John Quincy Adams is widely recognized as America’s most distinguished diplomat, taking into account the length and breadth of his public service and his influence on American foreign policy. In the course of this remarkable journey, John Quincy documented his ideas and actions through his writings, speeches, letters, diary entries, and state papers. To aid those interested specifically in learning more about the man and his views on foreign policy, the editors have compiled a collection of the most important and often-cited works, such as his famous July 4, 1821 Oration: “she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.”

The selections in this volume provide insights into Adams's diplomatic practices and the critical issues that marked the young American nation. To give the readers context, the editors have provided introductions for both particular periods in John Quincy's life as well as individual documents. Wherever possible, the editors have included the full text but, given the immensity of the available material and John Quincy Adams’s style of writing, they have used discretion to abridge certain documents.

"John Quincy Adams is widely recognized as America's most distinguished diplomat, taking into account the length and breadth of his public service and his influence on American foreign policy. In the course of this remarkable journey, John Quincy documented his ideas and actions through his writings, speeches, letters, diary entries, and state papers. To aid those interested specifically in learning more about the man and his views on foreign policy, the editors have compiled a collection of the most important and often-cited works, such as his famous July 4, 1821 Oration ("she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.") We include items that provide insights into his diplomatic practices and to the critical issues and developments that marked his life. We divide the volume into ten sections, corresponding chronologically to the phases of his career. Each section has a short introduction specific to that period. The documents are framed by a header. Wherever possible we have included the full text but given the immensity of the available material and John Quincy's style of writing, we have used discretion to abridge certain documents. We have also omitted some lengthy documents, but have provided the reader with a header (italicized) and an appropriate reference. We have based our transcripts on the best available primary source"--