John Quincy Adams and the Politics of Slavery Book Discussion

In the final years of his political career, President John Quincy Adams was well known for his objections to slavery, with rival Henry Wise going so far as to label him “the acutest, the astutest, the archest enemy of southern slavery that ever existed.” As a young statesman, however, he supported slavery. How did one man’s beliefs come to change so drastically over the course of a career?

Historians and authors David Waldstreicher and Matthew Mason visit Adams National Historical Park to discuss their book, John Quincy Adams and the Politics of Slavery: Selections from the Diary, and look at John Quincy Adams and his opinions on slavery.