Nation Builder

America goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy John Quincy Adams s famous words are often quoted to justify noninterference in other nations affairs. Yet when he spoke them, Adams was not advocating neutrality or passivity but rather outlining a national policy that balanced democratic idealism with a pragmatic understanding of the young republic s capabilities and limitations. America s rise from a confederation of revolutionary colonies to a world power is often treated as inevitable, but Charles N. Edel s provocative biography of Adams argues that he served as the central architect of a grand strategy that shaped America s rise. Adams s particular combination of ideas and policies made him a critical link between the founding generation and the Civil War era nation of Lincoln. Examining Adams s service as senator, diplomat, secretary of state, president, and congressman, Edel s study of this extraordinary figure reveals a brilliant but stubborn man who was both visionary prophet and hard-nosed politician. Adams s ambitions on behalf of America s interests, combined with a shrewd understanding of how to counter the threats arrayed against them, allowed him to craft a multitiered policy to insulate the nation from European quarrels, expand U.S. territory, harness natural resources, develop domestic infrastructure, education, and commerce, and transform the United States into a model of progress and liberty respected throughout the world. While Adams did not live to see all of his strategy fulfilled, his vision shaped the nation s agenda for decades afterward and continues to resonate as America pursues its place in the twenty-first-century world."