Adams was a Federalist and served in the administrations of all the presidents that preceded him. He was Secretary of State under James Monroe, his predecessor as president. He began his service when he was just 27 in 1794 when he was named United States Minister to the Netherlands by President Washington.
Adams led the fight against slavery in Congress. In 1838, at age 71, he spoke for the African slaves of the slave ship "Amistad". He won the case. He also challenged the constitutionality of the Gag Rule in Congress and saw through its removal in 1844 after an eight-year struggle against it.
He was born in 1767 in Braintree, Massachusetts. As a child he watched the Battle of Bunker Hill, a fight of the American Revolutionary War, from his family's farm. When his father, John Adams, traveled to Europe, John Quincy went with him as his secretary. He became good at speaking other languages. Aside from English, he was also fluent in Latin and French, and had partial knowledge of Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Russian.
He went to Harvard College and became a lawyer. At age 26, he was appointed Minister to the Netherlands and then he went to Berlin. In 1802, he was elected to the United States Senate. Six years later, President James Madison appointed him as Minister to Russia.
As Secretary of State when James Monroe was President, Adams organized joint control of Oregon with the United Kingdom and helped get Florida from Spain. He also helped make the Monroe Doctrine.
In the 1830s, slavery emerged as an increasingly polarizing issue in the United States. A longtime opponent of slavery, Adams used his new role in Congress to fight it, and he became the most prominent national leader opposing slavery. After one of his reelection victories, he said that he must "bring about a day prophesied when slavery and war shall be banished from the face of the earth." He wrote in his private journal in 1820:"The discussion of this Missouri question has betrayed the secret of their souls. In the abstract they admit that slavery is an evil, they disclaim it, and cast it all upon the shoulder of…Great Britain. But when probed to the quick upon it, they show at the bottom of their souls pride and vainglory in their condition of masterdom. They look down upon the simplicity of a Yankee's manners, because he has no habits of overbearing like theirs and cannot treat negroes like dogs. It is among the evils of slavery that it taints the very sources of moral principle. It establishes false estimates of virtue and vice: for what can be more false and heartless than this doctrine which makes the first and holiest rights of humanity to depend upon the color of the skin?"In 1836, partially in response to Adams's consistent presentation of citizen petitions requesting the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, the House of Representatives imposed a "gag rule" that immediately tabled any petitions about slavery. The rule was favored by Democrats and Southern Whigs but was largely opposed by Northern Whigs like Adams.
In late 1836, Adams began a campaign to ridicule slave owners and the gag rule. He frequently attempted to present anti-slavery petitions, often in ways that provoked strong reactions from Southern representatives. Though the gag rule remained in place, the discussion ignited by his actions and the attempts of others to quiet him raised questions of the right to petition, the right to legislative debate, and the morality of slavery. Adams fought actively against the gag rule for another seven years, eventually moving the resolution that led to its repeal in 1844.
In 1841, at the request of Lewis Tappan and Ellis Gray Loring, Adams joined the case of "United States v. The Amistad". Adams went before the Supreme Court on behalf of African slaves who had revolted and seized the Spanish ship "Amistad". Adams appeared on February 24, 1841, and spoke for four hours. His argument succeeded; the Court ruled in favor of the Africans, who were declared free and returned to their homes.
Adams was elected president by the United States House of Representatives after the 1824 United States presidential election gave nobody a majority of electoral votes. People who wanted Andrew Jackson to win said there was a deal between Adams and Speaker of the House Henry Clay; Adams had made Clay his Secretary of State.
Adams passed law for U.S. improvements as part of what he called the "American System." This means he created roads, canals, and used high tariffs, or taxes on imports. Among his proposals were the creation of a national university, a naval academy, and a national astronomical observatory. Adams fought Congress many times as many supporters of Andrew Jackson did not like his support of a national bank and tariffs.
Adams lost the 1828 election to Jackson. The election was noted for the personal attacks made by the candidates against each other.
Adams returned to Massachusetts for a short time after he was lost. He returned to Washington D.C. in 1831 after being elected to the United States House of Representatives. He was a leading opponent of slavery. He remained in Congress until the day of his death on February 23, 1848.
On February 21, 1848, Adams suffered a stroke in the House chamber. He collapsed and died in the House two days later on February 23, 1848. He was eighty years old. It was the 7th (and arguably the most significant) death of a US president.
Peter Fonda
Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor. He and Dennis Hopper starred in the motorcycle movies, "The Wild Angels" and "Easy Rider". He appeared in many other movies, including "Ulee's Gold", in which he was nominated for an Academy Award, "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" and "The Passion of Ayn Rand".
Fonda wrote an autobiography, "Don't Tell Dad: A Memoir", which was published in 1998. He had a home in Paradise Valley, Montana in 1975. Fonda died of respiratory failure and lung cancer on August 16, 2019.
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 - May 29, 2010) was an American television, movie, stage, and voice actor, artist, photographer, writer, movie director, and an art collector. He has appeared in many movies and television shows, since the 1950s.
Hopper was born on May 17, 1936 in Dodge City, Kansas. He spent his life in Kansas City, Missouri and in San Diego, California. Hopper studied to be an actor at Helix High School and at the Actors' Studio. Hopper has two brothers.
Hopper is probably best known for directing, co-writing, and starring in the Oscar-nominated movie "Easy Rider" (1969). In 1994, Hopper had a role in the thriller movie "Speed". He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Hopper was married to Brooke Hayward from 1961 until they divorced in 1969. Hopper was then married to Michelle Phillips from 1970 until they divorced weeks later. He was married to Daria Halprin from 1972 until they divorced. He was later married to Katherine LaNasa from 1989 until they divorced in 1992. Hopper was married to Victoria Duffy from 1998 until they divorced in 2010, months before his death. Hopper had 3 daughters and a son.
Hopper once insulted actor Rip Torn after he said "Texans are hippie-hatting rednecks" and was sued for a total of $475,000 dollars.
On October 29, 2009, his manager announced that Hopper had prostate cancer. He was terminally ill. He died of the disease on May 29, 2010 in Venice, California. He was 74. He was buried at Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. "Alpha and Omega" was his last movie and was dedicated to his memory.
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Two of his best-known songs are "I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me". Both were on his 1971 album "Something/Anything?". Most of the songs on that album were performed by Rundgren alone, using multitrack recorders and playing many musical instruments.