John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, which is now known as Quincy, on July 11, 1767. He is the son of John and Abigail Adams. His father was the second president of the United States and served from 1797 to 1801. Adams greatly admired his father. Indeed, he spent much of his youth accompanying his father abroad. He followed his father on diplomatic missions to France and the Netherlands. Adams received his education at Leiden University. When Adams was only fourteen, he went on a mission with Francis Dana to St. Petersburg, Russia, to better understand the new United States. He spent time in many places abroad such as Finland, Sweden, and Denmark in 1804. During his trip, John spoke fluent French and Dutch and learned some German and other European languages. Although Adams loved Europe, his parents had him return to the United States to complete his education and begin his career in politics. He enrolled in Harvard College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He also acquired a Master of Arts in 1790. In 1791 he was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar and began practicing law in Boston. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay John Quincy Adams was an American politician who served as a diplomat and treaty negotiator. In 1802, Adams was elected a member of the Massachusetts State Senate. After serving only one year, Adams was elected representative to the United States Senate. In 1824, John Quincy Adams was elected the sixth president of the United States after a close and questionable four-way race. He wanted to improve the American economy and improve education, and he also paid off much of the national debt. Adams followed in his father's footsteps by being a member of the Federalists, but eventually switched to the Jeffersonian-Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and Anti-Masonic and Whig parties once they were organized. Adams did many wonderful things as president; however, he lost his bid for re-election in 1828 to Andrew Jackson. Adams was elected U.S. Representative again in 1830 and served for the rest of his life. Many people admired John Quincy Adams. Samuel Flagg Bemis would argue that Adams was able to “gather, formulate, and put into practice the fundamentals of American foreign policy: self-determination, independence, non-colonization, non-intervention, non-involvement in European politics, freedom of the seas, and freedom of trade ”. Historians would even brag about him as an above-average president. When Adams was 78, he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. During a meeting in the House of Representatives, he was asked to stand and answer a question. When he stood up, he collapsed and suffered a brain hemorrhage. He died two days later, in February 23, 1848.