the great grandson of john adams, grandson of john quincy adams so i toe my mind henry adams was the most important american intellectual of the second half of the 19th century and 20th century. a poet, an historian, write bought america and europe and he wrote perhaps the most iconic memoir outside of benjamin franklin's memoir in the country's history and if people know henry adams it's usualfully a reflective way; henry adams specifically it's because of the education of henry adams, which is considered to be the classic. it tells us so much about the development of a technocratic industrialized civilization. i one thing talk about in the book is this sense of time in history. now adams embodies this. howl he views himself as being -- he would but acolonial, but by the time he dies he's very much a modern and this is a transition that he goals through in his life and he thinks about and he writes the education, it's more than just a memoir. it's henry adams putting himself in history, reflecting upon his abscess stores and their contributions and how that has changed to dramatical

secretary of state john quincy adams said "wherever the standard of freedom and independence has beenr shall be unfurled, there will america's heart, for benedictions, and her prayers be. but, she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. she is the well-wishers to their freedom and independence of all. she is the champion and vindicator only of her own. she well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication and all the wars of interest and intrigue. of individual, envy, and ambition, the fundamental maxims of her policies should insensibly change from liberty to force." now, when secretary adams recommended this, the world was very different. and what he recommended is proven to be easier said than done. in the two sentries in which the united states has filled the continent and risen to responsibilities around the world. it's -- it simply is not possible the united states be merely what adams called the well wisher. it is not possible because our national premise is that the principles by which we liv

secretary of state john quincy adams said wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled there. will america's heart. her benedictions and her prayers be but she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. she is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. she is the champion and vindicator only of her own. she well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own. she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication. and all the wars of interest and intrigue of individual avarice envy and ambition fundamental maxims of her policy should should then insensibly change from liberty to force. when secretary adams recommended this the world was very different and what he recognized is proven to be easier said than done. in the two centuries during which the united states has filled the continent and risen to to responsibilities around the world. it's simply is not possible for the united states to be merely what adams called the well-wisher of those who are long for freedom. it is not possible because our national premi

begins to adopt that and it's -- it's mainstream antislavery thought by the 1850's and it was john quincy adams that was early theorizers that couldn't be done in wartime that couldn't be done in peacetime through slavery. >> a long-winded answers. quincy adams is popular in massachusetts. >> greatest ex-president we've ever had. [laughter] >> peter wrote, professor oaks i was struck by your statement that, quote, after december 1862 lincoln never mentioned colonization again end-quote. a comment that i wonder if you could expand upon. >> it's -- it's fairly uncontroversial, i thought, that the last public statement he makes about colonization comes in his december 1862 annual address to congress. it's a very interesting statement because it's mostly framed as an attack on racist justifications for colonization and indication that they are here. we are not bringing people here who would not otherwise be here if we don't colonize them, we haven't done anything to bring people here. but it's last statement in favor of colonization. he never says it again. there were some indication that is privat

spirit were about to turn to questions but guess i have to ask, not john quincy adams? [laughter] i guess so. he hasn't star. hey did go up with his father but he was a little young when he first started. he was ten or 11 when he was in england with his father. i don't count jimmy's too young. he'll be the roger mirrors with the oestreich. >> that's true, that's true. we could talk all night but let's get to some audience questions. how do you see marshall's personality and it was he a serious comment was he a heavy guy, humorous, probably easy to look at the sky and think here's a lawyer who's very serious and whatnot. >> he was one of the great partiers of this. if a thing called writing circuit with supreme court justice. that certain states in north carolina. so he was off to raleigh the capitol of north carolina with 700 people. can you imagine the capitol of the state with seven other people? at what he got to a certain number of cases. each 90 go to the same pub and know the same people. it was a big drink of the temperamental think i've ever tasted i don't know

his father was a four-term congressman, a close friend of john quincy adams and also arthur's older sister, margaret fuller, is the most renowned female intellectual of the first half of the 19th century in america. arthur has had a harder time in life, when he is a boy, he has an accident that leaves him blind in one eye. he grows up to become a respected unitarian minister but remains physically frail and he has never been able to lead the life of pacific and achievement he in his deepest heart desires and so in one final grasp at realizing his vanishing ideal of manhood fuller signs on to the army as an army chaplain and does what he took preserve a space for your religious decency among his regiment, even in the midsts 60 this horrible war. his ill health persism. >>> oon the eve of fredericksburg he receives a medical discharge but he is unable to leave the army in its time of dire need and so also the regiments are having into battle he lays down his bible and picks up a gun with what turn out to be rather shattering consequences. arthur's chief contribution to american history turns

might predict an uproar and as you suggest everybody knows john quincy it's a kind of rising star and some people blame him for saying that adams wants to become president and institute of hereditary rules we can pass the torch to his own son. which wasn't fair but you could see that would be a useful talking point for the republicans. >> do you think his argument about why it's necessary isn't the real influence in democracy? it's not hard, well, it's not hard to buy the argument because the bush family did it. the father was a senator of h. w., and then his son was the president and then his son was the president so that's three generations of very influential bushes plus jeb bush got close or at least look like he's going to get close to be president. the kennedy family and you and just assumed no one can run against one of the kennedys once jfk's been killed and wins for a while. and then of course the with the roosevelt. that wasn't quite the same but it was an uncle and nephew or something like that, right? with quite a few examples of families that eventually get the democratic voters to feel that they have a right to th