John Quincy Adams

Birth-Death: (1767 - 1848 ) Term: (1825-1829 )

John Quincy Adams took over the reigns of power from James Monroe at the end of the Era of Good feelings. The sectionalism of the country, however, showed in the 1824, favorite Sons Election. Adams defeated Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson, and the latter screaming about the "corrupt bargain" effectively blocked most of the legislation from passing through Congress.

Major Events with John Q. Adams

1828 - Tariff of Abominations

    A new tariff was drawn up in Congress, and despite Southern opposition, it passed the House and the Senate (by a 105:94 and 26:21 votes respectively) and was signed by President Adams. The South was infuriated by this act, and vowed to boycott New England Goods and Nullify the tariff.

1828 - Calhoun's Exposition and Protest

    Calhoun claimed that protective tariffs were unconstitutional. He extended the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions to show his point. His reasoning followed these lines:

    The Constitution is a compact among several sovereign states.

    The Federal Government has only those powers specifically delegated to it by the Constitution.

    The power to regulate foreign commerce was intended to be a means of extending commerce, and this power was not given to the Federal Government.

    Since the Constitution does not give Congress the power to nullify a law, this power is reserved to the individual states (10th Amendment).