‘John ​​Quincy Adams’ gives the sixth president’s life the scope and significance it deserves – Winnipeg Free Press

To be clear, Randall Woods’ John Quincy Adams: A Man for All the People is not a leisurely read for the beach or the airport. At more than 700 pages, Woods’ biography of the sixth president is massive in both length and scope.

But this is exactly the kind of book that Adams deserves for his life and legacy, which extends far beyond his time as commander in chief and includes his years as a diplomat, senator, and congressman. Readers may put the book down feeling like it could easily have been a multi-volume series.

Woods, a history professor at the University of Arkansas, skilfully paints a portrait of a president whose life was marked by contradictions. Like his father, Adams despised politics but spent his life in public service. His advocacy for the nation’s expansion came at the expense of the spread of slavery.

The most compelling sections of the book actually focus on his years outside the White House, including his years in Congress after his presidency, where he became an ally – albeit tenuous – of the abolitionists and a staunch opponent of the “gag rule” in the House of Representatives that prevented discussion of slavery.

It also shows the influence that Adams’ father, the nation’s second president, and the other Founding Fathers had on his view of the country and public service.

The biography examines Adams’ relationships with historical figures, from Andrew Jackson to Daniel Webster. But even more revealing are his personal relationships, particularly with his family, as Woods reveals the stresses that came with his years of service.