I feel like a cousin who has come to tell you about your family uninvited. Even if you dont think that i am right at all. Thank you. I am asked most often about this book John Quincy Adams my answer is just this. In the course of getting to no his parents with whom he corresponded safely and lengthily and with enormous affection. Go ahead. Okay. And lastly as it may seem i came i came to abigail and john adams as has just been said the New York Times and was riding. Go ahead. Try again. All right. Maybe that is a sign from on high. [laughter] i was a little bit productive when we then celebrated editor and designer called to ask if i would be interested in doing a book on 50 Historic Houses the author had been made but she had no time for it on the strength of an article i had written for magazine she thought the subject with appeal to me. And so we was right. In the course of researching one of 50 houses, the adams house my house, my son john, found the letters of misses adams those of abigail. Has my family might say, for better or for worse or forever i have been engaged with the family papers in the family and there was no turning back. Somehow given my fascination with how and why our nation was cobbled together it is john and abigail and john quincys version of this riveting story that i have the most find the most compelling on hand. And i am not the lone admirer. In the past year or so i heard an eminent historian speak about the papers of john adams which he had edited for the library of america. The other president s only got one volume a peace. John got four. He was such a splendid writer. He could have been a novelist to which i must add it is obvious that he did not no abigail because he would have thought the same of hers and John Quincy Abigail to all the world the world knows now but did not then, for so many things always tangled women ought to have the vote and that talented women black swans, she calls them, hot not to be bogged down by large families and domestic responsibility. And what about giving up your name when you married . And that her need for private personal space. Where has she talked about having a closet of her own Virginia Woolf wanted one. And one. And then there was john and his instructions to abigail honor roll as schoolmistress education, she pushed attention of great and glorious objects. Weed out every little thing, readout every measure will make them good and manly and more teach them to score an injustice ingratitude cowardice. Well, absolutely smitten, i decided to cast my lot with abigail and company and get on with my research in the adams papers embedded in the massachusetts Historical Society, though eventually i would would work on the microfilm copy of columbia. And this is how i remember my 1st visit with the late Lyman H Butterfield on the top floor sanctuary with windows overlooking the summer. I was i was a journalist rather than a correctly loyal scholar i understood his guarded objectivity about my quest, a slight man with puzzle lies, distantly lies, distantly cordial who seem to be testing my powers of endurance rather than intellect as he explained the tangled scope of the adams family its accomplishments trials, idiosyncrasies, tragedies. I listened as though all the adams is occupied seats in the room. I was wrong if i thought i had one them to my cause. Some months later i asked for a letter of introduction head of the British Museum just in case i encountered a red tape with the research during my short stay their having left my four children and husband far behind. But but not at all dutifully mr. Butterfield had given me a note on fine white paper. The flap unsealed, which i carried to the bench outside sir johns door. As sir john was delayed the note obviously was burning a whole in my hand and i was moved to read it. This is what he said. Said. Mrs. Lavergne is writing a book about abigail adams. She seems to be serious about her work. [laughter] and so i was. And when i finished work i remembered somehow feeling that i had left john quincy medicare. I medicare. I effected to write a book on Woodrow Wilson and his wife. Once completed are returned with relief and pleasure. A world traveler, both as a bunker and two uncle and father called him the greatest traveler of the age unremarkable linguist. He spoke not only french and dutch but at one time or another studied italian spanish, german, and russian apart from reading and translating latin and greek. He was a graduate of harvard college, Phi Beta Kappa a lawyer, and essayist of some renown and vibrant controversy and significant political circles. He knew from early youth is onward the renowned emissaries including Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis Lafayette and had countered thomas jefferson, a dear friend. It was George Washington the named John Quincy Adams to his 1st diplomatic post as minister of the United States of america with there high mightiness. The state general of the united netherlands. And as the 1st president of the United States understood the genius of John Quincy Adams so did the 35th. John f kennedy wrote of his fellow bostonian that he held more important offices and participated and more in more important events than anyone in the history of our nation. During his long lifetime encompassing the American Revolution the war of 1812, the early and late napoleonic age john quincy served as minister to the hague to pressure from russia, and as head of the American Mission to negotiate piece with england and conclude the war of 1812 as minister to england. He england. He turned down the offer to serve in the United StatesSupreme Court and made his final journey home on his appointment of secretary of state under president james monroe. He was inaugurated the 6th president of the United States and served as a member of the house of representatives from november 1820 until his death in 1830 until his death in february 1848. In in the interim of his Foreign Service he was a professor at harvard massachusetts state senator, and United States senator. In the extraordinary breadth of john quincys quincys president ial ambitions he envisioned a great magnificent government that would influence, create a national university, astronomical observatory. Did. Did i say that right . And naval academy, new department of the interior and medical research expiration. John quincys impassioned denunciation of slavery stormed through his letters, notes speeches and congress are as dramatically done as lincolns wording of the emancipation proclamation. 25 d 515 years after his death. My question is what went wrong. I wouldve i wouldve thought he might be esteemed as one of americas greatest public servants. People remember as a failed one term president. Sadly and obviously it has been mostly long forgotten the accompanying his father we will be appointed to one of three United States commissioners after a brief return home he and his father had back next to listen to negotiate a loan. Along the way he attended to schools where he acquired flood french. In july 1781 11 chevrolet shop in his grandsons judgment john quincy never had a childhood. His destiny was foreordained. At times insufferably lonely as he tired of his wandering can of life he grew acutely sensitive to any and every thought of separation. Life was painfully peripatetic it was the curious date of his affairs that drew me to this burden and heroic young man born as a patriot i found john quincy and altogether riveting character. He would be better understood and appreciated. As my research proliferated cascaded might be a better word for vulnerable husband for his command for the. His earliest letters as pressing as they are appealing. He was already a perfectionist but failed expectations and spendthrift hours. He had had it in his mind for a long time to write the appellant he apologizes to his cousin. But affairs of much less importance prevented him from doing so. Too doing so. Too much time to play besides which he confides he has made very little proficiency in reading. There is a a great deal of room for me to grow better. Still apologetic in june 1777 he left to receive letters much better than he loved to read them because he writes poorly. The head is much too fickle and the thoughts of fuming and running after birds eggs, plants and trifles until i get drenched with myself. A troublesome task. Fortunately his teenage years from teenagers on john quincy considered writing as the business and duty of my life. He he kept a journal because he wished to record the fleeting reflection which originates in some transient occurrences. In the habit of testing himself he was humble and waste far more that he had a brain as fertile as that of some of his friends. Page upon page was nothing but gives of this kind of partially distributed. I was never yet able to ride without knowing upon what. And again fortunately he did write about what he knew and what he saw and how it felt over 65 years. He wrote about his challenges as a law student, his 1st real love. He he wrote sympathetically of American Indians from impoverished europeans from a warring countries europes kings and queens emperors and empresses, empresses, a palace maldon amber for last our collections. He reported on napoleon continually. Numerous council meetings. As a result know other american diarist the historian touched life and quite so many points over quite so long a time as John Quincy Adams. To his contemporaries he was a frigid a frigid and icy new englander probably have seen his diary can perceive that at heart he was really of a hot and passionate nature volcanic in his haste intense and his love. The emotionalism of the diary is indeed, one of its most appealing qualities. Those who have known his diary that is the hedge. Unless hedge. Unless you have read the explicated version you cannot possibly no understand, understand, or appreciate John Quincy Adams and forth. And and so fairly recently by far the most influential sources than the 15,000 page 51 volume diary. Actually, a set of diaries compressed by john quincy son Charles Francis and 12 volumes of memories published in 1784 which is entirely another work. It is under stringent, selfimposed guidelines that it was very clear to Charles Francis that abridgment was indispensable. Otherwise, he feared, the superabundance of the material would be equal a quantity the hundred volumes of altar. And so Charles Francis writes seeming this to be certain it became necessary to fix them a a fair and honest and to attain that object he decided to eliminate the details of common life in defense of know interest of the public. He trusted you we will supply pretty much all the most curious reader would be desirous to know. Well, he managed to reverse the works of intimate feelings. All told all told they had up to 6,576 pages in which for instance his wife was only vaguely present, three times in volume 1, 178 once and 11. 15, 1711. Fifteen times in the 497 pages that would cover for years in russia. He also skips mostly all references to illness and to some of the most challenging and moving moments of john quincys life such as his response to the death of his daughter with these the reader of his diary feeling and apologetic intrusion. One fears for him. Nor does the 2nd most important printed source, the seven volumes have ravings in favor disclosure. On the contrary editor of the Massachusetts SocietyHistorical Society of the establishment of the family trust in 1905 set out to include, and i quote, what is a permanent historical value and what is essential to a comprehension of the men in all the private and public relations. Nothing is suppressed which can contribute to this purpose in the text is printed as it was written. Nothing matters accepted, entire paragraphs and even salutations unlimited eliminated which means in the case of john quincy details during reports the reader would never no that they were addressed to his wife, nevermind that he is concerned for her wellbeing as a result according to one critic John Quincy Adams adams, a bloodless creature writing machine and his wife nor does john quincys wife helped to improve her husbands public relations. A relations. A cosmopolitan upbringing spoke english with the british and french with the natives, born and reared in england and france, her father was from maryland, her mother british. People speak and probably other southern charm. At 65 and punishing depression pathetically aware of the constitutional irritability that was trying to her friends and painful to herself she wrote the 2nd memoir, the corrosive adventures of a nobody that has won one herself a host of sympathetic followers at the terrible cost most tragically of reinforcing her husbands harsh reputation. And therefore contrary to her searing complaints the surprise of reading john quincys unpublished diary and letters from a discovery of sympathetic, attentive, concerned husband in the fullness of his confidence and her confiding the stormy negotiations that would mark the war of 1812. Later in life he intimates an inkling of the turmoil of there marriage. As as president he wrote in his note of february 1828 my wife was almost the whole of the state extremely and alarmingly ill and i was distracted with a multitude of company and that the same time in the deepest respect for the agony of mine which are sometimes i endure is indescribable, the suffering that must be suppressed the suppressed, the cheerfulness that must be assumed the indifference which was surrounding the various calls of sympathy with those who business or pleasure in playing brings in society from altogether a sort of convulsive state of existence which sometimes seems as if it would laugh every ligament of selfcontrol. Selfcontrol. But, of course, theyre were better times as well. Especially pleased to learn of the affectionate relationship between john quincy and his siblings and vastly entertained to find john and abigail as pushy as any presentday parents when it came to fostering john quincys admission to harvard. Certainly not the last parent. To attempt to ease the way john adams eagerly sought the help and advice of dr. Benjamin waterhouse, harvards 1st professor of the theory and practice of physics that the recently found at harvard medical school. The two had met at Benjamin Franklins in paris and john did not hesitate to consider him in some respects as one of my family. Waterhouse at the watchful eye on john quincy and his brother at the university of laden, and laden and john needed his help once again. Being john adams letter offers a unique picture of john quincy, age quincy age 18, and his astonishing education, loopholes and all and of the father led the 1st to insist that his offspring is far broader than his sat scores would indicate. On april 231785 john writes that john quincy must undergo an examination which i suspect he will not appear exactly what he is. In truth, there are few who take there degrees at college you have to have so much knowledge. John quincy had pursued studies by himself and therefore it seemed necessary to make this apology for him and to request that waterhouse communicated in confidence to the gentleman who want to examine him and such others as you see prudent. If you were to examine him in english and french poetry i no not where you would find anyone his superior. It is it is rare to find a youth possessed of so much knowledge. As you know. Looking back on his early years he regarded them as a lesson in humility. Monumental errors yet he remains patriotism, order levels or for that matter classic observation. 1827 he wrote. The members of both houses and gotten themselves in the personal reflections. The repetition. All personalities within the public speeches in the private conversations that applied. Nevertheless they are the more formidable enemies. Also deploy the role of many to pay money for securing the presidency directly or indirectly or in his opinion and correct in principle. But principle. But his purpose in general the express reservation. He he had found his fathers journals deeply interesting but altogether not for public inspection and predicted the same fate for his own writing. He seemed to think that he ought to be confined sentiment. On the contrary, he he might have been both amazed and possibly amused to find his names and writings live on and with great flair and contemporary society. The headline of the massachusetts Historical Society. The format usually expensive i understand that we vary a lot. I lot. I hope i have not insulted anyone. [laughter] you probably no. Am curious john quincy stake. Why his siblings did so poorly in there lives. Was it because they were absent so much of the time . I just love to hear what he thought. I dont know that he thought i dont think he expressed himself except to care desperately about what happened. Huge separation the youngest child when with them derusha. It was decided and thought that perhaps that was the reason that the 3rd so poorly. Think i heard at some. Anecdotes that he grabbed his wife and wash the make up off the face because he did not feel that she should go out with makeup on. Is that accurate . If so, it obviously is disturbing to modern minds to hear that. Zero sorry i did not not understand. I read an anecdote i think it was in russia his wife had dressed up and put makeup on. And he supposedly grabbed her and washed the make up from her face and insisted that she not. I just could not bear to go on. I dont no whether that was true, you know because because she dramatized so much. [laughter] but she so i dont know how true. She feels very deprived. It was an an ambassadors wife who is suggesting that she put the rouge on. Her biography says that the father was about to go bankrupt. That she suffered all her life. We have letters from two years before she died, and that was like the motif of her life. She may have married into a family with more esteem and that she did not deserve this family you find that rings true. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you so much. Every weekend 48 hours of nonfiction authors and books. Keep watching for television for serious readers. Of cannibals. Please welcome mr. Carl hoffman. [applause] tnk so muor is i have always wanted to give a sermon in a church. I will start with a story. When i was a kid when i was 11 or 12 just entering adolescence i lived in a house and we had a big front porch and i discovered one somewhere that if you opened the window to my bed room you could go to the roof of the front porch and for a kid that age that seemed a really daring fishing to do, you go out on a summer afternoon with your shirt off and i wasnt that while the kids so that was a wild thing to do. We like to do