>> well, deep in sight he favored john quincy adams. e worked with adams for eight years, and in those days the secretary of state was the most important figure in government after the president because we were surrounded by foreign powers and the secretary of state had a very important role in dealing with the rest of the world, and john quincy adams had been working in or with the diplomatic service since he was 17-years-old and when his father was in france, so clearly adams was the most competent man on the field of foreign affairs and monroe was quite pleased that adams one. he favored adams but stayed out of the election. he did not feel it was the role as did washington, that a sitting president has any right to get involved in an election campaign for successor. yes, sir. >> you mentioned -- [inaudible] after his election monroe sort of made a tour of the united states. i suppose to help unify the factions and so forth. but that put him out of washington and in a sense out of touch with what is going on for months at a time and j

then john quincy adams, who was the son of john adams, john quincy adams was the sixth president. some think he may have been the smartest president, there's no way to know. but he was a brilliant man, the youngest diplomat ever appointed to the america when he was 11 years of age. he knew all the founders, he was -- his father, john adams, allowed him to accompany him to so many events and things he knew the founders, he knew the founding and john quincy adams in 1821, on july 4 said, the highest glory of the american rev luge was this, it connected -- revolution was this, it connected in one bond the principles of the civil government with the principles of christianity. from the day of the declaration, they, the american people, were bound by the laws of god which they all and by the laws of the gospel which they nearly all acknowledged as the rules of their conduct. noah webster, 1833, said, quote, the moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. all the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice,

john quincy adams was a sanctimonious man. jimmy carter was a sanctimonious man. george w. bush, in my view, was a sanctimonious man. maybe we can debate that. woodrow wilson was sanctimonious. sanctimony at that level of politics tends to be a trade that causes problems -- a trait that causes problems. polk was probably the most successful of the sanctimonious presidents. people could argue about woodrow wilson. he interjected himself in the world wars i, but that is a huge historical debate that we get out on another show. >> you talk about a couple of people that i wanted to expand on. john quincy adams -- he was the president, and the one on into the house of representatives. what did he do when james polk was inaugurated president? >> he had a chance to be in the inaugural procession. he had no intention of doing, because it was very upset about the election. he despised and jackson, but jackson was a giant of the time. now we have jackson's protege who was not a giant, and it was a rainy day that day. it rained all day during the inauguration. quincy adams watched fro

john quincy adams was a sanctimonious man. jimmy carter was a sanctimonious man. george w. bush, in my view, was a sanctimonious man. maybe we can debate that. woodrow wilson was a sanctimonious man. and sanctimony at that level of politics tends to be a trait that causes problems. polk was probably the most successful of the sanctimonious presidents. people can argue about woodrow wilson. i happen to believe that he interjected himself into world war i in ways that led inevitably to world war ii, but that's a huge historical debate we could have on another show. >> well, you talked about two people there that i want you to expound on -- the john quincy adams approach to -- he was a president, had been a president, the 6th president of the united states, and then went on 17 years in the house of representatives. but what did he do when james polk was inaugurated president? >> well, he had a chance to be in the inaugural procession, which he had no intention of doing because he was very upset about polk's election. he despised andrew jackson, but jackson was a giant of his t

john quincy adams was one. george w. bush, in my view, it was a sanctimonious man.n was a a sanctimonious man. sanctimony at that level of politics tends to be a trait that causes problems. he was probably the most successful. people argue about woodrow while seilson. >> you talk about people that i wanted to expand on -- gadahjohn quincy adams approached. what did he do when james was inaugurated president? >> he had a chance to be in the inaugural procession, which she had no intention of doing because he was very upset about the election. he despised andrew jackson. now we had jackson's protege, who was not a giant of his time. it was a rainy day that day. quincy adams watched from a distance and then made comments in his diary. t coh>> he has the tiny writing. where did they keep the diary? >> at the library of congress. >> how did henry clay relate to him? the scene in the oval office or whatever office at the time where she came to visit him and why did he visit? >> i do not think i know. it is a touching scene to me. i think it is the most touching scene in t

place on earth, and he had letters from many of its former senators like daniel webster and john quincy adams on his walls, inspired by things heroic. he was a civil war broke. when we were growing up, he would have us all into his car or did kanpur, and we've tr things. he loved his classic wooden schooner. he loved his 1973 pontiac convertible. my father taught me to treat everyone i meet, no matter what station in life, with the same dignity and respect. he could be discussing arms control with the president at 3:00 p.maneeting with a union carpenter oning -- makingy is backbreaking work. the woman who passed a clean up ter us today has a family to feed -- the woman who has to clean up after us today has a family to feed." that is just the kind of guy he was. he adds with uncle joe's call to patriotism, of a tax cost to service, and bodies determination to seek a newer world. unlike them, he lived to be a grandfather, and knowing what my cousins have been through, i feel grateful that i have had my father as long as i did. he even taught me some of life's harsher lessons such as how to lik

place on earth, and he had letters from many of its former senators like daniel webster and john quincy adamsnspired by things heroic. he was a civil war broke. when we were growing up, he would have us all intoismy fathd things. he loved his classic wooden schooner. he loved his 1973 pontiac convertible. my father taught me to treat everyone i meet, no matter what station in life, with the same dignity and respect. he could be discussing arms control with the psident at 3:00 p.m. and meeting with a union carpenter on "teddy, let me tell you something -- making beds all day is backbreaking work. the woman who passed a clean up after us today has a family to feed -- the woman who has to clean up after us today has a family to feed." that is just the kind of guy he was. he adds with uncle joe's call to patriotism, of a tax cost to service, and bodies determination to seek a newer world. unlike them, he lived to be a grandfather, and knowing what my cousins have been through, i feel grateful that i have had my father as long as i did. he even taught me some of life's harsher lessons such as how

1801 and somehow this book travels across the atlantic and finds its way to quincy massachusetts into the hands of john adams who reads this letter that jefferson had written to priestley, talking this trash about his administration and making him sound incredibly backwards and opposed to science in all these ways and you can imagine the response adams has said he fires dismissive to monticello basically saying what is this letter he says do you know of this letter and its distance? i have more things to say but for now acknowledge this letter. but of course it takes 14 days for the letter to get down and adams can't sit around so he fires off like six more letters every day and each one of them takes a little bit of the letter that jefferson had written, takes a little paragraph four quote and says how dare you say that. that is ridiculous and the first thing he starts with and this is one of the important lessons of the book of all the critiques jefferson has leveled against adams the first thing he fires is how dare you say i am resistant to the innovation of science. i've never said anything like that in

guest: in addition to the president's you mentioned, john adams, our second president, went to his home in quincymass. for eight months in 1799. that is lost and the president had been away. our presidents get criticized for goofing off for being away from washington for too long. president bush, the sun, the 43rd president, had that criticism money went to his ranch in texas john adams set the record. that is a long time ago he felt that when congress was not in session there was no reason for him to be in washington. during that time, he almost lost control of his foreign policy because there were people in his cabinet who disagree with his position and they were trying to push for war with france. he had to come back and pull that back. presidents have felt a strong need to get away from an abnormal expert at the white house but to find some normalcy in their own lives however they define it. for washington and jefferson, they considered their plig plantations because they considered themselves as farmers, washington consider agriculture a gift from the divine-)ñ as the top of the ladr of occu

guest: in addition to the president's you mentioned, john adams, our second president, went to his home in quincyss. for eight months in 1799. that is lost and the president had been away. our presidents get criticized for goofing off for being away from washington for too long. president bush, the sun, the 43rd president, had that criticism money went to his ranch in texas john adams set the record. that is a long time ago he felt that when congress was not in session there was no reason for him to be in washington. during that time, he almost lost control of his foreign policy because there were people in his cabinet who disagree with his position and they were trying to push for war with france. he had to come back and pull that back. presidents have felt a strong need to get away from an abnormal expert at the white house but to find some normalcy in their own lives however they define it. for washington and jefferson, they considered their plig plantations because they considered themselves as farmers, washington consider agriculture a gift from the divine-)ñ as the top of the ladr of occupa