THIS BOOK MAY SEEM STRANGE COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO has spent his career writing about the South. For its genesis I claim no credit. That belongs to Aida DiPace Donald, the widow of the eminent historian David Herbert Donald. My teacher and mentor both as an undergraduate and a graduate student, David subsequently became a friend. Some years back, David had committed himself to a study of John Quincy Adams. Unfortunately he passed away before his John Quincy had taken form. Following his death Aida asked me whether I would take on the project. I agreed, with the understanding that I would not begin until the completion of my then manuscript-in-progress, which became We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860–April 1861, published in 2012. My agreement generated both excitement and trepidation—excitement because working on John Quincy Adams would take me into new and challenging territory, trepidation for the same reason.
Most generously Aida sent me the materials David had gathered in his preparation. There were precious few notes and no specifics on his intended approach, except for the general notion that he expected to focus on character. Yet he had accumulated an impressive body of research materials, including a massive collection of photocopied scholarly articles and contemporary documents, including speeches. That bounty was of incalculable value to me. I hope that, in part, this book stands as a memorial to David.
As it has been throughout the years, my own Louisiana State University, including the Department of History, has liberally supported my research and writing. That generosity has persisted with this book, continuing into my retirement. My chair Victor Stater has been, as usual, most accommodating, even to an emeritus professor. Likewise, Darlene Albritton, who manages the departmental office, never flagged in her willingness to assist. A former LSU undergraduate, Samantha Arcement, ably performed typing duties. Two LSU graduate students, one past, one present, provided indispensable research assistance—Dr. Michael Robinson and Jeff Hobson, who also contributed notably to getting the manuscript ready for publication.
I also want to express my gratitude to the Massachusetts Historical Society for making its Adams manuscripts so accessible. In the 1950s the society made available on microfilm the Adams Family Papers, which the Middleton Library at LSU possesses, and more recently it digitized the diary of John Quincy Adams. Both were essential for me.
I benefited immensely from the aid given by three fellow historians. My colleagues Andy Burstein and Gaines Foster along with my longtime friend Mike Holt all read the manuscript with care. Their critical scrutiny has certainly made this a significantly better book.
My editor at Liveright, Bob Weil, has championed this undertaking and me from the beginning. His amazing editorial astuteness and thoroughness have few, if any, equals. I prize my association with him. Also at Liveright, Marie Pantojan assisted in so many ways to shepherd my manuscript through the publication process. Additionally, I had the immense good fortune to have the services of Otto Sonntag as copy editor and Amy Medeiros as project editor, both extraordinaire. Ike Williams and Hope Denenkamp provided much appreciated help with contractual matters.
My dedication underscores all that I owe to my wife, Patricia Holmes Cooper, who has always been there.
All the people named in these acknowledgments had a hand in the making of this book. Yet it is mine, and I accept full responsibility for it.