Overview

As a Harvard alumnus, diplomat, US President, member of Congress and attorney before the Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams had a unique relationship with slavery. Prickly and curmudgeonly, he danced with abolitionists, but never became one himself. However, Adams did harbour an intense hatred for the arguments of Southern slaveholders, and eventually found himself in the centre of America's greatest struggle.Informed by Adams's revealing and often tormented musings from his vast diary, this sweeping narrative offers a unique and gripping account of John Quincy Adams's battle with slavery, while exploring the many fault lines in American society that led to the Civil War. Also included are the dramatic showdowns on the floors of the House of Representatives and Supreme Court, as well as Adams's attempts at outsmarting Southern politicians and his efforts to keep slavery at the forefront of Congressional activities.

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9781476693293

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Reviews

“Others have written about John Quincy Adams and slavery, but none have gone as deeply, or more expertly, than Denman....John Quincy Adams does not lack for biographers...Denman, however, looking through the lens of slavery, provides us with a fresh and nuanced view of this politician and statesman....Diaries and letters abound and Denman has probed and utilized these sources with extraordinary care.” - Dr. William H. Fowler, Distinguished Historian Emeritus, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, author of Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763

Author Information

Jeffrey A. Denman is a retired American history and geography teacher from the Brookline Public Schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. He is the author of two books and multiple articles.

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