Arguing about Slavery: John Quincy Adams and the Great Battle in the United States Congress

Wonderful work for anyone looking to know more about this era of Congress. Keep in mind, John Quincy takes nearly two hundred pages to show up because the author does a VERY thorough job of setting the stage, so if you're just reading for him you may be disappointed. Also there are a LOT of reproduced Congressional speeches, so you might be reduced to looking up words that were common in the early 1800s but not used much now. Little bit of skipping around in time that can get annoying but it's never disorganized. Did get confused near the end where it tells us about John Quincy's death before he's chronologically passed away and then goes back to the congressional fight like it didn't do that.

Print is very small. It’s ok for me, just be aware.

I first heard of this book in a blog post and it was positioned as the authoritative account of this particular piece of history. Not only is the story immensely interesting, the writing is fantastic. History can be dry in the telling, regardless of the particular story. Not so here. The author is all at once factual and tongue-in-cheek with his witty turn of the occasional phrase. Further, I gained a new found interest in John Quincy Adams. Simply and amazing person who seems to be lost to historians.Another other interesting angle to this story is that is underscores an interesting pattern in politics: how a dominant power/position undermines itself by seeking to eliminate dissent. I'm sure other readers could spot other moments in history where the missteps of the Slave Power to cut off any and all discussion around regulating slavery mimic recent history or even current events.Finally, for any of those interested in the principles of the founding of the country, a very robust discussion of those takes place in this book. I found the recantation of how the government was formed, trade-offs made and hopes and aspirations of the founders to be tremendously enjoyable.All told, this is a great book for anyone interested in this period of time and who want to read an excellent narrative.

My daughters are enjoying reading this book. They are 16 and 17 years old.

This is a fabulous book. If I had my way it would be considered a basic text in the study of pre-Civil War American history. This book teaches that a deep and abiding affection for the Constitution and Declaration of Independence throw light on the masked and hypocritical ways of tyrants. In this case John Q. Adams' abiding devotion to our foundational documents allowed him to stand up to slaveholders and the minions they sent to Congress. The hypocrisy of the Slaveocracy is easy to see now, but at the time of the debates and struggles over the Gag Rule - essentially Congress, north and south and led by Slaveocracy Congressmen prevented citizen petitions to Congress seeking the abolition of slavery - the principled opposition Adams took was vilified, scorned and denounced. Adams, in a decided minority in his opposition to the Gag Rule, stood strong through it all showing not only the hypocrisy of the Slaveocracy, but doing so with intelligence and humor. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

An absolutely brilliant book. Incredibly moving: the only book I've ever read that literally brought me to tears while reading it. But at the same time, wonderfully informative and evocative of the amazing historical events of the day. If you liked the movie "Amistad," you will love this second look at John Quincy Adams' incredibly brave stand during what William Freehling has called the "Pearl Harbor of the Civil War." I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Excellent background and relevant info that debunks Hollywood socialist leaning Narrative about Founding Fathers and The institution of Slavery here in American

This is exactly what I needed. It is functional without excess bulk and will probably out last the camera, Marcell Zurn