
Bob Crawford with Alexis Coe: America's Founding Son
From Library Talks by The New York Public Library
April 8, 2026 · 58 min
About this episode
Bob Crawford discusses the life and legacy of John Quincy Adams with historian Alexis Coe.
In this episode of Library Talks , The historian and bass player for The Avett Brothers, Bob Crawford revisits the life of John Quincy Adams in his book America's Founding Son. Adams was born nine years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and he died as the United States was sliding irrevocably toward Civil War. In between he was a foreign ambassador, secretary of state, sitting president, and finally ex-president and sitting congressperson. Crawford talks to presidential historian Alexis Coe about John Quincy Adams's unlikely second act that reshaped not just his legacy but the country's.
People in this episode
Host: The New York Public Library
Guest: Bob Crawford
Topics covered
- John Quincy Adams
- American history
- presidential legacy
- Civil War
- biography
Keywords
- John Quincy Adams
- Bob Crawford
- Alexis Coe
- American history
- presidential history
- The Avett Brothers
- biography
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Avett Brothers
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