A Republic of Virtue: The Essays of John Quincy Adams

A Republic of Virtue marks the long-overdue revival of some of John Quincy Adams’ most impressive political and philosophic writings. Though most famous as a statesman, Adams produced a career-long stream of essays, poetry, and speeches that reflect on the deepest questions of political life. In the final years of his life, his efforts as a writer took on a more philosophic tone as he re-wrote the social contract and outlined his own unique vision of America’s theoretical foundations. This series of essays is probably the most thoughtful of Adams’ public works, and they have been largely unread and unpublished since the mid-nineteenth century. This book serves as a correction to that tragedy, reviving some of Adams’ best works of political literature and placing them within the context of his broader career.