John Quincy Adams

The most dramatic event in the life of John Quincy Adams was his death. The 80-year-old congressman was stricken Feb. 21, 1848, on the floor of the House as he rose to protest the Mexican War. He lingered for two days in the speaker's private rooms before he died. It was a fitting end for Adams, not simply because he had spent virtually his entire life in government service but because he never hesitated to speak his mind, whatever the price.

Before the era of the 24-hour news cycle and weekly televised debates, the predominant and most creative outlet for presidential candidates to communicate their vision was the campaign poster. With "Presidential Campaign Posters" (Quirk Books), the Library of Congress takes a look back at two centuries of memorable election art. The book begins with the 1828 Andrew Jackson / John Quincy Adams race, spanning through 2008's Barack Obama / John McCain battle - including Shepard Fairey's memorable Obama "Hope" poster - and covering every campaign in between.

John Quincy Adams, descendant of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, has died at age 64, family members announced Wednesday. Adams, who died Monday at his home, was the great-great-grandson of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams, and the great-great-great-grandson of John Adams, the nation's second President. The son of the late Arthur Adams and Magery Lee Adams, Adams graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., and was a member of the Harvard College Class of 1945.

Although he was a devout Christian, John Quincy Adams took his presidential oath upon a "Volume of Laws" because, he wrote in a March 1825 diary entry, it was the Constitution he swore to preserve, protect and defend. But Adams is the exception. Save for some presidents who were sworn in privately on a weekend or hastily upon their predecessor's death, all of the others have placed their hands on a Bible -- or at least on something considered holy. Lyndon B.

While I found Kenneth Turan's review of the movie "Amistad" generally informative and well-written ("Spielberg's Passage," Dec. 10), it should be noted that John Quincy Adams was the Grand Old Man of the House, not the Senate. ROB SMITH MIDFORD Richmond, Va.

Re "President-Elect Bush Does Dad Proud," Dec. 25: Former President George Bush jokingly refers to George W. as "my boy Quincy," after John Quincy Adams, the only other son of a U.S. president to win the White House. That moniker brings to mind what may be for Bush some unfortunate historical parallels. John Quincy Adams actually received fewer votes in the election of 1824 than a man from Tennessee, Andrew Jackson. But by striking a political deal (which he denied), the younger Adams became president anyway, earning the enmity of his opponent, and the following presidential campaign has been called "one of the bitterest in American history."

The church crypt containing the remains of father and son Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams will reopen despite earlier concerns that it would be closed to visitors for lack of money. Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who also is chairman of the state Historical Commission, said he will grant $15,000 to the United First Parish in Quincy, Mass., to continue to maintain the crypt.

The House approved legislation authorizing a federal monument to honor former President John Adams and his family. Sponsors of the legislation said they hope to get the measure through Congress before the Fourth of July. Adams, the second president, was a revolutionary leader and driving force behind the Declaration of Independence. Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), one of the bill's authors, called the Adamses a "historic, dazzling, brilliant family."

Like it or not, more and more Americans learn much of their history from movies and television. Fact or fiction, accurate or distorted, these images form our collective images of times past. "Amistad," the new Steven Spielberg movie, is introducing millions to a powerful chapter of American history that was not taught in most classrooms.

In his review of "Amistad," Times film critic Kenneth Turan suggested that while the screenplay is credited to me, Steven Zaillian rewrote parts of it and that in the closing speeches of John Quincy Adams, "Zaillian's welcome touch is felt" ("Spielberg's Passage," Calendar, Dec. 10). I would like to take advantage of this space to clarify the process a bit and to give credit where credit is really due.

The House approved legislation authorizing a federal monument to honor former President John Adams and his family. Sponsors of the legislation said they hope to get the measure through Congress before the Fourth of July. Adams, the second president, was a revolutionary leader and driving force behind the Declaration of Independence. Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), one of the bill's authors, called the Adamses a "historic, dazzling, brilliant family."

It is but the farm of a patriot, a small sign reads. But the estate on a hillside here is so much more: the summer White House of the nation's second president; a monument to the skills and sensibility of a wife who kept the place afloat while her husband worked abroad; a repository of 78,000 artifacts and letters--all original to four generations of John Adams' family. "This wonderful house," historian David McCullough said during a visit last week.

Re "President-Elect Bush Does Dad Proud," Dec. 25: Former President George Bush jokingly refers to George W. as "my boy Quincy," after John Quincy Adams, the only other son of a U.S. president to win the White House. That moniker brings to mind what may be for Bush some unfortunate historical parallels. John Quincy Adams actually received fewer votes in the election of 1824 than a man from Tennessee, Andrew Jackson. But by striking a political deal (which he denied), the younger Adams became president anyway, earning the enmity of his opponent, and the following presidential campaign has been called "one of the bitterest in American history."

The church crypt containing the remains of father and son Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams will reopen despite earlier concerns that it would be closed to visitors for lack of money. Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who also is chairman of the state Historical Commission, said he will grant $15,000 to the United First Parish in Quincy, Mass., to continue to maintain the crypt.

Intent on learning about American democracy, a group of Soviet political scientists several years ago made a pilgrimage to a large granite church here. Descending to their destination in the building's cellar, they were stunned to find that the tombs of two of America's early presidents and their highly accomplished wives were the opposite of grand or majestic. These were such important citizens, the scholars protested.

I'm impressed by David Franzoni's visceral understanding of "black rage" ("Giving Credit Where It's Due," Calendar, Dec. 15) and by his courageous defense of John Quincy Adams--a man who, as Franzoni puts it, "sponsored unpopular ideals that got him reviled." However, I do have a few questions concerning Franzoni's essay: First of all, why was I never told before now that Adams was "a man who to this day is essentially reviled in American history." I used to live in Quincy, Mass.

I'm impressed by David Franzoni's visceral understanding of "black rage" ("Giving Credit Where It's Due," Calendar, Dec. 15) and by his courageous defense of John Quincy Adams--a man who, as Franzoni puts it, "sponsored unpopular ideals that got him reviled." However, I do have a few questions concerning Franzoni's essay: First of all, why was I never told before now that Adams was "a man who to this day is essentially reviled in American history." I used to live in Quincy, Mass.

It is but the farm of a patriot, a small sign reads. But the estate on a hillside here is so much more: the summer White House of the nation's second president; a monument to the skills and sensibility of a wife who kept the place afloat while her husband worked abroad; a repository of 78,000 artifacts and letters--all original to four generations of John Adams' family. "This wonderful house," historian David McCullough said during a visit last week.

Like it or not, more and more Americans learn much of their history from movies and television. Fact or fiction, accurate or distorted, these images form our collective images of times past. "Amistad," the new Steven Spielberg movie, is introducing millions to a powerful chapter of American history that was not taught in most classrooms.

In his review of "Amistad," Times film critic Kenneth Turan suggested that while the screenplay is credited to me, Steven Zaillian rewrote parts of it and that in the closing speeches of John Quincy Adams, "Zaillian's welcome touch is felt" ("Spielberg's Passage," Calendar, Dec. 10). I would like to take advantage of this space to clarify the process a bit and to give credit where credit is really due.