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=**John Quincy Adams**=

Birth Date: July 11, 1767 Death Date: February 23, 1848 Political Parties: Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, Anti-Masonic, Whig Term of Office: (1825-1829) Vice President: John C. Calhoun

---John Q. Adams from the get go was a shaky candidate for the presidency. In actuality Andrew Jackson had the popular vote, yet was 32 votes shy of prevailing in the Electoral College. When the people could not decide on a clear cut President, the House of Rep. got the call to choose one. Here is where a man named Henry Clay came into the discussion; he strongly supported Adams for the presidency and using his influence prevailed in his choice. Although not proven through facts, many believe there to have been a "corrupt bargain agreement" between the two men, because after his acceptance into office, Adams named Clay Secretary of State. All this being said, Adams like his father was an honest man who firmly believed in upholding the Constitution. Though he may have not much during his Presidency, what he did, although controversial, was actually greatly beneficial for the country. His ideas on "internal improvements," and belief in the American System lead me to give him a grade of B. ---Adams main goals while in office was to uphold the American System which consisted of protective tariffs, strong banking system and a network of roads and canals. Adams was actually quite successful in delivering his goals. His nationalistic approach led him to believe that he in his own power would do whatever it took to develop the country. He essentially transformed the United States into a modern industrialized nation. He promptly assigned the United States Army to begin developing the railroads for the country. At the time no such things existed! He assigned the Army engineers at West Point to survey, research and design railroads. This led to the planning of 60 various railroads! During the development of railroads and tracks, he launched a new-era of canal building. The canals were especially useful because they connected vast areas of lands to each other. He really stuck to his Whig roots here, with their belief being there needed to be "internal improvements" in the country as mentioned before. The Bank of the United States at the time marketed the railroads issued. The nation's bank marketed those bonds, with private cooperation, to build up the country. The last goal of the American System was to set protective tariffs in place. These tariffs were greatly objected by the South, who really weren't a industrialized region at the time. It actually hurt them, because they could not sell their goods and make profit, while buying taxed imports. His support in the "Abominable Tariff of 1828" may have cost him some popularity amongst voters. Adams being opposed to slavery, did not hurt his resentment in South either! Yet, he and nationalist Secretary of State Henry Clay passed protective tariffs in 1824 and 1828 that favored the "manufacturing society" that America was. This being said, his relationship with Congress was far from a "love marriage." Congress in fact blocked many of his proposals on "internal improvements," as wells as his foreign initiatives. ---Adams decision to impose "internal improvements" were probably his greatest feat while in office. It greatly aided trade and provided easier means of transportation from one part of the country to another. Although there were split views at the time about these improvements, it really did pay off in the end and industrialized a country that strongly needed to be. Questions to whether tax money should be being spent on making roads, railroads and canals really were biased because in actuality they provided the country with much needed profit. The single most negative decision Adams made that hurt his presidency was his decision not to remove people in office that opposed him, neither input people in office who supported him, basically shying away from Jefferson's Spoils System. This really hurt some of the decisions that needed to be made at the time, due to the fact that Congress really didn't support him. ---Adams policies and ideas while in office were greatly influential in the future presidencies. His beliefs on "internal improvements," and a industrialized nation really helped the U.S. develop into one of the most powerful countries in the World. Many of his proposals were actually rejected while he was in office, but later approved. He was criticized for being a "strict constructor" of the Constitution, but in the end that is what led him to hold such firm ideals as President. Many call his presidency a failure, but I see it as a success, therefore earning him a grade of B.


 * WORKS CITED**

Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. __The American Pageant__. 12th ed. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.

Miller, William L. "John Quincy Adams." 1996. The School of Cooperative Individualism. 9 Oct. 2008 .

Chaitkin, Anton. "John Quincy Adams and Universal America." Oct. 1998. Executive Intelligence Review. 9 Oct. 2008 .

"American President An Online Reference Resource John Q. Adams." Miller Center Public Affairs. 2008. University of Virginia. 17 Sep. 2008. 