'America's Founding Son' documents John Quincy Adams' influential post-presidency
Podcast:NPR's Book of the Day Published On: Tue Jul 07 2026 Description: As we continue to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S., we’re revisiting author interviews on important books about American history. Bob Crawford of the Avett Brothers has a second career as a writer. In today’s episode, he talks with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep about his book, America’s Founding Son, a biography of one of the less-distinguished presidents in U.S. history: John Quincy Adams. Adams was a Washington insider who was swept out of office by a populist wave in 1829. But Crawford argues Adams had an influential post-presidency career in Congress as an advocate against slavery.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedaySee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy