Podcast Summary: Newt's World

Episode 961: Bob Crawford on John Quincy Adams

Host: Newt Gingrich
Guest: Bob Crawford (Grammy-nominated bassist, creator of the Founding John Quincy’s America podcast, author of America’s Founding Son: John Quincy Adams from President to Political Maverick)
Release Date: March 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features a deep and engaging conversation between Newt Gingrich and Bob Crawford about the overlooked legacy of John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States. Crawford, known for both his music and public history work, discusses his new book exploring Adams’ multifaceted public service career—from diplomacy and the presidency to a long, consequential tenure in Congress as a crusader against slavery. Alongside historical analysis, the episode mixes in reflections on how history is consumed by the public, Adams’ prophetic warnings about the U.S. future, and personal stories from both host and guest.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Adams Family Legacy

• Gingrich starts by placing John Quincy Adams in context, reflecting on the intellectual stature and public-mindedness of the Adams family, notably John, Abigail, and John Quincy (02:09).
• Noted for their legislative savvy:

  “Both Adams understood an immense amount about legislative bodies ... In the case of John Quincy Adams, he served 40 years in the House.” – Newt Gingrich (04:02)

2. Comparing Then and Now: Dysfunction in Congress

• Newt draws parallels between the productive, collaborative governance exemplified by the founders—with a nod to John Quincy—and the current dysfunction of the U.S. Senate:

  “I don’t remember any period, except just before the Civil War where the Senate was as dysfunctional, as incapable of acting and as incapable of getting things done as it is right now.” – Gingrich (07:07)

• Discusses how founders balanced a strong government with preventing tyranny.

3. Bob Crawford’s Unorthodox Path to History

• Newt observes Crawford’s atypical historian profile, stemming from his career as a musician (11:31).
• Crawford describes learning history on the road:

  “You take the pulse of wherever you are just by traveling ... You have the opportunity to take in the history of where you are and at the same time get a sense for what people are feeling.” – Bob Crawford (12:24)

4. Academia vs. Public History

• Crawford talks about his podcast The Road to Now and his frustration with academic history’s inaccessibility:

  “They spend a decade to write a great paper ... but it’s so dense ... the only people reading it are already in the academy. And the people who need to be reading it ... is the American public.” (13:47)

• His goal: make history accessible and engaging, “a history beach read” (15:30).

5. The Human Constants in History

• Explores how, despite technological change, human motives and nature remain consistent:

  “Technology has advanced in ways that we can’t quantify. But the human heart … that aspect of humanity has not changed one little bit.” – Bob Crawford (16:47)

• History doesn’t repeat exactly, but people’s behaviors “rhyme” through time.

6. Why John Quincy, Not John Adams?

• Crawford’s rationale:

  “We try to measure our historical figures by the greatness of the highest achievement they obtained ... but [Adams] is our greatest public servant.” (18:24)

  • Act One: Diplomat and Secretary of State
  • Act Two: President (marred by controversy and seen as a failure)
  • Act Three: Congressman—defies party, fights slavery, defender of freedom of speech

7. Adams & the Smithsonian

• Gingrich credits Adams with negotiating Congress’s acceptance of the Smithson bequest, creating the Smithsonian Institution—a topic Crawford acknowledges but didn’t cover in his book due to focus on slavery (20:36–20:55).

8. The Amistad Case and Personal Redemption

• Adams’s role in defending African captives from the ship La Amistad before the Supreme Court:

  “[His] closing argument … he points to a copy of The Declaration of Independence on a pillar ... and says, if this document is true, these men are free. And he wins … their freedom.” (21:07)

  • Personal redemption after losing the presidency and his son’s suicide:

    “When he wins that case ... that is his redemption ... the American people begin to look at him as a folk hero. In the North, of course.” (23:47)

9. Adams’s Prophetic Insight About Civil War

• Adams foresaw that slavery would only end through civil war:

  “He confesses to his diary. He says the only way that slavery is going to end in this country is going to be through a civil servile war.” (24:59)

10. Presidential Campaigns: Then and Now

• Elections in the 1820s involved no direct campaigning:

  “You didn’t campaign … it was respectful that you stayed in your own corner and you let your people do the arguing for you.” (32:13)

  • Political media was openly partisan.

11. The Controversial 1824 Election

• Crawford gives a gripping retelling of the “corrupt bargain” that delivered Adams the presidency over Andrew Jackson:
  • No majority winner, so the race went to the House
  • Henry Clay (not a finalist himself) supports Adams; Adams makes Clay Secretary of State, fueling charges of backroom dealing

  “Jackson and Jackson’s men are just building their case for 1828, where Jackson will defeat Adams handily.” (33:42–38:57)

12. Adams’s Visionary, Unpopular Proposals

• As President, Adams pushed for infrastructure, science, and education (e.g., a national university, naval academy), often confounding public and political opinion.

  “He wants federally funded roads, bridges, canals ... Adams says to the Congress, we cannot allow ourselves to be palsied by the will of our constituents.” (39:20)

• Negative reaction: likened by Crawford to Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comment.

13. Adams, the Diarist

• Maintained a comprehensive diary (~14,000 pages) from adolescence to death; now a vital primary resource (44:14).

  “If he didn’t keep his diary every day, he would really be critical on himself ... We can all read this. It's online.” – Bob Crawford (44:14)

14. Adams in Congress and the Gag Rule

• Adams’s defense of the right to petition (First Amendment) against the “gag rule” that silenced anti-slavery petitions (46:25–50:48).

  “Adams becomes a first Amendment warrior in the Congress to defend these people’s freedom of speech ... and that pulls him into the movement in some ways.” (50:24)

15. Adams’s Dramatic Death

• Died “with his boots on” after collapsing on the House floor at age 80 during a session (51:10).

  “His last words were, ‘This is the end of earth; I am composed.’ Which are the greatest dying words of any human being ever.” (51:19)

16. Bob Crawford’s Personal Mission: The Press On Fund

• Crawford shares his experience as a pediatric cancer parent and his advocacy for less toxic treatments via the Press On Fund (52:29):

  “There’s politics in everything, Newt, and there’s politics in getting funding for cancer treatments ... We're just trying to give voice to some of these treatments that are promising but may not have the support inside the system that they deserve.” (52:59)

Memorable Quotes

• On Academic History:
  “They spend a decade to write a great paper ... but it’s so dense ... the only people reading it are already in the academy. And the people who need to be reading it ... is the American public.”
  — Bob Crawford (13:47)

• On Historical Agency:
  “The human heart ... that aspect of humanity has not changed one little bit.”
  — Bob Crawford (16:47)

• On Adams’s Third Act:
  “He defies his party. He defies the pro slavery Southerners in Congress and he becomes a defender of freedom of speech.”
  — Bob Crawford (18:24)

• On Amistad Closing Argument:
  “If this document is true, these men are free.”
  — John Quincy Adams, quoted by Bob Crawford (22:26)

• On Adams’s Final Words:
  “This is the end of earth; I am composed.”
  — John Quincy Adams, recounted by Bob Crawford (51:19)

Important Timestamps

• Adams Family & Legacy: 02:09–08:49
• Bob Crawford’s History Journey: 11:31–16:38
• Why Focus on John Quincy Adams?: 18:07–20:27
• The Amistad Case: 21:07–24:47
• Missouri Compromise & Prophetic Civil War Insight: 24:59–27:19
• Presidential Campaigns & 1824 Election: 32:05–39:16
• Adams’s Diary: 44:05–45:12
• The Gag Rule & First Amendment Battle: 46:25–51:04
• Adams’s Death: 51:10
• The Press On Fund & Advocacy: 52:29–53:53

Tone and Takeaways

This episode combines a conversational and reflective tone—mixing scholarly rigor with personal storytelling and public advocacy. Both Gingrich and Crawford champion the idea that history must be accessible and engaging to the broader public, as exemplified by Adams’s own commitment to civic duty and the written word.

The discussion positions John Quincy Adams as not only a pivotal but misunderstood figure in American history, whose fierce independence, intellectualism, and moral conviction—particularly on the issue of slavery—continue to offer vital lessons for contemporary politics and governance.

Resources and Further Reading

• Bob Crawford’s Book:
  America’s Founding Son: John Quincy Adams from President to Political Maverick (available on Amazon and in bookstores)
• John Quincy Adams’s Diaries:
  primarysourcecoop.org – Massachusetts Historical Society
• Press On Fund:
  pressonfund.org – Pediatric cancer advocacy and research