Music Banter - The American Presidents

6. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS (the Cat's in the Cradle)

https://www.jpost.com//HttpHandlers/...94&w=640&h=428

Born: July 11, 1767, Braintree, Massachusetts
Died: February 23, 1848, Washington, DC

Term: March 4, 1825- March 4, 1829
Political Party: Democrat- Republican

Vice President: John Calhoun

First Lady: Louisa Johnson Adams

Before the Presidency: I think it’s safe to say that John Quincy Adams came from a political family given that his father was once President of the United States. Indeed, he was a child of the Revolution and, as a young lad, was said to have committed treason in defense of his father who, of course, was deeply involved with the Revolutionaries. Though too young to fight, he witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill with his mother.

Because he was the son of John Adams, that afforded the young John Quincy to see much of Europe as he would accompany the elder Adams to Paris among other places. With part of his schooling taking place in Paris, John Quincy would find himself very well educated by the time he was ready for adult life.

In some ways, his career started at age 14 when, already fluent in French, he accompanied emissary Francis Dana to St. Petersburg, Russia as an interpreter. A year later, he would rejoin his father at the Hague. Finally, he returned to the US in 1785 where he would attend Harvard for two years.

He more or less followed in his father’s footsteps and studied law, passing the bar in 1790. He was an admirer of Thomas Jefferson even though he was more in line with his father’s politics. Adams struggled in his early years as an attorney despite the fact that his father was now Vice President of the United States, but President Washington, maybe through the elder Adams, who undoubtedly loved his children, especially the hard working John Quincy, became aware of his linguistic skills and appointed him minister to the Netherlands. His political career had begun.

When his father became President, Adams was assigned as the Minister to Prussia where he remained until his father’s term expired. He returned to the US in 1801 and became involved with local politics, winning election to the Massachusetts State Senate.

And his star rose fast as he was appointed to the US Senate in 1803. He went against his Federalist party often, supporting President Jefferson on matters such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Embrago Act of 1807. This infuriated the party heads in Massachusetts and his days as a Senator were numbered. So were his days as a Federalist as he switched parties in 1808.

His political career was far from over. President Madison appointed Adams as the Minister to Russia where he became an ally of Czar Alexander, who he admired for standing up to Napoleon. It was, in fact, Adams who kept President Madison informed after Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812.

Adams would become involved with the peace negotiations with Britain that would end the War of 1812 and was one of the signers of the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814. Later, Madison would appoint Adams as Minister to the United Kingdom. He would return home in 1817 to become President Monroe’s Secretary of State. There, he was credited for writing what would become known as the Monroe Doctrine. He also oversaw the transfer of Spanish Florida to the United States in 1819.

President Monroe’s term was to end after the 1824 election, and it seemed as if Adams’ diplomatic career might be over, and it was.

But the career was about to have another chapter

Summary of offices held:

1794-1797: Minister to the Netherlands

1797-1801: Minister to Prussia

1802-1803: Member Massachusetts Senate

1803-1808: Senator from Massachusetts

1809-1814: Minister to Russia

1815-1817: Minister to the United Kingdom

1817-1825: Secretary of State

What was going on: the Erie Canal, the B&O railroad,

Scandals within the administration: None that we know of

Why he was a good President: He maintained good relations with most of the European nations, especially in terms of trade. And, even with all his flaws, no one could argue his integrity.

Why he was a bad President: He never did win the confidence of the Congress and his temperament probably wasn’t fitting for a sitting President.

What could have saved his Presidency: Not much really. The Congress was way too hostile at the time. Actually, under today’s standards, he could have even been impeached since the only crime you have to commit is to be disliked these days.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: As bad as his Presidency was, it could have been worse. Maybe he would have had no success in foreign affairs and, even with the debates over States rights (i.e., the right to enslave), no major violence occurred during his administration. A violent insurrection such as the events the led to the Civil War could have turned a bad administration into a notorious one.

Election of 1824: The rules were changing, at least in an unofficial sense. The previous three Presidents had served as Secretary of State at one time or another and it should have made Adams the favorite to be the next President.

But Adams didn’t really have the charisma of Jefferson or Monroe in particular and there were some firebrands waiting in the wings that also wanted to be President. By now, the Federalists were dead leaving the US with just one major political party. As such, they never really decided on a nominee.

So, John Quincy Adams was saddled with the pretty tough competition. Andrew Jackson was perhaps the most popular of the four major candidates and he was wildly popular in the South, but he wasn’t getting much traction in the North. The same went for the ambitious William Crawford, but, besides of an endorsement by Senator Martin Van Buren of New York, didn’t seem to be going anywhere either.

Then there was the Speaker of the House, one Henry Clay of Kentucky. Like Jackson, he was something of a war hero, but he was also a very capable legislator. It was he who came up with the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and was certainly well respected by the House members.

There was a convention and if they had it their way, Crawford would have been the nominee to run unopposed. But there were many factions within the party, and the states had their own ideas, thus, the general election ballot would feature six, count them, six, candidates.

Two of them, John Calhoun and Smith Thompson would bow out, leaving four candidates to duke it out. Calhoun ended up as the running mate of both Adams and Jackson while Crawford pegged Nathaniel Macon to run with him and Clay went with Nathan Sanford.

As it was, none of the candidates had the support of the entire country. Those in the South mistrusted Clay and Adams and the people in the North weren’t going to vote for Jackson or Crawford even if you put a gun to their heads.

So, for the second time in American History, the circus came to town. Jackson would win in the general election with a little more than 40% of the vote and have a plurality of electoral votes as well.

But there was just one problem. The Constitution stated that it went to the House when no candidate could gain a majority of electoral votes.

And so it was that the House, with their archaic rules of a majority of states as opposed to a majority of actual Representatives, would determine the next President of the United States, whether the American people liked it or not.

And they started with eliminating Clay, who, despite his legislative brilliance (He’s considered today as one of the most important non-Presidents in history), finished fourth and the House could only consider the top three candidates, Jackson, Adams, and Crawford.

Even that would prove to be controversial as the Clay supporters switched their votes to Adams, thus robbing Jackson of what he clearly thought was his Presidency. But we can get into that later when we review his Presidency.

In the meantime, there were cries of corrupt bargain as Adams would ultimately appoint Clay as his Secretary of State. Yes, Adams won the Presidency.

But he didn’t win much else.

First term: The election was behind him, but the support of the Congress was not. It didn’t help that Adams’s diplomatic skills were, shall we say blunt. It didn’t help that he was also opposed by his own Vice-President, John Calhoun. It wasn’t all bad though. The Erie Canal was completed during President Adams’ term, and it was during this term that his father, John Adams died, and he died knowing that his son was now the President of the United States. He had to have been proud.

Because of a hostile Congress, Adams wasn’t able to do a lot from a domestic standpoint. He had to settle for higher tariffs for example. He fared a little better with foreign relations, forging trade agreements with several European countries, but even that was a mixed bag. In the end, sad to say, John Quincy Adams would go down as one our least effective Presidents.

Election of 1828: By now the Democratic- Republican party had fractured into two factions and Martin Van Buren would soon establish what is known now as the Democratic party. Andrew Jackson, nominated by the Tennessee Legislature as early as 1825, would represent this faction while Adams represented the old Federalist platform (though, officially he was a Republican)

The issues were also pretty clear. States rights was the banner for the new Democrats (Or, really, an excuse to continue slavery) while the National Republicans, as they were called, took on a more Nationalistic approach.

It was an ugly election as things got quite personal. Though neither nominee campaigned personally, as was the norm, their supporters were out loaded for bear. Jackson was attacked by the Adams- backed press of having lived in sin with his wife and of multiple murders (Jackson was, in fact, a notorious duelist) while Adams, via the Jacksonian press, had the audacity to marry a foreigner (hey, at least she was white).

In the end, Jackson proved more popular, and he would win election easily, thus, Adams would face the same fate as the father as the then only Presidents to lose a re-election bid.

Post Presidency: Adams was somewhat bitter after the 1828 election and he refused to attend Jackson’s inauguration. This was probably the lowest point of John Quincy Adams’ life.

But he would bounce back. In 1830, there was a draft for him to run for Congress, and, despite family objections, he agreed. He won election, and he served with distinction from 1831 until his death in 1848. Though he usually voted with the minority (the nation was dominated by, let’s face it, some right wingers), he nonetheless proved to be on the right side of history, particularly as an anti-slavery advocate. He argued for the freedom of slave mutineers on the slave ship Amistad- and won.

Even his death was a bit spectacular as he was stricken on the House floor after vehemently speaking against decorating certain Army Officers involved in the Mexican-American war. He may have been a failed President but he wasn’t a failed man by any length of the imagination.

Odd notes: Adams was an avid skinny dipper

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...n-quincy-adams

He had a Niece that seduced all three of his sons

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsoci...-quincy-adams/

Anthony Hopkins played John Quincy Adams in the Steven Spielberg movie, Amistad.

Final Summary: Let’s face it, the poor guy never had a chance. The Congress refused to work with him, and he was not really forgiven for what many thought was a stolen election. He would fare better as a Congressman later but, alas, I can only rate him as a President, not as a legislator which I would give him a solid B for. Even as a diplomat, I’d rate him as better than average.

But as President, not so much.

Overall rating: D+

https://millercenter.org/president/jqadams

7.ANDREW JACKSON (I'm head of the class: I'm popular)

https://www.history.com/.image/ar_16...-514902556.jpg

Born: March 15, 1767, Waxhaw, South Carolina
Died: June 8, 1845, near Nashville, Tennessee

Term: March 4, 1829- March 4, 1837
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President(s): John Calhoun, Martin Van Buren

First Lady: Emily Donelson (niece, wife Rachel Donelson died right after election)

Before the Presidency: Andrew Jackson was born with modest means on the North and South Carolina border. His father having died before he was born, he and his three brothers were raised by his widowed mother. He found himself in the middle of the Revolutionary War as young as eleven, joining up officially at the age of thirteen. While fighting the British, he endured a severe face wound, and he would have a scar the rest of his life. He also was a prisoner of war with his brother for a time.

By the time Jackson was fifteen, the war was over, but he was now orphaned as his mother had died. He also lost his brothers during the way. So, Jackson taught himself the rest of the way, moving to Charleston where he would sow some of his wild oats as well as teaching for a time.

In 1784, young Jackson decided to become an attorney. He studied law in North Carolina, got his license, and began to work as a back country lawyer.

A mentor of Jackson’s, John McNairy, was elected Superior Court Judge for North Carolina’s Western District (now Tennessee). Jackson went with him and was appointed as district attorney at the tender age of 21. He then moved to Nashville where he met the woman of his dreams, the soon to be divorced Rachel Donelson. They lived together for a time until Rachel got divorced and she and Jackson could marry. It wasn’t something that was considered kosher in those days, and it would have repercussions on Jackson’s political career.

Oh, yes, did I mention he had a political career? He had a military one as well. Anyway, Jackson was certainly something of a charismatic sort and he would have a meteoric rise in politics starting as a delegate to the Tennessee State Constitutional Convention in 1795. He shortly thereafter became a congressman, then a Justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court.

In 1802, he challenged Governor John Sevier for Command of the State Militia. Jackson won, but it caused some bad feelings with Jackson and it nearly led to a duel in Knoxville. Indeed, Jackson would be involved in more than a few duels, suffering two bullet wounds in the process as well as killing at least one man, Charles Dickinson (but not before he gave Jackson one of his bullet wounds.). This was another issue that would hound Jackson throughout his political career.

His reputation as a violent man all but ended his judicial career in 1804, so he went for a military career. He somehow got involved with Aaron Burr who, by 1805, seemed to want to be the new Julius Caesar or something to that effect. Jackson managed to disassociate from Burr before the treason charges exploded, and watched, from his plantation called the Hermitage, as Jefferson and Madison kept fumbling over the French and British issues.

And it was the War of 1812 where Jackson first gained national fame. Tennessee formed a regiment to defend New Orleans and Jackson was called the lead the squadron. He only got as far as Natchez when he was told his troops wouldn’t be paid, so he led his troops back home, earning the moniker, Old Hickory, in the process. Afterwards, he would lead the regiment against the Creek Indians with much success. Jackson was not a General you wanted to mess with.

Then came the famous Battle of New Orleans (Johnny Horton turned it into a pop hit by the way). It was well known that the British were going to try and take New Orleans, so Jackson put together a ragtag outfit that ranged from veterans, volunteers, free blacks, and even pirates. The British did indeed advance on the city, but Jackson had a line of soldiers waiting for them. It was a bloodbath- for the British. They lost two thousand men while Jackson’s forces lost only thirteen.

Of course, it was a battle that had needn’t be fought as the Treaty of Ghent had already been signed (neither side knew this of course), but it made Jackson something of a National hero. And the worst was yet to come.

For, in 1817, he was ordered to subdue a rebellious group of Seminole Indians who were raiding Georgia from Spanish Florida. Well, Old Hickory subdued them alright. He not only chased them back into Florida, he invaded the territory, taking two towns along the way as well as trying two British Nationals for aiding and abetting the Indians. This all created something of an international incident, and he would ultimately be reprimanded for his actions. Still, it had two effects, one, it nudged Spain into giving up Florida entirely, and, two, Jackson more or less became something of a superstar by the standard of the late 1810s.

In 1821, Jackson resigned his military commission and became Governor of Florida in 1821. He then would become Senator from Tennessee in 1823 and prepared for a run for President the next year.

Summary of offices held:

1796-1797: US House of Representatives

1798-1804: Justice, Tennessee Supreme Court

1805-1813: Major General, Tennessee Militia

1813-1821: Major General, United States Army, won the Battle of New Orleans, 1814-15

1821: Governor of Florida

1823-1825: United States Senate

What was going on: The Indian Removal act, Black Hawk War, Trail of Tears, Bank of America shutdown, The Alamo

Scandals within the administration: The Petticoat affair

Why he was a good President: It’s safe to say that Jackson exuded confidence for the most part. He certainly was a popular President, even for a long time after his death. He was an advocate for States rights and yet could put his foot down when a state, notably South Carolina, wanted to shirk federal law. It was a taxation issue really but maybe the stance would backfire on Jackson as his Nullification Act could also be enforced when it came to civil rights more than a century later. His support for Texas also had to have helped his legacy.

Why he was a bad President: Where do I start? He certainly didn’t have the right temperament to be President. He never really had what you could call a stable cabinet, especially after the Eaton affair. And he certainly had no financial acumen as he didn’t have a back up plan for the Second Bank of America once he had it dissolved.

But the most egregious act had to have been the Indian Removal Act. While you can argue FDR’s order of Japanese Internment Camps as something of a lack of judgment, there was no doubt of Jackson’s intentions as they were very much patronizing (he most certainly was a white supremacist), and even cruel. He likely didn’t care about the fate of the Native Americans, heck, he was even accused of committing genocide. And don’t get me started with slavery. While not the pressing issue in his administration, there was no doubt he would have been quite happy if slavery came back in the North. He, himself, was known to be quite cruel to his own slaves, once giving an award of ten dollars for every hundred lashes given to one of his runaway slaves.

What could have saved his Presidency: If he had taken a gentler hand towards the Bank of America, maybe approving the charter renewal, and possibly saving the nation from a financial meltdown (which all but ruined Van Buren’s Presidency). Also, maybe his legacy wouldn’t have been so tarnished had he recognized the various Indian treaties instead of banishing them into the wilderness.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Well, at least he didn’t kill anybody, not personally anyway. I guess letting South Carolina secede would have looked good on his resume.

Election of 1824: We covered much of this abortion of an election in John Quincy Adams’ post, but I withheld what was going on within the Jackson side of things.

For, technically, Jackson won this election. He had enormous popularity stemming from his days as a General (everyone loves a military figure). Even so, he wasn’t all that popular in the North and Adams still had some clout as the incumbent, unpopular as he was, and fellow Southerner Crawford wasn’t exactly chopped liver either.

So, Jackson garnered about 40% of the popular vote and around the same in the electoral count.

Now we come to one of America’s more peculiar rules. You need to have a majority of Electoral votes, or you have to go to plan B. Doesn’t matter with the actual popular vote is mind you, Jackson would have been fine there.

Now plan B in just about any country would require the top two candidates to compete in a runoff, but, hey, we’re Americans and we have a better way. We just let the House decide on the top three candidates. The heck with the voters.

And so, with some arm twisting by Speaker Clay, who just happened to be promised the Secretary of State position (in those days that was the easiest way to become President, just ask Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and our boy Quincy). The House decided to anoint Adams as a result and Jackson and his forces were hopping mad. It was Jackson who decried that it was a corrupt bargain, and his forces, who already more or less dominated the Congress, would pass virtually none of Adams’ initiatives, politics obviously being much more important than the progress of their country. Jackson himself, frustrated with politics, left the Senate, and began his 1828 Presidential campaign from home.

Election of 1828: Of course, Adams’ administration was nothing short of a disaster and Jackson, ever the Populist, seized on the opportunity. Calhoun switched sides and went on the Jackson ticket while the incumbent Adams went with Richard Rush. Jackson, despite his relative inexperience in politics, proved to be a savvy politician, often staying mum when it came to the issues.

And, of course, as typical of Jackson, it became personal (at least he didn’t challenge anybody to a duel). His faction tried to throw as much dirt on Adams as possible. Adams’ camp responded in kind, bringing up Jackson’s notorious temper and especially his controversial marriage to Rachel, something that would gnaw at him throughout his Presidency.

Considering his unpopularity, Adams hung tough, but in the end, the charismatic Jackson still won the election fairly easily with 56% of the popular vote and a 2-1 margin in the electoral count.

First term: The administration had a bit of a sad start as Jackson lost his beloved wife just after the election. Still, he enjoyed one of the most spectacular inaugurations in history as he walked down Pennsylvania Avenue with his contingent of fans. They had their guy in the White House.

It was a very open White House too as citizens were welcome to always drop in. It was, after all, the peoples’ house.

But then it got down to politics, and though many of his policies would be popular, they might not have been what you would call the most moral.

I’ll give Jackson points for the first crisis, though. For his friendly neighborhood Vice President, John Calhoun, threatened to secede South Carolina because of a tax issue. The last person you wanted to ever threaten was Andrew Jackson. Now, you would think that Jackson, given his temper, would do what he always did best, challenge his VP to a duel.

But, instead, he sent the military to South Carolina and Calhoun backed off, but they certainly would not become the best of friends.

Now for the things that probably put Jackson in Hell. Let’s start with the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This was a bill designed to remove the Indians from their native lands in the East and force them to live on reservations in the Western territories. Of course, he did this “for their own good.” Instead, of course, it led to what became known as the Trail of Tears as thousands upon thousands of Native Americans were driven from their land like common refugees and put on reservations

The scandal of his administration also happened during this term in what would be known as the Peggy Eaton affair. Peggy Eaton was married to Jackson’s Secretary of War. Eaton was also divorced, much like Jackson’s now deceased wife was, and the other secretaries’ wives refused to have anything to do with her. This infuriated Jackson, who sympathized with Mrs. Eaton, and he ended up firing his entire cabinet over the incident.

The issue that would most define Jackson’s Presidency would concern the Second Bank of America. Jackson wanted to kill the bank, but Henry Clay supported it. Wanting to use that as an election campaign issue, he pushed for an early renewal of its charter more or less daring President Jackson to veto it. Well, Jackson did veto it, and he would let the charter expire in 1836. It was considered, by many, the first truly political veto in American History.

Election of 1832: The American Charter veto would indeed prove to be a big issue in 1832 as the National Republicans, as expected, nominated Henry Clay. Jackson, meanwhile, was done with his Vice President, John Calhoun, and the feeling was mutual, so the Democrats went with Martin Van Buren as the running mate. This made Jackson very happy as Van Buren was a personal friend and ally and indeed, would be endorsed to succeed him four years later. It was also the year that National Conventions would be held, most notably the Democratic Convention in Baltimore.

It was more of an issue driven campaign than the previous two, but it didn’t matter. Jackson was hugely popular, and he won re-election easily with 219 electoral votes to Clay’s 49.

Second Term: After the election, President Jackson issued the Nullification Proclamation, with the intention of preventing states (specifically South Carolina) from nullifying Federal laws. He also threatened military force, but Henry Clay came to the rescue again with one of his compromises and the crisis was averted.

President Jackson continued his war against the Second Bank of America, as he ordered the Secretary of the Treasury to withdraw federal funds and deposit them in State banks. The Treasury Secretary refused, and Jackson fired him. This angered many in Congress and he became the first President to be censured (later expunged). Later, he would let the charter run out, thus precipitating what would be known as the Panic of 1837.

Other than the feud with the Bank of America, the last two years of Jackson’s administration were relatively quiet, save for a botched assassination attempt against him (check the odd notes) and support for the then Republic of Texas, which President Jackson would recognize as he left office.

Post Presidency: Jackson all but hand picked his Vice President, Martin Van Buren, to succeed him and, once his term ran out, he retired to his plantation at the Hermitage. He supported and advised President Van Buren though to no avail and was devastated when Van Buren lost his re-election bid in 1840. As it turned out though, he would find himself supporting the accidental President, John Tyler, especially when it came to banking matters. He also was a fervent supporter of the annexation of Texas.

He was already an old man when his stint as President ended and his health would be iffy in the last years of his life, finally dying in 1845 at the Hermitage.

And he left something of a legacy, for good or bad. He remains quite popular among conservative whites in particular while he is reviled by African Americans in particular. There remains a movement to have him removed from the twenty dollar bill and some of his monuments have been removed in wake of the Black Lives matter movement.

Odd notes: Jackson, though obviously a bigot, adopted two American Indians

Jackson was involved in at least a dozen duels and was shot on one occasion.

President Jackson, the first victim of an assassination attempt, beat his would be assassin with a cane.

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/...drew-jackson-2

Final Summary: While it’s safe to say no President to date, with the possible exception of the two Adams’, was of the most tolerant variety, I have to think that Andrew Jackson was the first truly racist President. Even for his time, his treatment of nonwhites is nothing short of deplorable, especially when it came to public policy (I keep coming back to the Trail of Tears). Also, as mentioned before, he was an absolute disaster when it came to issues involving the treasury. I mean, when it came to that, he made Herbert Hoover look like FDR. On the plus side, he was truly a Unionist (though whether that would have held by Lincoln’s time, well, we’ll never really know). He did believe that the Nation should hold together at whatever cost.

But, in the end analysis, I’m not a fan of Populists. Being popular doesn’t give you the right to steal lands away ( I know, the Indians were supposedly paid, but come on, who really believes they got a fair price?) or to act like a Dictator when it comes to your own cabinet.

And the hatred towards nonwhites, and the violent temper, need I go on?

Overall rating: D

https://thehermitage.com/learn/andrew-jackson/

https://millercenter.org/president/jackson