Letters of John Quincy Adams to His Son on the Bible and Its Teachings

This book is the reprint of the 1848 classic. It contains the nine letters that John Quincy Adams wrote to his ten-year-old son in 1811, instructing him not only on how to read through the Bible from cover to cover once each year, but also how to get the most out of that reading.

John Quincy Adams served America for nearly seven decades of public service. During America’s early years, as we were struggling to become an established nation, he spent years overseas as a leading American diplomat to key nations, securing their support and cooperation for our fledgling nation. He dearly loved his family, and regretted being separated from them for such long periods. So to make sure that his children were fully equipped for life, John Quincy took an active hand in their education, including regarding the religious faith. In 1811 while he residing in St. Petersburg as President James Madison’s diplomat to Russia, he wrote nine lengthy letters to his son George Washington Adams (named for John Quincy’s close friend and mentor), instructing him not only in how to read through the Bible from cover to cover once each year but also how to get the most out of that reading. This was not an unusual topic for Adams, for throughout his life he maintained a strong love of the Bible. He not only read and studied it in numerous languages (including Greek, French, Russian, German, and others), but was also an officer and leader of the infant American Bible Society, which continues today as the largest distributor of Bibles in the world. When John Quincy Adams died in 1848 after seven decades of public service to his country, there was a high demand for his nine letters to his son on the Bible to be printed and distributed nationally so that all of America’s youth would benefit from his wise counsel. When that work was released, in speaking of Adams, the Editors noted that: It is no slight testimonial to the verity and worth of Christianity that in all ages since its promulgation, the great mass of those who have risen to eminence by their profound wisdom, integrity, and philanthropy, have recognized and reverenced in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God. That 1848 book, titled The Letters of John Quincy Adams to His Son on the Bible and its Teachings, became an instant best-seller. It went through several reprints over subsequent years and its public popularity remained very high. This modern reprint makes the wisdom of John Quincy Adams available to this generation, and its wisdom is perfect for both youth and adults.

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767 to John Adams (who became the 2nd U. S. President) and Abigail Smith Adams. He was raised and educated by his loving mother and a traveling, but very involved, father, both of whom were central figures in the American Revolution. At the outbreak of the Revolution, while only eight-year-old, John Quincy performed musket drills with the local Minutemen. When he was ten, he braved a treacherous winter voyage across the Atlantic to serve as a secretary for his father, who was then the U. S. diplomat to France. At the age of fourteen, John Quincy was official secretary to Francis Dana, America’s diplomat to the Court of Catherine in Russia. When he was fifteen, he was the official secretary to the American peace delegation in Paris (Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams) who negotiated the treaty to end the American Revolution. After the Revolution, President George Washington appointed John Quincy to be an ambassador, calling him “the most valuable public character we have abroad.” Adams continued his diplomatic service under his father, President John Adams. Under President Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy served as a U. S. Senator from Massachusetts. Under President James Madison, he was nominated and confirmed to the United States Supreme Court, but turned down the position. He instead served as an Ambassador to Russia, during which time he wrote nine letters to his son, instructing him on the importance of the Bible. (After his death, these letters were published for the “young men of America” in this book.) Under President James Monroe he served as Secretary of State, and then he became the sixth President of the United States. Following his presidency, he served 17 years in the U. S. House, becoming the only American to serve in the House after being president. Known as “Old Man Eloquent” for his remarkable powers of oratory, and also called “The Hellhound of Abolition” for his relentless pursuit of the end of slavery, John Quincy is remembered for his integrity, determination, and lifelong service to America. *Random fact: JQA was the first President to have his photograph taken.