Jeff Denman, MA

This presentation is an examination of John Quincy Adams’s life through the lens of slavery, covering his interactions with the institution of slavery throughout his life, including his great successes and his missteps, and, in some cases, his inactions. Events include intense scenes on the floor of the House of Representatives in which Adams excoriated Southern slaveholders, and the two times the House tried to censure him. Historical context will provide the social and political conditions under which Adams operated and some of the key movers and shakers of the time with which Adams interacted.