Light Brings Salt
Volume 2, Issue 36 September 26,
2004
Iron Range Bible
Church
Dedicated to the Systematic
Exposition of the Word of God
Duty as Viewed
by John Quincy Adams
uty - it's a word that deals with
motivation. For its cause men go
to war risking life and limb, patrol the often lawless streets of our inner
cities, and make sacrifices that would seem ludicrous if not for a higher
cause. It's a selfless word; a word that
implies a higher authority that one must obey.
The life of John Quincy Adams is an example of a life of duty. John Quincy Adams (often called by his
initials "JQA") was the
sixth President of the United States, as well as the son of a
President. JQA personally knew many of
the Founding Fathers, and is considered a Founder himself.
After his Presidency, he retired to his home in Massachusetts.
During this retirement he studied science and great literary and
philosophical works, began a biography of his father, John Adams, and even
translated a number of Psalms into poems.
One day two men called upon him to persuade him to run for
Congress. JQA, having no intention of
returning to public life, graciously declined.
However, the citizens of the Twelfth Congressional District of
Massachusetts nominated and elected the former President to Congress. It was the practice of JQA never to pursue a
public office, but when asked to serve his country, he believed it his duty to
accept. Thus, he returned to public life
to represent the State of Massachusetts.
The big controversy of the day was slavery, and many in the North were
pushing for the abolition of it. While Adams was not an abolitionist, he did
believe slavery to be evil and against the principles of our own Declaration of
Independence. He knew that if slavery
were to ever be abolished from the United States, it would have to be done Constitutionally.
Before Congress (over 20 years prior to the Civil War) he said the
following:
"Suppose a Civil War.
Suppose Congress were called to raise armies,
to supply money from the whole Union, to suppress an insurrection, would they have no
authority to interfere with the institution of slavery? ... Can it for an
instant be pretended that Congress, in such a contingency, would have no
authority to interfere with the institution in any way?"
Six years later he would add, "Under that state of things [i.e.,
war] so far from it being true that the States where slavery exists have the
exclusive management of the subject, not only the President of the United
States but the commander of the army has the power to order the universal
emancipation of the slaves."
JQA began receiving petitions sent from across America for the abolition of
slavery. To Adams, petitioning Congress was a
fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution, and he believed it his duty
to present the petitions on the floor of the House. Congress, growing tired of these petitions,
passed a gag order that would automatically table "all petitions,
memorials, resolutions, propositions, or papers relating in any way, or to any
extent whatsoever, to the subject of slavery."
Adams, who was adamantly opposed to this resolution said, as he was
called upon for his vote, "I hold the resolution to be in direct violation
of the Constitution of the United States, of the Rules of this House, and
of the rights of my constituents!"
The gag order did not stop JQA.
He went right on presenting petitions to abolish slavery. He soon gained a reputation for doing so and
the influx of petitions began to multiply.
Many congressmen, particularly the Southerners, were growing tired of
these petitions.
On February 6, 1837, JQA, after presenting 28 other
abolitionist petitions, brought forth two controversial petitions. Not only were these petitions to abolish
slavery, but Adams said that the first petition was
from some Southern women from Fredricksburg. This angered the Southern gentleman sitting
next to him, and he stood up demanding to see the names on the document. But before he could snatch it away, Adams gave it to the speaker and it
became the property of Congress. The
gentleman from Virginia sat down.
Adams pulled out the last petition, addressed the Speaker
stating that the petition that he held was from 22 people who declared that
they were slaves, and asked if such a petition would fall under the gag
rule. Outraged, some Congressmen
threatened to burn the document and Adams along with it, while others shouted out,
"Expel him! Expel him!"
A resolution was drawn up to censure him, and he was given a chance to
defend himself. This gave Adams a perfect opportunity to condemn
slavery, which he did. Also in his
defense he reminded his colleagues that petitioning is nothing more than
begging for mercy, and inquired of his colleagues what law prohibited certain
men from begging for mercy. After his
eloquent speech, the vote was taken, and JQA escaped censure. For what? For doing his duty.
One day, Adams received a petition (most probably a prank) recommending his demotion
from Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. JQA presented it before Congress, and asked
the Speaker for the floor so that he might defend himself. Given such permission, he then proceeded to
defend his position on slavery. Thus, he
had again gotten around the gag order, to the exasperation of his colleagues.
For nearly 8 long years he fought against the gag rule, during which
time he was sent death threats, was called names, even by members of his own
party, like "old reprobate," "curmudgeon,"
"harlequin," "miscreant," "rapscallion," and
"obstructionist," and was almost censured. When once asked why he continued on for such
a hopeless cause, he replied, "Duty
is ours; results are God's."
On February 21, 1848, Adams rose for the last time in
Congress, but before he could say anything, he collapsed paralyzed. The
gentleman next to him caught him. As the
word spread that John Quincy Adams was dying, Congress quickly adjourned and Adams was brought to the office of the
speaker and laid on the sofa. Friend and
foe alike respected him and knew that a great man had fallen. John Quincy Adams never saw the end of
slavery. He just did his duty.
There was a freshman Congressman who was chosen to serve on a 30
member committee to handle the arrangements of JQA's
funeral. Only serving one term, yet he was there at the demise of one of America's greatest statesmen. It was this man that God would use as His
instrument to produce the "results" that Adams and many others had
dutifully worked so hard to achieve. His name? Abraham
Lincoln. &