John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States and held office during the years 1825-29. Regarded as one of the greatest diplomats and Secretaries of State in US history, he shaped America's foreign policy, modernized the US economy and was a strong opponent of slavery. These memoirs, distilled from a wealth of material that includes private and public papers, were edited by his son Charles Francis Adams and were first published in the 1870s. They provide an unrivaled window on events during John Quincy Adams' presidency as well as word sketches on key European capitals; reflections on such issues as the origins of party political conflict, the birth of modern politics, diplomacy, the rise of political anti-slavery; and vivid portraits of his political contemporaries, including Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and James Monroe.

The original edition of 12 volumes is now very rare and has never before been reprinted in its entirety. This edition, with a new introduction by William J. Cooper, is a valuable resource for all students and scholars of US political and constitutional history, US foreign policy, slavery, and of Quincy Adams and his times.