry--Erects a Monument to the
memory of his Parents--Elected Member of Congress--Letter to the Bible
Society--Delivers Eulogy on Death of ex-President Monroe.
CHAPTER XII.
Mr. Adams takes his seat in Congress--His Position and Habits as a Member--
His Independence of Party--His Eulogy on the Death of ex-President James
Madison--His advocacy of the Right of Petition, and Opposition to Slavery--
Insurrection in Texas--Mr. Adams makes known its ulterior object.
CHAPTER XIII.
Mr. Adams presents Petitions for the Abolishment of Slavery--Opposition of
Southern Members--Exciting Scenes in the House of Representatives--Marks
of confidence in Mr. Adams.
CHAPTER XIV.
Mr. Adams' firmness in discharge of duty--His exertions in behalf of the
Amistad Slaves--His connection with the Smithsonian Bequest--Tour
through Canada and New York--His reception at Buffalo--Visits Niagara
Falls--Attends worship with the Tuscarora Indians--His reception at
Rochester--at Auburn--at Albany--at Pittsfield--Visits Cincinnati--
Assists in laying the Corner Stone of an Observatory.
CHAPTER XV.
Mr. Adams' Last Appearance in Public at Boston--His Health--Lectures on his
Journey to Washington--Remote Cause of his Decease--Struck with
Paralysis--Leaves Quincy for Washington for the last time--His final
Sickness in the House of Representatives--His Death--The Funeral at
Washington--Removal of the Body to Quincy--Its Interment.
EULOGY
THE LIFE OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
CHAPTER I.
THE ANCESTRY, BIRTH, AND CHILDHOOD, OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
The Puritan Pilgrims of the May-Flower landed on Plymouth Rock, and
founded the Colony of Massachusetts, on the 21st day of December, 1620.
HENRY ADAMS, the founder of the Adams family in America, fled from
ecclesiastical oppression in England, and joined the Colony at a very
early period, but at what precise time is not recorded. He erected his
humble dwelling at a place within the present town of QUINCY, then known
as MOUNT WOLLASTON, and is believed to have been an inhabitant when the
first Christian Church was gathered there in 1630. On the organization of
the town of Braintree, which comprised the place of his residence, he was
elected Clerk of the Town. He died on the eighth day of October, 1646. His
memory is preserved by a plain granite monument, erected in the
burial-ground at Quincy, by JOHN ADAMS, President of the United States,
and bearing this inscription:--
In Memory
of
HENRY ADAMS,
Who took his flight from the Dragon Persecution in Devonshire, in
England, and alighted with eight sons, near Mount Wollaston.
One of the sons returned to England, and after taking time
to explore the country, four removed to Medfield and
the neighboring towns; two to Chelmsford. One
only, Joseph, who lies here at his left hand,
remained here, who was an original pro-
prietor in the Township of Braintree,
incorporated in the year 1639.
This stone, and several others, have been placed in this yard, by a
great-great-grandson, from a veneration of the piety, humility,
simplicity, prudence, patience, temperance; frugality, industry, and
perseverance of his ancestors, in hopes of recommending an imitation of
their virtues to their posterity.
Joseph Adams, the son of Henry Adams mentioned in the above inscription,
died on the sixth of December, 1694, aged sixty-eight years. Joseph, the
next in succession, died February 12th, 1736, at the age of eighty-four
years. His son John Adams, was a Deacon of the Church at Quincy, and died
May 25th, 1761, aged seventy years. This John Adams was the father of him
who was destined to give not only undying fame to his ancient family, but
a new and powerful impulse to the cause of Human Freedom throughout the
world.
JOHN ADAMS, son of John Adams and Susannah Boylston Adams, was born at
Quincy on the nineteenth day of October (old style), 1735. He received the
honors of Harvard University in 1755, and then, in pursuance of a good old
New England custom, which made those who had enjoyed the benefits of a
public education, in turn impart those benefits to the public, he was
occupied for a time in teaching.
It ought to encourage all young men in straitened circumstances, desirous
of obtaining a profession and of rising to eminence, to know that John
Adams, who became so illustrious by talents and achievement as to lend
renown to the office of President of the United States, pursued the study
of the law under the inconveniences resulting from his occupation as an
instructor in a Grammar School.
John Adams was an eminent and successful lawyer, but it was not the design
of his existence that his talents should be wasted in the contentions of
the courts.
The British Parliament, as soon as the Colonies had attracted their
notice, commenced a system of legislation known as the Colonial System,
the object of which was to secure to the mother country a monopoly of
their trade, and to prevent their rising to a condition of strength and
independence. The effect of this system was to prevent all manufactures in
the Colonies, and all trade with foreign countries, and even with the
adjacent plantations.
The Colonies remonstrated in vain against this policy, but owing to
popular dissatisfaction, the regulations were not rigidly enforced. At
length an Order in Council was passed, which directed the officers of the
customs in Massachusetts Bay, to execute the acts of trade. A question
arose in the Supreme Court of that province in 1761, upon the
constitutional right of the British Parliament to bind the Colonies. The
trial produced great excitement. The cause was argued for the Crown by the
King's Attorney-General, and against the laws by James Otis.
It will be seen that the question thus involved was the very one that was
finally submitted to the arbitrament of arms in the American Revolution.
The speech of Otis on the occasion, was an effort of surpassing ability.
John Adams was a witness, and he recorded his opinion of it, and his
opinion of the magnitude of the question, thus:
"Otis was a flame of fire! With a promptitude of classical allusion, a
depth of research, a rapid summary of historical events and dates, a
profusion of legal authorities, a prophetic glance of his eyes into
futurity, a rapid torrent of impetuous eloquence, he hurried away all
before him. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE was then and there born. Every man of an
unusually crowded audience, appeared to me to go away ready to take up
arms against Writs of Assistance."
Speaking on the same subject, on another occasion, John Adams said that
"James Otis there and there breathed into this nation the breath of life."
From that day John Adams was an enthusiast for the independence of his
country.
In 1764 he married Abigail, daughter of the Reverend William Smith, of
Weymouth. The mother of John Quincy Adams was a woman of great beauty and
high intellectual endowments, and she combined, with the proper
accomplishments of her sex, a sweetness of disposition, and a generous
sympathy with the patriotic devotion of her illustrious husband.
In 1765, the British Parliament, in contempt of the discontent of the
Colonies, presumptuously passed the Stamp Act; a law which directed taxed
stamped paper to be used in all legal instruments in the Colonies. The
validity of the law was denied; and while Patrick Henry was denouncing it
in Virginia, James Otis and John Adams argued against it before the
Governor and Council of Massachusetts.
The occasion called forth from John Adams a "Dissertation on the Canon and
Feudal Laws,"--a work, which although it was of a general character in
regard to government, yet manifested democratic sentiments unusual in
those times, and indicated that republican institutions were the proper
institutions for the American People.
The resistance to the stamp act throughout the Colonies procured its
repeal in 1766. But the British Government accompanied the repeal with an
ungracious declaratory act, by which they asserted "that the Parliament
had, and of right ought to have, power to bind the Colonies, in all cases
whatsoever." In the next year a law was passed, which imposed duties in
the Colonies, on glass, paper, paints, and tea. The spirit of
insubordination manifested itself throughout the Colonies, and, inasmuch
as it radiated from Boston, British ships of war were stationed in its
harbor, and two regiments of British troops were thrown in the town, to
compel obedience. John Adams had now become known as the most intrepid,
zealous, and indefatigable opposer of British usurpation. The Crown tried
upon him in vain the royal arts so successful on the other side of the
Atlantic. The Governor and Council offered him the place of Advocate
General in the Court of Admiralty, an office of great value; he declined
it, "decidedly, peremptorily, but respectfully."
At this interesting crisis, JOHN QUINCY ADAMS was born, at Quincy, on the
11th of July, 1767. A lesson, full of instruction concerning the mingled
influences of piety and patriotism in New England, at that time, is
furnished to us by the education of the younger Adams. Nor can we fail to
notice that each of those virtues retained its relative power over him,
throughout his long and eventful life. He was brought into the church and
baptized on the day after that on which he was born.
John Quincy Adams, in one of his letters, thus mentions the circumstances
of his baptism:
"The house at Mount Wollaston has a peculiar interest to me, as the
dwelling of my great-grandfather, whose name I bear. The incident which
gave rise to this circumstance is not without its moral to my heart. He
was dying, when I was baptized; and his daughter, my grandmother, present
at my birth, requested that I might receive his name. The fact, recorded
by my father at the time, has connected with that portion of my name, a
charm of mingled sensibility and devotion. It was filial tenderness that
gave the name. It was the name of one passing from earth to immortality.
These have been among the strongest links of my attachment to the name of
Quincy, and have been to me, through life, a perpetual admonition to do
nothing unworthy of it."
It cannot be doubted that the character of the person from whom, in such
affecting circumstances, he derived an honorable patronymic, was an object
of emulation. John Quincy was a gentleman of wealth, education, and
influence. He was for a long time Speaker of the House of Representatives
in Massachusetts, and during many years one of His Majesty's Provincial
Council. He was a faithful representative, and throughout his public
services, a vigorous defender of the rights and liberties of the Colony.
Exemplary in private life, and earnest in piety, he enjoyed the public
confidence, through a civil career of forty years' duration.
The American Revolution was rapidly hurrying on during the infancy of John
Quincy Adams. In 1769, the citizens of Boston held a meeting in which they
instructed their representatives in the Provincial Legislature to resist
the usurpations of the British Government. John Adams was chairman of the
committee that prepared these instructions, and his associates were
Richard Dana and Joseph Warren, the same distinguished patriot who gave up
his life as one of the earliest sacrifices to freedom, in the battle of
Bunker Hill.
Those instructions were expressed in the bold and decided tone of John
Adams, and they increased the public excitement in the province, by the
earnestness with which they insisted on the removal of the British troops
from Boston.
The popular irritation increased, until on the 5th of March, 1770, a
collision occurred between the troops and some of the inhabitants of
Boston, in which five citizens were killed, and many wounded. This was
called the Bloody Massacre. The exasperated inhabitants were with
difficulty restrained from retaliating this severity by an extermination
of all the British troops. A public meeting was held, and a committee, of
which SAMUEL ADAMS was chairman, was appointed to address the Governor
(Gage), and demand that the troops should be withdrawn. John Adams
described the excitement, on a later occasion, in these words:
"Not only the immense assemblies of the people from day to day, but
military arrangements from night to night, were necessary to keep the
people and the soldiers from getting together by the ears. The life of a
red-coat would not have been safe in any street or corner of the town. Nor
would the lives of the inhabitants have been much more secure. The whole
militia of the city was in requisition, and military watches and guards
were everywhere placed. We were all upon a level. No man was exempted: our
military officers were our only superiors. I had the honor to be summoned
in my turn, and attended at the State House with my musket and bayonet, my
broadsword and cartridge-box, under the command of the famous Paddock."
The Governor withdrew the troops and sent them to the castle: the
commanding officer and some of the soldiers were arrested, and brought to
trial for murder.
John Adams, the advocate and leader of the exasperated people, was
solicited by the Government to act as counsel for the accused. The people,
in the heat of passion, would naturally identify the lawyer with his
clients, and both with the odious cause in which they served. John Adams
did not hesitate. His principle was fidelity to duty in all the relations
of life. Adams, together with Josiah Quincy, defended the accused with
ability and firmness, and the result crowned not only the advocates, but
the jury and the people of Boston with honor. Distinguishing between the
Government, upon whom the responsibility rested, and the troops who were
its agents, the jury acquitted the accused. The people sustained the
verdict; affording to Great Britain and to the world a noble proof, that
they had been well prepared by education for the trust of self-government.
The controversy between the Province of Massachusetts and the British
Government continued, and the exasperation of the Colonies became more
intense, until the destruction of the imported tea in the harbor, in
December, 1773, incensed the Ministry so highly, that they procured an act
closing the port of Boston. This act was followed by the convention of the
first American Congress at Philadelphia, on the 5th of September, 1774. As
John Adams had been the master spirit in the agitation in Massachusetts,
he was appointed one of the Delegates to the General Congress. After his
election, his friend Sewall, the King's Attorney General, labored
earnestly to dissuade him from accepting the appointment.
The Attorney General told the delegate that Great Britain was determined
on her system, that her power was irresistible, and that he, and those
with him who should persist in their designs of resistance, would be
involved in ruin.
John Adams replied, "I know Great Britain has determined on her system,
and that very determination determines me on mine. You know I have been
constant and uniform in opposition to her measures. The die is now cast. I
have passed the Rubicon. Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish
with my country is my unalterable determination."
It was these energetic and resolute expressions which Daniel Webster
wrought into so magnificent an imaginary speech, in his glowing Eulogy on
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
John Adams continued in Congress throughout the sessions of 1775 and 1776,
and on all occasions was an intrepid and earnest advocate for
Independence. On his motion, George Washington was appointed Commander in
Chief of the Army.
John Adams was the mover of Independence in the Congress. On the 6th of
May, 1776, he brought the subject before that body, by a resolution
expressed as follows:--
"Whereas it appears perfectly irreconcilable to reason and good
conscience, for the people of these Colonies now to take the oaths and
affirmations necessary for the support of any government under the crown
of Great Britain, and it is necessary that the exercise of every kind of
authority under the said crown should be totally suppressed, and all the
powers of government exerted under the authority of the people of the
Colonies for the preservation of internal peace, virtue, and good order,
as well as for the defence of their lives, liberties, and properties,
against the hostile invasion, and cruel depredations of their
enemies:--Therefore, it is recommended to the Colonies to adopt such a
government as will, in the opinion of the representatives of the people,
best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents, and of
America."
This resolution was adopted, and was followed by the appointment of a
committee, on the motion of Richard Henry Lee, seconded by John Adams, to
prepare a Declaration. This committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John
Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.
Jefferson and Adams were a sub-committee, and the former prepared the
Declaration, at the urgent request of the latter.
Jefferson bore this testimony to the ability and power of John
Adams.--"The great pillar of support to the Declaration of Independence,
and its ablest advocate and champion on the floor of the House, was John
Adams."
On the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, he wrote the
memorable letter in which he said with prophetic unction,--"Yesterday the
greatest question was decided that ever was debated in America; and
greater, perhaps, never was or will be decided among men. A resolution was
passed without one dissenting Colony, 'That the United States are, and of
right ought to be, free and independent States.' The day is passed. The
fourth day of July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history of
America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding
generations as a great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated
as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It
ought to be solemnized with pomps, shows, games, sports, guns, bells,
bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other,
from this time forward, forever. You may think me transported with
enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and
treasure, that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and
defend these States: yet through all the gloom, I can see that the end is
worth all the means; and that posterity will triumph, although you and I
may rue, which I hope we shall not."
From this time, until November 1777, John Adams was incessantly employed
in public duties in Congress, during the session of that body; and during
its recess, as a member of the State Council in Massachusetts. During this
period, John Quincy was instructed at home, by her who, in long after
years, he was accustomed to call his almost adored mother, who was aided
by a law-student in the office of his father. EDWARD EVERETT, in his
Eulogy upon John Quincy Adams, made the very striking and just remark,
that there seemed to be in his life no such stage as that of boyhood.
While yet but nine years old, he wrote to his father the following letter:
Braintree, June 2nd, 1777.
DEAR SIR,
I love to receive letters very well; much better than I love to write
them. I make but a poor figure at composition. My head is much too fickle.
My thoughts are running after bird's eggs, play and trifles, till I get
vexed with myself. Mamma has a troublesome task to keep me a studying. I
own I am ashamed of myself. I have but just entered the third volume of
Rollin's History, but designed to have got half through it by this time.
I am determined this week to be more diligent. Mr. Thaxter is absent at
Court. I have set myself a stint this week, to read the third volume half
out. If I can but keep my resolution, I may again at the end of the week
give a better account of myself. I wish, sir, you would give me in
writing, some instructions with regard to the use of my time, and advise
me how to proportion my studies and play, and I will keep them by me, and
endeavor to follow them.
With the present determination of growing better, I am, dear sir, your son,
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
P. S. Sir--If you will be so good as to favor me with a blank book, I will
transcribe the most remarkable passages I meet with in my reading, which
will serve to fix them upon my mind.
After making all just allowance for precocity of genius, we cannot but see
that the early maturity of the younger Adams proves the great advantage of
pure and intellectual associations in childhood.
The time soon arrived when John Quincy Adams was to enjoy advantages of
education such as were never afforded to any other American youth. Among
the earliest acts of the American Congress, was the appointment of
Benjamin Franklin, Silas Dean, and Arthur Lee, as Commissioners to France;
they were charged to solicit aid from France, and to negotiate a treaty,
by which the Independence of the United States should be acknowledged by
Louis Sixteenth, then at the height of his popularity. Silas Dean was
recalled in 1776, and John Adams was appointed to fill his place. He
embarked on this mission the 13th of February, 1778, in the frigate
Boston, commanded by Captain Tucker. John Adams had gone down to Quincy,
and the frigate called there to receive him on board. On the eve of
embarkation he wrote the following simple and touching letter to Mrs.
Adams:
"Uncle Quincy's,--half after 11 o'clock, 13 February, 1778.
"DEAREST OF FRIENDS,
"I had not been twenty minutes in this house, before I had the happiness
to see Captain Tucker and a midshipman coming for me. We will be soon on
board, and may God prosper our voyage in every stage of it as much as at
the beginning, and send to you, my dear children, and all my friends, the
choicest blessings!
"So wishes and prays yours, with an ardor that neither absence, nor any
other event can abate,
"JOHN ADAMS.
"P. S. Johnny sends his duty to his mamma, and his love to his sisters and
brothers. He behaves like a man."
"He behaves like a man!"--Words which gave presage of the future character
of John Quincy Adams. His education had now commenced: an education in the
principles of heroic action, by John Adams, the colossus of the American
Revolution. How devoted he was to this important charge, and with what
true philosophy he conducted it, may be seen by the following letter
written about that time by him, to Mrs. Adams:
"Human nature, with all its infirmities and depravation, is still capable
of great things. It is capable of attaining to degrees of wisdom and of
goodness which we have reason to believe appear respectable in the
estimation of superior intelligences. Education makes a greater
difference between man and man, than nature has made between man and
brute. The virtues and powers to which men may be trained, by early
education and constant discipline, are truly sublime and astonishing.
"Newton and Locke are examples of the deep sagacity which may be acquired
by long habits of thinking and study. Nay, your common mechanics and
artisans are proofs of the wonderful dexterity acquired by use; a
watchmaker, finishing his wheels and springs, a pin or needle-maker, &c. I
think there is a particular occupation in Europe, which is called paper
staining, or linen staining, A man who has long been habituated to it,
shall sit for a whole day, and draw upon paper various figures, to be
imprinted upon the paper for rooms, as fast as his eye can roll and his
fingers move, and no two of his draughts shall be alike. The Saracens, the
Knights of Malta, the army and navy in the service of the English
Republic, among many others, are instances to show to what an exalted
height, valor or bravery or courage may be raised, by artificial means.
"It should be your care therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our
children, and exalt their courage, to accelerate and animate their
industry and activity, to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness,
abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every
capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and
creep in infancy, they will grovel and creep all their lives.
"But their bodies must be hardened, as well as their souls exalted.
Without strength, and activity and vigor of body, the brightest mental
excellencies will be eclipsed and obscured.
"JOHN ADAMS."
No one can read this extraordinary letter, and compare it with the actual
character of John Quincy Adams as ultimately developed, without regarding
that character as a fulfilment, in all respects, of the prayers and
purposes of his illustrious parent.
The voyage of the American Minister was made in a time of great peril. The
naval supremacy of Great Britain was already established. Her armed ships
traversed the ocean in all directions. Captain Tucker saw a large English
ship showing a row of guns, and with the consent of the Minister, engaged
her. When hailed, she answered with a broadside. John Adams had been
requested to retire to the cockpit, but when the engagement had begun, he
was found among the marines, with a musket in his hands.
The desired treaty with France had been consummated by Dr. Franklin,
before the arrival of John Adams. After that event, Congress decided to
have but one minister in that country, and Dr. Franklin having deservedly
received the appointment, John Adams asked and obtained leave to return
home, after an absence of a year and a half. During that period the
younger Adams attended a public school in Paris, while his leisure hours
were filled with the instructions casually derived from the conversation
of John Adams, and Dr. Franklin, and other eminent intellectual persons,
by whom his father was surrounded. The improvement of the son during his
sojourn abroad is thus mentioned by John Adams, just before his
embarkation on his return to America.
"My son has had a great opportunity to see this country, but this has
unavoidably retarded his education in some other things. He has enjoyed
perfect health from first to last, and is respected wherever he goes, for
his vigor and vivacity both of mind and body; for his constant good humor,
and for his rapid progress in French, as well as in general knowledge,
which, for his age, is uncommon."
John Adams now regarded his public life as closed. He wrote to Mrs. Adams:
"The Congress, I presume, expect that I should come home, and I shall come
accordingly. As they have no business for me in Europe, I must contrive to
get some for myself at home. Prepare yourself for removing to Boston, into
the old house, for there you shall go, and I will draw writs and deeds,
and harangue juries, and be happy."
This calculation was signally erroneous, as all calculations upon personal
ease and peace by great and good men always are. He remained at home only
three months, and during that time he had other and higher occupations
than drawing writs and deeds. He was elected Delegate to the Convention
charged with the responsible and novel duty of forming a written
constitution for Massachusetts. In that body he labored with untiring
assiduity, as in Congress; the constitution thus produced was in a great
measure prepared by himself, and it is due to his memory to record the
fact, that it was among the most democratic of all the constitutions which
were adopted by the new States. The younger Adams having returned to
America with his father, had thus the advantage of seeing republican
theories brought into successful, practical application.
About this time Congress resolved on sending a Minister Plenipotentiary to
Great Britain, to negotiate, if possible, a treaty of peace. John Adams
and John Jay received each an equal number of votes. The result was the
appointment of M. Jay as Minster to Spain, and of John Adams as Minister
to the Court of St. James. He was instructed to insist on the independence
of the United States.
The younger Adams again attended the Diplomatist. They embarked in the
French frigate La Sensible, on the 17th of November, 1779.
The frigate sprang a leak, and was obliged to put into the port nearest at
hand, which proved to be Ferrol in Spain. They disembarked on the 11th of
December, and traversed the intervening distance to Paris over land, a
journey of a thousand miles. This journey was performed through the
mountains on mules. Spain, as well as France, was then in alliance with
America, and the minister was everywhere received with respect and
kindness. The French officers at Ferrol wore cockades in honor of the
Triple Alliance, combining a white ribbon for the French, a red one for
the Spanish, and a black one for the Americans.
The United Powers proposed demands which were ominous of disappointment to
the Minister.--On the 12th of December he wrote:--"It is said that England
is as reluctant to acknowledge the independence of America, as to cede
Gibraltar, the last of which is insisted upon, as well as the first."
The travellers reached Paris about the middle of February, 1780. John
Adams mentioned a singular coincidence in his letter announcing their
arrival. "I have the honor to be lodged here with no less a personage than
the Prince of Hesse-Cassel, who is here upon a visit. We occupy different
apartments in the same house, and have no intercourse with each other, to
be sure; but some wags are of opinion, that if I were authorised to open
a negotiation with him, I might obtain from him as many troops to fight on
our side of the question, as he has already hired to the English against
us!"
The American Revolution has wrought wonderful changes since that day. No
German Prince could now send a man, or a musket, to war against its
principles.
John Adams soon discovered that there was no prospect of success for his
mission to England. He remained at Paris until August, 1780, and during
the interval his son was kept at an academy in that city.
At the expiration of that period the Minister repaired to Holland, and
there received instructions to negotiate a loan, and then a treaty of
amity and commerce with the states of that country. The younger Adams
while in Holland was placed at school, first at Amsterdam, and afterwards
in the University of Leyden.
A letter of the father, dated at Amsterdam, 18th December, 1780, gives us
a glimpse of the system of instruction approved by him, and a pleasant
view of the principles which he deemed it important to be inculcated.
"I have this morning sent Mr. Thaxter with my two sons to Leyden, there
to take up their residence for some time, and there to pursue their
studies of Latin and Greek under the excellent masters, and there to
attend lectures of the celebrated professors in that University. It is
much cheaper there than here. The air is infinitely purer, and the company
and conversation are better. It is perhaps as learned a University as any
in Europe.
"I should not wish to have children educated in the common schools of this
country, where a littleness of soul is notorious. The masters are mean
spirited wretches, pinching, kicking, and boxing the children upon every
turn. There is, besides, a general littleness, arising from the incessant
contemplation of stivers and doits, which pervades the whole people.
"Frugality and industry are virtues everywhere, but avarice and stinginess
are not frugality. The Dutch say, that without a habit of thinking of
every doit before you spend it, no man can be a good merchant, or conduct
trade with success.
"This, I believe, is a just maxim in general; but I would never wish to
see a son of mine govern himself by it. It is the sure and certain way for
an industrious man to be rich. It is the only possible way for a merchant
to become the first merchant, or the richest man in the place. But this is
an object that I hope none of my children will ever aim at. It is indeed
true everywhere, that those who attend to small expenses are always rich.
"I would have my children attend to doits and farthings as devoutly as
the merest Dutchman upon earth, if such attention was necessary to support
their independence. A man who discovers a disposition and a design to be
independent, seldom succeeds. A jealousy arises against him. The tyrants
are alarmed on the one side, lest he should oppose them: the slaves are
alarmed on the other, lest he should expose their servility. The cry from
all quarters is, 'He is the proudest man in the world: He cannot bear to
be under obligation.'
"I never in my life observed anyone endeavoring to lay me under particular
obligation to him, but I suspected he had a design to make me his
dependent, and to have claims upon my gratitude. This I should have no
objection to, because gratitude is always in one's power. But the danger
is, that men will expect and require more of us than honor, and innocence,
and rectitude will permit us to perform.
"In our country, however, any man, with common industry and prudence, may
be independent."
One cannot turn over a page of the domestic history of John Adams, without
finding a precept or example, the influence of which is manifested in the
character of his illustrious son. Thus he writes to Mrs. Adams, touching
certain calumnies which had been propagated against him:--
LIFE OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 39
"Do n't distress yourself about any malicious attempts to injure me in
the estimation of my countrymen. Let them take their course, and go the
length of their tether. They will never hurt your husband, whose character
is fortified with a shield of innocence and honor, ten thousand-fold
stronger than brass or iron. The contemptible essays, made by you know
whom, will only tend to their own confusion. My letters have shown them
their own ignorance, a sight they could not bear. Say as little about it
as I do. I laugh, and will laugh before all posterity, at their impotent
rage and envy."
In July, 1781, Francis Dana, who had attended John Adams as Secretary of
Legation, was appointed Minister to Russia. John Quincy Adams, then
fourteen years old, was appointed Private Secretary of this mission. He
remained at that post fourteen months, performing its duties with entire
satisfaction to the minister. The singular ripeness of the youthful
secretary was shown in his travelling alone, on his return from St.
Petersburgh, by a journey leisurely made, and filled with observations of
Sweden, Denmark, Hamburgh, and Bremen. On arriving in Holland, he resumed
his studies at the Hague.
John Adams, having completed his mission in Holland, was soon charged,
together with Dr. Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, with the duty of
negotiating a definitive treaty of peace with Great Britain. The treaty
was executed at Paris on the 30th of November, 1783, and was ratified
January 14th, 1784. The younger Adams enjoyed the satisfaction of being
present at the conclusion of the treaty; and while it was under process of
negotiation, he was constantly favored with opportunities of listening to
the instructive conversation of Franklin and Jefferson.
The negotiation of the treaty was dilatory in the extreme. It was
embarrassed with French intrigues, great carelessness at home, and greater
reluctance on the part of England. The wearied Minister wrote to Mrs.
Adams on the 30th of May, 1783: "Our son is at the Hague, pursuing his
studies with great ardor. They give him a good character wherever he has
been, and I hope he will make a good man." On the 9th of June he wrote in
these homely, but manly words: "I am weary, worn, and disgusted to death.
I had rather chop wood, dig ditches, and make fence upon my poor little
farm. Alas, poor farm! and poorer family! what have you lost that your
country might be free! and that others might catch fish and hunt deer and
bears at their ease!
"There will be as few of the tears of gratitude, or the smiles of
admiration, or the sighs of pity for us, as for the army. But all this
should not hinder me from going over the same scenes again, upon the same
occasions--scenes which I would not encounter for all the wealth, pomp,
and power of the world. Boys! if you ever say one word, or utter one
complaint, I will disinherit you. Work! you rogues, and be free. You will
never have so hard work to do as papa has had. Daughter! get you an honest
man for a husband, and keep him honest. No matter whether he is rich,
provided he be independent. Regard the honor and the moral character of
the man, more than all circumstances. Think of no other greatness but that
of the soul, no other riches but those of the heart."
After concluding the treaty of peace, John Adams, together with Franklin
and Jay, was charged with the duty of negotiating a treaty of commerce
with Great Britain, and John Adams, taking his son John Quincy with him,
proceeded to London, and took up his residence at the British Court. Mrs.
Adams embarked in June, 1781, to join her husband.
John Adams was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the same Court in
1785, and thus he, who ten years before, when a subject, in the province
of Massachusetts, had said, "I know that Great Britain has determined upon
her system, and that very determination determines me on mine,"--was the
first Representative of his independent country admitted to an audience by
the discomfited majesty of the Imperial States. The occasion was adapted
to excite profound emotions, though of different kinds, in each party.
John Adams addressed the King thus:--
"The United States of America have appointed me their Minister
Plenipotentiary to your Majesty, and have directed me to deliver to your
Majesty this letter, which contains the evidence of it. It is in
obedience to their express commands, that I have the honor to assure your
Majesty of their unanimous disposition and desire to cultivate the most
liberal and friendly intercourse between your Majesty's subjects and their
citizens; and of their best wishes for your Majesty's health and
happiness, and for that of your royal family.
"The appointment of a Minister from the United States to your Majesty's
Court, will form an epoch in the history of England and of America. I
think myself more fortunate than all my fellow citizens, in having the
distinguished honor to be the first to stand in your Majesty's royal
presence, in a diplomatic character; and I shall esteem myself the
happiest of men, if I can be instrumental in recommending my Country more
and more, to your Majesty's royal benevolence, and of restoring an entire
esteem, confidence and affection, or in better words, 'the old good
nature, and the old good harmony,' between people, who, though separated
by an ocean, and under different governments, have the same language, a
similar religion, and kindred blood. I beg your Majesty's permission to
add, that although I have sometimes before been intrusted by my country,
it was never, in my whole life, in a manner so agreeable to myself."
George III. replied with dignity, but not without some manifestations of
excitement:--
"The circumstances of this audience are so extraordinary, the language you
have now held is so extremely proper, and the feelings you have discovered
so justly adapted to the occasion, that I must say that I not only receive
with pleasure the assurances of the friendly disposition of the People of
the United States, but I am very glad the choice has fallen upon you to be
their Minister. I wish you, sir, to believe, and that it may be understood
in America, that I have done nothing in the late contest, but what I
thought myself indispensably bound to do, by the duty which I owed my
people. I will be frank with you--I was the last to conform to the
separation, but the separation having been made, and having become
inevitable, I have always said, as I say now, that I would be the first to
meet the friendship of the United States, as an independent power.
"The moment I see such sentiments and language as yours prevail, and a
disposition to give this country the preference, that moment I shall say,
let the circumstances of language, religion and blood have their natural
and full effect."
The kindly feelings expressed by the King, were, however, comparatively,
only the language of ceremony, for the British Ministry, and the British
people, did not regard the new republic with favor. But they could not
withhold the exhibition of reluctant respect.
It was at such a time as this, and in such circumstances, that John Quincy
Adams surveyed, from a new position, the colossal structure of British
power, and the workings of its combined systems of conservative
aristocracy, and progressive democracy. It was here that he imbibed new
veneration for Russell, Sidney, Hampden, and Milton, its republican
patriots; for Shakspeare, Dryden, and Pope, its immortal poets; and for
Addison and Johnson, its moralists; here he learned from Wilberforce the
principles of political philanthropy, as well as the patience and
perseverance to defend them, and studied eloquence by the living models of
Pitt, Fox, Erskine, Burke, and Sheridan.
This, indeed, was a fitting conclusion to a precocious education by the
patriots and philosophers of his own country, with practical observations
in the courts of Spain and the Netherlands, of the weak but amiable Louis
XVI., and the accomplished, but depraved, Catharine II.
John Quincy Adams now became fearful that the duties of manhood would
devolve upon him without his having completed the necessary academic
studies. He therefore obtained leave to return home in 1785, at the age of
eighteen years, and entered Cambridge University, at an advanced standing,
in 1786. He graduated in 1788 with deserved honors.