Today we will learn about John Quincy Adams, our 6th president (1825-1829).
This is the first photo ever taken of a president!
John Quincy Adams was an amazing man, and this is why...
1) He spoke nine languages. Wanna see a list? He spoke... English, Latin, Greek, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and (the only president to speak) Russian!
2) He was ahead of his time. He wanted women's rights, black people's rights, and lots more. But unfortunately he didn't get to do a lot of them... because he had obstruction from Congress. But if he hadn't, he would probably have been the best president.
(3) He only got a little over 30% of the popular vote. Here's why: There were four people in the election. John Quincy Adams won in second place; Andrew Jackson was in first place. But, since none of them received a majority, the House of Representatives chose--and it was a tie! And do you want to know how John Quincy Adams still won? The Speaker of the House, Henry Clay, broke the tie, voting for Adams. That was a scandal and the reason he wasn't elected for a second term.
(4) He kept a diary for more than 50 years.
(5) He was the only president to publish poetry. In 1832, he made a book about his poems that had 108 pages.
(6) Even though he was very smart, he still wore the same hat for 10 years.
(7) He swam naked every day in the Potomac. One time a lady reporter named Anne Royall sat down next to his clothes and refused to leave until John Quincy Adams gave her an interview. It was his only interview during the four years he was president. One of the reasons why he was only interviewed once is because he refused to give interviews to the newspapermen.
(8) When he was a kid he had a lot of hobbies. He planted a garden. He liked to ride horses.
(9) Even though he knew what was right and wrong, he still wasn't very nice.
Quote: "I am a man of cold and forbidding manners."
Quote about Adams from one of my blogs: "He spoke 9 languages!!!!!!!!!"