Kurt+-+JQA+-+F08

=John Quincy Adams=


 * Birth Date: July 11, 1767
 * Death Date: February 28, 1848
 * Political Parties: Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, Anti-Masonic, Whig
 * Date of Term: March 4, 1825- March 4, 1828
 * Vice President: John C. Calhoun

John Quincy Adams despite the fact that he was elected in a what some call a "corrupt" election turned out to be an ok president. Some of the things done by Quincy Adams that made him an ok President was his pushing for building more roads and canals for the people to gain easier access to the west. What brought him down a little was the tariff passed in 1828. Taking all of this into consideration I would have to give John Quincy Adams a C.

Quincy Adams during his presidency was looking to push forth his nationalistic views that were no longer common amongst the people in the country and to push forward his ideas of the American System. John Q. Adams was a huge enthusiast for internal improvements in the government and believed it was his duty as president to make roads and canals more available for easier transportion to and from the west. By buliding these systems of roads, railroads, and canals the Bank of the United States was able to prosper becuase it marketed the operations. His ideas did not go over so well in Congress because many people were not so fond of him after he struck the "corrupt bargain." Despite all this he hired engineers to look over all the parts of his internal imporvements throught the country. Along with his idea of the American System was a protective tariff in the country. He got his wish in 1828 when the "Tariff of Abominations" was passed. This unfortunately was not very popular in the South because it was geared towards the more industrialized Northern economy who could produce much more and therefore not be so affected by the tariff.

The relationship John Quincy Adams would not exactly be referred to as "peachy." He was in the minority party at the time of his presidency and a moajority of his ideas were shot down in Congress becuase they felt he was not deserving of the presidency. Due to the strong Jacksonian influence in the Congress he was unable to pass any legislation regarding his national economic program and it was very hard for him to push forth his want for internal improvement in the government. One thing he was able to pass in Congress was the tariff of 1828 which in the end did not turn out so well because they negative effect it had on the Southern economy.

The most successfull thing that John Quincy Adams accomplished in his four year presidency was the construction of a system of roads, canals, and railroads. Because of this the West was able to recieve and transport goods easier throughout the country and become more involved with the prosperous econmy of the North. This system also made it easier for people to move out and settle in the West easier. The most unsuccessfull thing that Adams did during his presidency was the passing of the tariff of 1828. This had such a negative impact because it was greatly favoring the more industrialized Northern economy who could produce thier own goods unlike the South who had to rely on the North for a majoity of thier products.

The thing John Quincy Adams did the left a lasting impact on future presidencies was the transportation syatem he was able to implement while he was in office. This allowed trade to flow more freely between the North and the West and helped the Western economy become more stable and adapt better to the more industrial economy that was developing in the United States at the time.

Unfortunately for the John Quincy Adam and his followers the nation was in fact better off after he was out of office and Jackson became president like he should have four years earlier. The only thing keeping him from getting a worse grade in my book was the fact he was able to better unite the country through a new transportation system and that is why I would have to give a C for his presidency.

Works Cited

Biography of John Quincy Adams." __The White House__. The White House. 9 Oct.2008 http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ja6.html.

Hargreaves, Mary. "John Quincy Adams." __American President__. 1 Jan. 2008. Miller Center of Puclic Affairs: University of Virginia. 9 Oct. 2008 http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/jqadams.

Howe, Charles. "John Quincy Adams". Unitarian Universalist Historical Society. October 9, 2008 http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/johnquincyadams.html.

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