Description
In this masterful biography, historian Randall B. Woods peels back the many layers of John Quincy''s long life, exposing a rich and complicated family saga and a political legacy that transformed the American Republic. Born the first son of John and Abigail Adams, he was pressured to follow in his father''s footsteps in both law and politics. His boyhood was spent amid the furor of the American Revolution, and as a teen he assisted his father on diplomatic missions in Europe, hobnobbing with monarchs and statesmen, dining with Ben Franklin, sitting by Voltaire at the opera. He received a world class education, becoming fluent in Latin, Greek, German and French. His astonishing intellect and poise would lead to a diplomatic career of his own, in which he''d help solidify his fledgling nation''s standing in the world. He was intertwined with every famous American of his day, from Washington to Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, Jackson, Calhoun, Clay, and Webster. He was on stage, frequently
