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 John Quincy Adams July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848 Political Party: Democratic-Republican Term of Office: March 4, 1825-March 3, 1829 Vice President: John C. Calhoun John Quincy Adams was one of the lesser Presidents of America. He came into office through the “corrupt bargain” resulting in unpopular views of him to start off his presidency. Because the majority of outcomes in Adams’ presidency were negative, he deserves a “C-.” Adams deserves a “C-” because of his poor relationship with Congress, his domestic polices, and his failure to create foreign polices.
 * Thesis **

John Quincy Adams had many goals for his presidency. His first objective was to construct roads and canals. He achieved this goal by creating the Chesapeake and Ohio (C & O) Canal which stretched 185 miles. He also proposed the extension of the Cumberland Road. Another goal of Adams’ was to have America lead in the growth of the arts and sciences. He was successful in this as well by establishing a national university. In addition, Adams encouraged federal support of an astronomical observatory. However, these were unpopular plans in the views of the common man who felt public funds were being wasted.
 * Goals **

John Quincy Adams had a poor relationship with Congress. Adams was put into office through the “corrupt bargain.” After none of the running candidates (Henry Clay, William H. Crawford, Andrew Jackson, and John Quincy Adams) were able to acquire the required amount of electoral votes, the President was then to be chosen by the House of Representatives. Henry Clay (after being eliminated from the presidential running), was able to throw the election to the candidate of his choosing since he was the Speaker of the House. He chose John Quincy Adams. Many Congressmen were bitter at the defeat of Andrew Jackson in the “corrupt bargain.” This led to an uneasy connection between Adams and Jackson’s (Democratic) supporters in Congress. Following the passing of the Tariff of 1828, Jackson supporters in Congress looked to take advantage of the tariff in order to humiliate Adams and benefit Jackson in the upcoming election. These Jacksonian Congressmen nicknamed the bill the Tariff of Abomination, to gain support for Jackson. An additional reason for the poor relationship between Adams and Congress was his failure to assemble support in Congress and refusing to dismiss current officeholders who disagreed with his polices. Those Congressmen who opposed Adams prevented him from being successful. He was unable to get anything accomplished because of this drawback. The Tariff of 1828 was the main piece of legislation passed during Adams’ presidency. Additionally, Adams never vetoed a bill.
 * Relationship with Congress **

There were very few positive outcomes that resulted from John Quincy Adams’ presidency. The most positive outcome of John Quincy Adams’ presidency was the internal improvements he made to the nation. Adams was interested in constructing roads and canals which he was able to do. In 1828, the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal began. The canal provided an economical trade route between the eastern seas and the trans-Allegheny West. Adams also proposed the extension of the Cumberland Road which connected Cumberland Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois. Another positive effect that resulted from John Quincy Adams’ presidency was the Tariff of 1828. Although this tariff is viewed in a negative light, it in fact was beneficial to the North. By increasing the general tariff, the prices of manufactured goods in the North went up. Ultimately, the North prospered due to the Tariff of 1828.
 * Positive Outcomes**

There were multiple negative outcomes in John Quincy Adams’ presidency. One of the most negative results, in the perspective of the South, was the Tariff of 1828 (Tariff of Abominations). New England textile manufacturers urged Congress and Adams for a higher protective tariff due to the fact that Britain was undercutting American prices. Therefore, the Tariff of 1828 was passed. Although the North favored the protective tariff, it enraged southerners. Southerners were large customers of northern manufactured goods because they had no factories of their own; therefore they were hard hit by the tariff. Southerners turned and sold their goods in the world market which was unprotected by tariffs; however, they were still forced to purchase manufactured goods from the North in the American market. Thus, the economy of the South suffered from the Tariff of 1828. Another damaging aspect of Adams’ presidency was his failure to replace federal officeholders with individuals who supported his views. Adams encountered further disappointments when he unsuccessfully tried to obtain Texas from Mexico through peaceful measures, as well as convince Britain to permit America additional trade with the West Indies. Adams also failed to create foreign polices which added another negative to his presidency. Adams’ land policy was also unpopular. Westerners, looking to move west, wanted the Indians off the land. Adams’ methods to acquire Indian lands through peaceful means were disliked, losing him many supporters.
 * Negative Outcomes **

The Tariff of 1828 that John Quincy Adams passed influenced the future administration of Andrew Jackson. Following Adams’ passing of the Tariff of 1828, Jackson (the succeeding president) passed the Tariff of 1832. This protective tariff resulted in the same resentment from the south as had the previous tariff. This time however, the South (John C. Calhoun) drew up the South Carolina Exposition. This document presented by the South declared that if they were forced to pay the tariff, they would secede from the Union. Although this idea of secession was dealt with, it still presented an issue in the administration of Andrew Jackson. Therefore, the Tariff of 1828 that John Quincy Adams passed impacted future administrations.
 * Future Impact **

In conclusion, America could have done without the presidency of John Quincy Adams. The nation wasn’t necessarily worse off after Adams’ presidency but it also didn’t greatly benefit either. Adams had few accomplishments during his term as President. He was able to make internal improvements to the nation such as directing the constructing of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and proposing the extension of the Cumberland Road. Additionally, Adam’s passed the Tariff of 1828 which benefited the North by increasing the tax on manufactured goods, and gained the northerners profit. The tariff did more bad than it did good; however, because it hurt the South who had no industries to produce manufactured goods. Adams’ struggle to gain the land of Texas through peaceful means, as well as increase trade with the British West Indies failed. Therefore, because of the few positives and majority of negatives of his presidency, John Quincy Adams deserves a “C-” for his term as President.
 * Conclusion **

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