Following his distinguished political career as an ambassador, senator, secretary of state, and U.S. president, John Quincy Adams represented the state of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1831 until his death in 1848. As a congressman, Adams became a forceful voice against slavery and a powerful opponent of politicians angling to create new slave states in the West. He opposed the Mexican-American War (1846–48), correctly predicting it would become “a war for slavery,” and repeatedly defied a gag rule against presenting antislavery petitions to the House.
In 1841, Adams successfully argued before the Supreme Court that African prisoners who had rebelled against their captors on the slave ship Amistad were deserving of freedom. During his two-day argument, Adams repeatedly directed the justices’ attention to copies of the Declaration of Independence displayed in the courtroom, asserting “I ask nothing more in [sic] behalf of these unfortunate men, than this Declaration.”
Nacido en Braintree, Massachusetts
Tras una distinguida carrera como embajador, senador, secretario de estado y presidente de la nación, John Quincy Adams representó a Massachusetts en la Cámara de Representantes de EE.UU. desde 1831 hasta su muerte en 1848. Como congresista, fue una voz potente contra la esclavitud y un formidable opositor de los políticos que trataban de crear nuevos estados esclavistas en el oeste. Se opuso a la Guerra MexicanoEstadounidense (1846–48), augurando, con razón, que sería “una guerra por la esclavitud”, y desafió más de una vez una ley de mordaza que prohibía presentar peticiones antiesclavistas ante la Cámara.
En 1841, Adams arguyó con éxito ante el Tribunal Supremo que los prisioneros africanos que se habían rebelado contra sus captores en el barco Amistad merecían la libertad. Durante su presentación de dos días, aludió varias veces a las copias de la Declaración de Independencia expuestas en la sala, afirmando que: “No pido más, en nombre de estos hombres desafortunados, que esta Declaración”.
Provenance
(Mary J. Rafferty, Menlo Park, Calif.); Jay Fliegelman, Worcester, Mass.; (John Crichton, The Brick Row Book Shop, San Francisco); purchased 1999 NPG
Jay Fliegelman reported that Rafferty said she had bought it from “a collateral relative of the Adams in Los Angeles.”
Place
United States\Massachusetts\Norfolk\Quincy
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 110a
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Object number
NPG.99.1
Type
Painting
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 92.7 x 74.3 x 2.5cm (36 1/2 x 29 1/4 x 1")
Frame: 103.5 x 84.1 x 6cm (40 3/4 x 33 1/8 x 2 3/8")
