The Presidency of John Quincy Adams
Adams was one of America's greatest statesmen, yet one of its least effective presidents. Hargreaves explains why in a solid and dispassionate account of his administration. A minority president, Adams was beset by overwhelming political obstructionism. Sectional, local, and personal partisanship destroyed the national perspectives of his ``American system.'' Diplomatically, his efforts to expand American commerce were stymied. Adams was temperamentally and culturally unsuited to popular politics and became a victim of them in 1828. Yet he expanded the federal role in promoting internal improvements, and he presided over four years of sustained economic growth. Excellent documentation and comprehensive analysis will make this book the standard study, definitive in its treatment of public policy. Harry W. Fritz, History Dept., Univ. of Montana, MissoulaCopyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.