The eldest son of John Adams, second president of the United States, John Quincy Adams was brought up in a climate of political knowledge and public service that has some historians referring to him as the most experienced and intelligent president in the history of the nation.
Adams was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1802. A Federalist from Massachusetts, his independent thinking resulted in partisan attacks by the Federalists after he supported the policies of Thomas Jefferson during the Napoleonic Wars. He resigned before the end of his term and was then appointed to numerous diplomatic posts. He was a key player in the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, and was responsible for drafting the Monroe Doctrine as secretary of state. He was also responsible for the acquisition of Florida from Spain.
In the presidential election of 1824, Adams was one of four candidates for the office. None of the candidates was able to secure the electoral college majority required for election. The resulting events became known as the "corrupt bargain" as charged by opponent Andrew Jackson. Because Jackson held 43.1 percent of the popular vote and 99 electoral votes to Adams' 30.5 percent and 84 votes, Jackson believed the election should have been his. Instead, Henry Clay, the presidential candidate from Kentucky, threw his support to Adams once the vote went to the House of Representatives. Adams then won the election, after which a newspaper charged that Clay's support came only after a promise that he would be made secretary of state in the Adams administration.
A result of the "corrupt bargain" charges, John Quincy Adams' presidency suffered constant partisan attacks that kept him from achieving any of his major goals. His ideas were considered either too radical or ahead of their time, especially in regards to the federal government playing a role in the development of the nation. Adams proposed national planning policies that, had they been passed, would have resulted in federally funded canals, turnpikes and other improvements to the national infrastructure. He supported a national banking system, formation of a national university and government support for scientific research.
Attacked as an aristocrat who used influence to steal the presidency from Andrew Jackson, Adams was able to achieve very little and lost his re-election bid to Jackson in 1828. His policies and platforms became the basis for the formation of the Whig party. Adams was elected in 1831 to the House of Representatives where he became effective in his fight against a southern-dominated House to allow petitions from anti-slavery groups to be heard.