John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit

John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit (2016) is a biography by James Traub. Traub follows Adams from his youth as a diplomat's son through the presidency and his long second act in the House of Representatives. The book stresses Adams's stubborn defense of principle, including his fight against slavery and the gag rule in Congress after he left the White House.

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Fareed Zakaria: “This week's book of the week is James Traub's biography of John Quincy Adams. By rights, John Quincy Adams should be one of America's most famous presidents. His life story is remarkable, the son of one of the nation's founding presidents, the only one to serve in an elected office after leaving the White House, and a man of vast intelligence and political courage who died while debating in the House of Representatives. Yet he's an obscure figure. James Traub has rectified this in a book worthy of its subject.”