John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767, in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts (Peil), to the second President of the United States who served on the first Continental Congress and helped draft the Constitution ("John Adams the Diplomatic President"), John Adams and his wife Abagail (Peil). During the first years of the Revolution, John Quincy received his education principally by instruction from his father and mother. At ten years of age he accompanied his father on several diplomatic missions to Europe. While in Paris, attending a private school, he learned to speak French fluently and then studied at the University of Leiden. By the time Adams returned to the states in 1785, he was well versed in classical languages, history, and mathematics. Adams finished his education at Harvard in 1787, and then began to practice law in Boston (Bemis), without much success ("John Adams the Diplomatic President"). At age twenty-six he was appointed Minister of the Netherlands by George Washington, and later promoted to the Berlin Legation.
Tombs of President John Adams (left) and John Quin...
"The original sketch of Mr. Adams, taken when dyin...
John Quincy Adams portrait. "John Quincy Adams". M...Adams was elected to the United States Senate in 1802 as a result of his accomplishments. Six years later Adams was appointed Minister to Russia by President Monroe. Monroe also chose Adams to become secretary of state. In this position Adams gained a great deal of respect and was considered one of America's greatest secretaries of state. This earned him a nomination for President in the election of 1824 ("John Quincy Adams").
The election of 1824 was a landmark election. It was the first in which popular vote actually mattered. In the past the election had been left up to the state legislature. Only six states decided to use this policy. The other sixteen states decided to choose presidential electors by popular vote ("John Adams the Diplomatic President"). There were four...