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John Locke publishes "Two Treatises of Government"
John Locke was a political philosopher best known for his "Two Treatises of Government" published in 1690. In the First Treatise, Locke argues against the divine right of kings. In the Second Treatise, Locke describes the nature of man and argues that all men are fundamentally equal. He describes the rise of civilization, and explains that a government is legitimate only if it has the consent of the governed. Many of Locke's ideas were later incorporated into the Declaration of Independence. -
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Life of the Marquis de Lafayette
The Marquis de Lafayette was French aristocrat and military officer who played a key role in the American and French Revolutions. Lafayette came to America when he was nineteen to fight in the Revolutionary War, serving under General George Washington and helping secure French aid for the American cause. Upon his return he was immediately swept up in the French Revolution, drafting "The Declaration of the Rights of Man" with Thomas Jefferson, and seeking freedom for his people until his death. -
John Quincy Adams born
John Quincy Adams (JQA) was born on July 11, 1767 in Braintree, Massachusetts. The second child and first son of John and Abigail Adams, John Quincy was born at a time when tensions between American colonists and the British were beginning to boil over. His father was in the thick of the tension, an outspoken anti-British lawyer tasked with defending British soldiers on trial after the Boston Massacre, which propelled John Adams into the political spotlight. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts (or Coercive Acts in Britain) were a series of acts implemented in the colonies by the British government. A direct result of British outrage following the Boston Tea Party the year before, the acts closed Boston Harbor, limited Massachusetts' ability to self-govern, and expanded the Quartering Act. The Intolerable Acts were the metaphorical straw that broke the camel's back, infuriating the colonies and prompting the First Continental Congress to be called to order in 1775. -
The Declaration of Independence
By 1776 most members of Congress wanted to declare independence or thought it was inevitable (Oakes 197). Congress selected five men to work on the Declaration, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Adams asked Jefferson, who was well known for elegant and stirring prose, to pen the Declaration, and Jefferson seamlessly blended together ideas from philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Paine into the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified on July 4, 1776. -
JQA sets sail for France
After declaring independence, the U.S. sought recognition of their liberty from European nations. France was first to acknowledge American independence, and John Adams was appointed commissioner to France. Adams took his son with him, knowing "foreign travel would enhance John Quincy's education and accelerate his evolution into the 'wise and great man' his parents expected him to be" (Unger 25). Sure enough, the education and experience John Quincy acquired abroad served him well in his career. -
Ratification of the Constitution
Immediately following the American Revolution, the country was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which were not strong enough to govern the country. State delegates met in Philadelphia and worked together to draft the Constitution, which instituted a stronger federal government. The challenge was getting all thirteen states to ratify it, and when some states expressed concerns that the Constitution restricted individual rights, James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights in response. -
Fall of the Bastille
Tensions between the French aristocracy, particularly the monarchy, and the people had been brewing long before the French Revolution began. With a massive war debt looming over the country and a bad harvest exacerbating high tempers, the tension boiled over on July 14, 1789. The people of Paris stormed the Bastille, a fortress used as a political prison, which symbolized the abuse of the monarchy to the insurgents. The Bastille's fall is the spark that officially began the French Revolution. -
JQA appointed minister to Holland by President Washington
After the American Revolution, John Quincy had come to Washington's attention for his eloquent defense of the President's policy of neutrality. His knowledge of languages and impressive education earned him an appointment as American minister to Holland. Utilizing the skill he acquired as a teen, John Quincy quickly proved himself a talented diplomat, and would continue to serve abroad throughout Washington's presidency and as minister to Prussia during his father's presidency. -
Thomas Jefferson elected President
After narrowly winning the election of 1800 against Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson became the third President of the United States. His election is politically significant for two major reasons. Firstly, his election ended the line of Federalists holding the presidency, as no Federalist ever held that office again. Secondly, it established a precedent that the person who was named Secretary of State was likely to be the next President, a trend that continued with the following three Presidents. -
JQA elected to U.S. Senate
Three years after Thomas Jefferson won the presidency, John Quincy was elected to the U.S. Senate. The following years were chaotic - not only would he abandon the Federalist party, but he would vote as an independent representative. By the time Jefferson was reelected, John Quincy "stood alone in the Senate, shunned by Federalists and Republicans alike because he invariably put preservation of the union and the nation's independence from foreign influence ahead of party interests" (Unger 139). -
Slave Trade Act of 1807
The Slave Trade Act of 1807 was an act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act forbade the sale, purchase, or transfer of slaves, and mostly targeted the Atlantic slave trade. The act also prohibited bringing more slaves into Britain from Africa or the West Indies. It is important to note, however, that the act did not abolish slavery itself. British citizens who already owed slaves could keep them - the institution of slavery wouldn't be completely abolished until 1833. -
Congress of Vienna
In the wake of the Napoleonic Wars, ambassadors from European nations gathered in Vienna in an effort to restore widespread peace to Europe. A major component of this was resizing the nations, effectively redrawing the map of Europe so that the major European powers could balance each other out and remain at peace. France lost all the territory it had conquered under Napoleon, while Prussia, Austria, and Russia gained significant swathes of land. The negotiations lasted about eight months. -
JQA Appointed Secretary of State
When James Monroe was elected President in 1816, he immediately appointed John Quincy Secretary of State. While Secretary of State, John Quincy contributed to the Monroe Doctrine and negotiated enormous treaties with Britain in 1818 and Spain in 1821, both of which resulted in American expansion. Though Secretary of State was regarded as a stepladder to the presidency, "John Quincy said that he had accepted his appointment 'for the good of my country' - not the good of his career" (Unger 198). -
Missouri Compromise
When Missouri applied for statehood in 1819, there was intense debate in Congress about whether or not to allow it. This is because Missouri wanted to come into the union as a slave state, which would have upset the balance of votes between slave and free states in the Senate. In the end, Maine separated from Massachusetts and applied to be a free state in what we call the Missouri Compromise, but tensions continued to brew, creating the beginnings of a schism between free and slave states. -
Monroe Doctrine
In 1823, James Monroe delivered a speech that explained America's intentions to the world. In what would be called the Monroe Doctrine, Monroe closed the Americas to any further colonization by Europe, made it clear that surveillance over the Americas was the right of the United States (Oakes 301), and reaffirmed the policy of neutrality that had been in effect since Washington's presidency. The American people were thrilled by the Monroe Doctrine, and American nationalism reached a new peak. -
JQA elected President
When Monroe declared that he would not run for a third term, John Quincy was the obvious choice to replace him (Unger 223). John Quincy, however, was reluctant to campaign, and when he did eventually run, he was far from unopposed. None of the candidates had a majority Electoral vote, so the the House had to decide. Henry Clay transferred his votes to John Quincy, winning him the presidency, and when John Quincy named Clay his Secretary of State, Andrew Jackson called it "the corrupt bargain". -
JQA elected to the House of Representatives
Following his loss of the 1828 presidential election, John Quincy spent two years out of the public spotlight before returning to politics. He was elected to the House of Representatives, and made it clear from the beginning that, "he would remain independent of party affiliations and represent the whole nation" (Unger 261). In the House he proved a fervent abolitionist, leading the Congressional abolitionist movement and protesting the Gag Rule relentlessly before defeating it entirely in 1846. -
Gag Rule
The Gag Rule was a ban instituted by the House of Representative forbidding the use of the word "slavery" or the mention of the institution of slavery. The rule was designed to keep discussion of slavery out of Congress entirely, as many saw it too inflammatory of an issue to be discussed. Some members of the House, lead by John Quincy Adams, objected that the rule was unconstitutional and infringed on the right to free speech, but the rule would remain in effect until it was repealed in 1846. -
JQA dies on the House floor
In late 1846 John Quincy suffered a stroke that left the right side of his body mostly paralyzed. Nevertheless, he returned to his seat in the House to thunderous cheers (Unger 306) and continued to serve for two more years. On February 21 the House was considering a motion to send Congressional thanks to generals who had served in the Mexican-American War. When John Quincy stood to protest the motion he collapsed to the floor, passing away in the Speaker's Office in the Capitol two days later. -
Abraham Lincoln elected President
By 1860, the issue of slavery had created an insurmountable schism between North and South. Abraham Lincoln, who "made clear his view that slavery was immoral [and] that owning slaves was not a constitutionally protected right" (Oakes 435), was the kind of President that Southern states did not want, and whispers of secession began to circulate. It wasn't until Lincoln was elected that the whispers became actions, and the year following Lincoln's election South Carolina seceded from the Union.
