How could one man be what some consider the most talented Secretary of State there was and also be a disappointing president? John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of America, was a brilliant secretary of state but proved to be the wrong man for president. However, he was an amazingly skilled individual who worked hard in any position. He once said, “Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” He definitely lived by this rule, as he worked hard to improve America, making many improvements, such as the Monroe Doctrine, settling border disputes, and improving foreign relations. Despite his unsuccessful presidency, his brilliance and forward thinking is still remembered. …show more content…
However, Abigail Adams was very strict with her parenting and wanted to guide her children towards virtue (Nagel, 9). While this was hard due to John Adam’s absence, Abigail used letters from their father to teach her children good morals. Every Adam’s child looked up to their father, especially John Adams. Because his father was his role model, John Quincy picked up many of his traits. These included determination, a fierce independence, and stubbornness. This was also due to his parents’ strict and proper parenting values. They made John Quincy into a very virtuous and moral person and such a young age. While his father was gone, he took it upon himself to be the man of the house, taking it in his hands to protect his family and help his mother with his siblings even though he was around the age of 10. “(He felt) responsible—as the eldest son—for protecting his mother while his father attended to the business of revolution” (John Quincy Adams: Life Before the Presidency). He looked up to his father greatly and wanted to fill his role as much as possible. His sense of responsibility and good work ethic started at a young age and would stay with him his whole life. He was educated by his father’s diplomats, tutors, and Abigail, and excelled in all courses including Latin and history. John Quincy enjoyed intellectual challenges and used his mind only for work, as he thought, “My thoughts are running after birds eggs, play, and trifles” (Nagel, 11). He felt the need to
In the letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams encourages him to use his experiences, knowledge gained from his travels, and guidance brought forth by his own loving mother and father. The intended purpose of the letter is to assure and remind John Quincy that he was fortunate to be raised with many opportunities, benefits which he should apply to become a virtuous and well-regarded person. Abigail Adams implements an analogy and an allusion to historical figures to create an inspiring and supportive voice to present to her son her expectations as well as her faith and confidence in him to utilize what he had learned from the world and his own mother’s nurturing to fulfill those expectations and transform into the great man and
Abigail Adams was a woman of high character and a loving soul. She was selfless in her thinking and remarkable in the way she handled people. Her management skills were above average for the normal female in the 1700s. She held many worldly interests that tied her to the political fashion of society. She was well cultured and was able to apply this to her role of a politician’s wife with great attributes towards society. She became the “buffer” with regard to her husband's temper and lack of diplomacy. She participated in many political activities. Her independent thinking, character, faithfulness, and hard work gave her the ability to succeed in society in the 17th century. Even though Abigail Adams was not formerly
Adams establishes her credibility by not only being John Quincy Adams mother, but by also being the wife of the soon-to-be President of the United States. Her ethos helps reassure John that he is following the right path because he is following his mother’s advice. With her ethos, she clearly expresses how important his travels are, but she won’t have to worry about him not listening or not following her advice. She is able to put in the allusion to the past without it sounding like a lecture. She uses her pathos to encourage her son, knowing that the respect at the end of his travels would be worth the
The personal lives of Washington and Adams were quite different in their families and the atmosphere of their homes. Before Washington was president he married Martha Washington who had two kids Jack and Patscy from her past marriage. Washington thought it was his job as a father to always be there for his kids. He was very generous in spending and providing everything they needed. “Additionally he was very stern when it came to education; he had his son Jack involved in courses like French, arithmetic, and multiple philosophy courses” (Knollenberg 74). The atmosphere of Washington’s home was very southern. He was from Virginia and owned a good amount slaves. He was also a great farmer as he attempted to get his kids involved with
John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, on the family farm in the North Precinct of Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the second of five children to his parents John and Susanna Boylston Adams. John's father was his role model because he wasn't only a farmer by trade, but he also took on many other time consuming jobs around the community to help others. Everyone in his hometown in some way dealt with him because he owned the titles of: the deacon of the church, selectman, tax collector, constable, and the lieutenant of the militia. John's mother was from a very wealthy Boston family, but infamous for having a bad temper. She remarried in 1766 following the death of John's father five years earlier due to the flu epidemic. John
John Adams was born on October 30, 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts. He died July 4, 1826. He had two brothers, Peter and Elihu. John Adams loved books and reading. He loved to write and to talk about history. He liked swimming, walking and billiards. He had silkworms and an alligator for his pets. Adam 's’ parents were Susanna Boylston and John Adams. His mother was notable in society and his father was a farmer, town councilman and deacon. John Adams attended Harvard University where he studied law in his senior year. After college, John Adams opened his own law firm in Braintree. He married
Abigail Adams was a wise and educated woman that had one wonderful but challenging life. Like any other women in the 1700s, she grew up to become someone’s wife, bear children and live in the private life of her husband’s house. Abigail has a slightly different story than other women though. She grew up with her sisters and brother and had a tutor so they became literate, which was not a thing for women. Educated men didn’t want a wife that was smart, they wanted someone to take care of them and the children and just about nothing else. In the following paragraphs we will talk about who the author is, a back story of who Abigail is, and the thesis of the book as a whole.
John Adams was born on October 30th, 1735 (History.com). Adams was the oldest of three sons and his father was a shoemaker/farmer and an official for the local government (History.com). John Adams was a very hard working student and his hard work payed off when he graduated from Harvard in 1755 (History.com). In the beginning Adams taught for many years and then went on to study law (History.com). John Adams went on to marry Abigail Smith in 1764 and they decided to have six children throughout the years (History.com). When Adams started his law career in 1758, he because an outstanding attorney in Boston (History.com).
John Adams was many things in his long and illustrious career. He was a lawyer, diplomat, farmer, Vice President and President. He is most well-known for being the second president. He did some good things and some bad things. Although the four years of John Adams’ presidency were quiet and somewhat forgotten, his successes in foreign policy and his control no doubt outweighed his failures in the Sedition Act and with his cabinet, in part to his background and characteristics.
In conclusion, Abigail Adams composes a letter to her son proposing that he step up and take command to follow in the footsteps of his father. Justifying her claims with metaphors, litotes, rhetorical questions and ties everything together with her use of inspirational dictions as she signs off on the letter. These elements worked well together and Adams did achieve her goal in writing as her son, John Quincey Adams, will go on to become the president of the United States (who will continue to be discussed in history books to
Presidency is one of the toughest jobs in world. As a president one has to be mindful of everyone's needs, and try to accommodate them as best as possible. Not only are they under constant scrutiny with their country, they are also watched by the people of power in other countries. Having the weight of the world is enough to drive any sane person mad. That it is why when reflecting on John Adams presidency, thinking about some of the duties and hardships that come with being the president, the biases that one may have in the beginning may fade to the background.
Withey’s book also includes much information about the politics and government of the time, while also painting a portrait of Abigail Adams as an intelligent, resourceful, and outspoken woman, as well as involving details of her domestic life, with excerpts from multiple letters that she and John wrote to each other. The reader is able to read these passages and understand the public and reserved sides of Abigail Adams, who was both a believer in the emancipation of slavery and an early feminist, and had advised her husband of keeping women in mind while he
Abigail Smith Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, on November 11, 1744. She was born to Elizabeth Quincy Smith and Reverend William Smith. Her father, being a reverend, taught her to respect God and help others in any way she could. Schools of this time were only accepting boys at this time and girls were to be instructed at home. Abigail was not satisfied with the limited education so she began the read books from her father’s library. Smith encouraged his daughter to learn. He wanted her to get to learn and have the same opportunities as boys. Still, Abigail longed to be formally educated. Abigail as a young girl visited her grandfather’s plantation quiet often. On her frequent visits her grandfather’s, Colonel John Quincy, sense of
Abigail Adams faced many hardships throughout her life. She was the daughter of a minister and had two sisters and a brother. In the 1700’s, children did not have a high survival rate due to the amount of diseases and nothing to treat them with. Abigail Adams said in her old age that she “was always sick” (Akers 5). This reminds people how tough life was in the 1700’s and how easy it was to pass away from a mere cold. Abigail also did not have any education growing up. Women, in the colonial era, were not supposed to have an education and were supposed to watch the kids, cook, and clean. Readers of this book learn that many women back then were illiterate and were self-taught, if they had any education. Abigail did find a love for literature due to her sister’s spouse, Richard Cranch. He influenced her love for literature at a young age and she started to become more literate. Along with the disease and educational deficiency, women were considered as property. A young woman could either give up
Given the position of Secretary of the State, I would lead the operations of international relations, diplomatic missions, foreign policy of the United States, and other diplomatic efforts. (U.S. Department of State, 2014). In this duty position I report directly to the President, my recommendations would be to bring the troops home, as a sign that we are moving in the direction of becoming a peaceful nation. Given that we have a large military overseas it would send a message that we are willing to start negotiating peacefully and not forcefully. In 2007, the research from the Worldwide Network of US Military Bases: The Global Deployment of US Military Personnel revealed that personnel accumulated 325,000 in foreign countries not including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Dufour, 2007). The numbers are staggering: