Karen Fitzgerald, age 13, of Pittsfield, Mass., for her question:
WAS JOHN QUINCY ADAMS THE ONLY SON OF A PRESIDENT?
There was only one son of a president who also became president of the United States. The son was the sixth president of the country, John Quincy Adams, and the father was the nation's second president, John Adams.
John Quincy Adams served only one term as president from 1825 until 1829. His father also served only one term from 1797 until 1801.
Before becoming president, John Quincy Adams held a number of important diplomatic posts. He was part of the negotiation team that ended the War of 1812 and was also Secretary of State under President James Monroe. Adams helped develop the Monroe Doctrine.
Many Americans believed that Adams should follow Monroe as president after serving as Secretary of State. Adams thought this would be a good idea too, but he did little to get votes.
Four Democratic Republicans opposed John Quincy Adams in the 1824 election: John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, William Crawford and Andrew Jackson. Calhoun withdrew and was elected vice president.
Jackson received 99 electoral votes; Adams received 84; Crawford received 41; and Clay received 37. None had a majority, so the House of Representatives had to choose one of the first three men. This requirement removed Clay, who immediately threw his support to Adams, who was elected.
Even before the House elected Adams, followers of Jackson accused Adams of promising Clay a cabinet post in return for his support. When Adams named Clay Secretary of State, Jackson's powerful supporters in Congress charged that the two men had made a "corrupt bargain."
The split broke up the Democratic Republican Party, and Adams' group became known as the National Republicans. Jackson's group fought President Adams for the next four years.
Jackson defeated Adams in the election of 1828 with 178 electoral votes to 83.
When President John Quincy Adams delivered his inaugural address, he outlined an ambitious program of national improvements. This program included the construction of canals, highways, weather stations and a national university.
But the majority in Congress disagreed. Adams' hopes for a partnership of government and science were not to be realized until after his lifetime.
After losing his bid for a second term as President, Adams planned to retire. But the people of Quincy, Mass., asked him to run for Congress in 1830. He defeated two other candidates by large majorities and served in the House of Representatives for 17 years.
At times Adams served as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and of the Committee on Manufacturers. He remained just as independent of party politics as he had always been.
Adams fought President Jackson's opposition to the second Bank of the United States. He also opposed Jackson's policy of recognizing the independence of Texas. But Adams supported Jackson's foreign policy.